Astoria is gritty, and likes it that way. But that rustic exterior is just a cover for the many enchanting dichotomies you’ll find waiting around the next corner. Here, fisherman are poets, loggers drink espresso, and Main Street welcomes both nouveau gallery and five n’ dime.
For Astoria, it’s about character, and it’s also about characters: the people who call this place home with a passion that borders on evangelical. The skipper who challenges the same mighty river his great grandfather once fished. The artist who migrated here in search of a new palette. The hotelier who resurrected a once-bustling pier.
Astoria is that little town that could, a city of 10,000 people on the Columbia River, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Founded 200 years ago at the beginning of Oregon’s North Coast, Astoria has been through boom and bust times more than once, weathering the collapse of both the Columbia River fishery and Oregon timber industry. It has risen once again as a cultural haven, often referred to as “little San Francisco.” Astoria is an old place that is newly hip. Here, Victorian mansions and maritime relics live in harmony with chef-driven restaurants and tattoo parlors.
Once you come here and learn these stories, you’ll want to share them with others, and hope they’ll tell others, too. And, it’s a place to which you’ll want to return, to see what other stories you might have missed.
Featured Spots
North Coast
East Mooring Basin Boat Ramp
Located at the mouth of the Columbia River, the East Mooring Basin Boat Ramp is popular and convenient launching point for anglers.
Astoria RiverwalkAstoria, OR
North Coast
Pecks Guide Service
Pecks Guide Service offers guided salmon, steelhead fishing and waterfowl hunting trips In Northwest Oregon. Enjoy a guided adventure on the Pacific Ocean or the Columbia River near Astoria, the Willamette and Columbia River in the Portland area and below...
Astoria, OR
(503) 314-6554
Email us (dmpeckjr[at]hotmail[dot]com)
North Coast
Oregon Film Museum
The Oregon Film Museum celebrates the art and legacy of films and film-making in the State of Oregon. Housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, the museum invites visitors to explore these and other films and the production behind making...
732 Duane StreetAstoria, OR
503-325-2203
North Coast
Youngs River Falls
Eight miles south of downtown Astoria, Youngs River Falls drops 54 feet into a pool and is a popular recreation spot for locals. The falls have been featured in several movies, including Free Willy 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3.
88450 Youngs River RdAstoria, OR
North Coast
Lewis & Clark at the Crossing
Lewis & Clark public golf course located in Astoria, Oregon, is this regulation length (2,738 yrds., 1 par 5, 502 yds.), 9 hole course. Designed for challenge and fun for all skill levels and all ages. Placed in a country...
92294 Youngs River RoadAstoria, OR
503-338-3386
Email us (lcgrvpark[at]gmail[dot]com)
North Coast
Astoria Underground Tour
There is no shortage of things to see and do above ground on the Oregon Coast. But what about below ground? That is where the Astoria Underground Tour comes in, sharing the history and mystery of part of the abandoned...
1125 Marine DriveAstoria, OR
415-713-4141
Email us (jd48woody[at]gmail[dot]com)
North Coast
Chad E Niedermeyer Guide Service
Astoria, OR
(503) 490-8333
Email us (chad[dot]niedo[at]yahoo[dot]com)
North Coast
Astoria–Megler Bridge
Connecting Oregon to Washington across the mouth of the Columbia River, the Astoria–Megler Bridge is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. Pedestrians are allowed on the bridge just one day per year, during the Great Columbia Crossing. The 4.1-mile-long Astoria...
Astoria–Megler BridgeAstoria, OR
North Coast
Liberty Theatre
The Liberty Theatre in downtown Astoria, Oregon, is one of the best examples of the 1920s vaudeville-motion picture palace in the Pacific Northwest.
1203 Commercial StreetAstoria, OR
503-325-5922
Email us (director[at]liberty-theater[dot]org)
North Coast
Arrow Tugboat & Tour Company
Enjoy a historic riverfront tour of Astoria aboard a restored former pilot transfer vessel, “Arrow No. 2.” Whether you choose a sightseeing tour or crabbing adventure, you’ll also learn about the history of the area and maritme facts courtesy of...
Astoria, OR
(503) 791-6250
Email us (arrowtug[at]gmail[dot]com)
North Coast
Flavel House Museum
Experience the elegance of the late Victorian period by touring the home of Captain George Flavel. The 1885 Queen Anne home features original Eastlake influenced woodwork, period furnishings, and exotic hardwood fireplace mantels. Begin your tour at the Carriage House...
714 exchange streetAstoria, OR
503-325-2203
Email us (cchs[at]cumtux[dot]org)
North Coast
Bikes & Beyond
Bikes & Beyond was opened by Richard Fencsak and his partner, Joan Herman in 1988. Richard ran the store until his untimely passing in 2008. The shop has been a Trek dealer from that first year, and have more recently...
125 9th streetAstoria, OR
503-325-2961
Email us (info[at]bikesandbeyond[dot]com)
More Info
Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
Astoria, OR Mail: PO Box 176
Astoria, OR
503-325-6311
Email us (visitors[at]oldoregon[dot]com)