Astoria
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.
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.
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 activities
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Astoria Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
Slow down in a place where 14 knots is considered speedy. It's amazing what passing freighters, fishing vessels, and sailboats will do to relax and refresh your spirit. So help yourself to the maritime heritage, historical sites, restaurants, shops, and natural splendor at the mouth of the Columbia.
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Columbia River Maritime Museum
Six galleries, the Great Hall, and the Lightship Columbia interpret the Pacific Northwest's rich maritime history. Visitors of all ages can experience what it's like to pilot a tugboat, participate in a Coast Guard rescue on the Columbia River Bar, and live in Astoria during the height of salmon fishing. Explore marine transportation from the days of dugout canoes, through the age of sail, to the present. Watch a dramatic 12-minute film introducing the history of life and commerce on the Columbia River, including the dangerous work of the Bar and River Pilots. Walk the bridge of a World War II warship, marvel at the 44-foot motor lifeboat plowing through a wave in a rescue mission. Participate in interactive and hands-on exhibits. You can board the Lightship Columbia, a National Historic Landmark, that once guided ships to safety at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Featured accommodations
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Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa
Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, named "one of the top 25 hotels in the West" by Sunset Magazine, is a luxury boutique hotel built on the historic site of the former Union Fish Cannery 600 feet into the Columbia River Estuary. Waterfront balconies offer unparalleled views of a real working river and special amenities such as breakfast, wine & hors d'oeuvres, chauffeur driven vintage cars and a full-service Spa with authentic Finnish Sauna and Mineral Therapy Hot Tub make a stay here an extraordinary experience.
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Hotel Elliott
Featured Events
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The Liberty Theatre Classical Series
The Liberty Theatre is proud to present a second year of classical performances and school workshops. The first season presented seven workshops within Astoria and Warrenton High Schools, which reached 100+ students. Thanks to foundations, corporations, and donors, they plan to many more area schools during our 2018/2019 season.
Along with this exceptional educational outreach, they have chosen performers from around the country that the audience is sure to enjoy.
- September 22 – Portland Chamber Orchestra 7pm
- January 13 – Quartetto Gelato 7pm
- February 23 – BodyVox Dance 7pm
- March 7 – Trio Solisti 7pm
- April 26 – Clarinetist David Shifrin w/ Cary Lewis 7pm
- May 4 – Soprano Deborah Mayer w/ Cary Lewis 7pm
The season opener with Portland Chamber Orchestra with Yaacov Bergman, Music Director, is entitled, “The Eight Seasons.” Works will include:
- Antonio Vivaldi…..The Four Seasons
- Astor Piazzolla….The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (Las Cuatro Estaciones Portensas)
The Portland Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1947 by Finnish composer and conductor, Boris Sirpo, who came to Portland after leaving his war-torn native country, and the orchestra was initially composed entirely of his music students at Lewis and Clark College. Now one of America’s oldest chamber orchestras, the commitment to quality performances of innovative repertoire that was instilled from the beginning continues.
Tickets available online or at the Box Office, Wed-Sat 2pm-5:30pm. Single tickets and season packages available.
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For more info
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Astoria Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
111 West Marine Drive
Astoria, Oregon 97103
503-325-6311 or 800-875-6807
Email: [email protected]
website: TravelAstoria.com
