Where Columbia River goes into Pacific Ocean

When we drove from Seattle to Cannon Beach, OR last winter, we went through a small port city called Astoria. It was getting dark, and the downtown looked quite lively for a small community so I looked it up on my phone. I learnt that it is the oldest city in Oregon and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. President Jefferson sent Lewis & Clark on their expedition and told them “You have one mission… the Pacific Ocean” Not only did they find the Pacific Ocean, they also saw where the might Columbia River goes into the Pacific Ocean—in modern day Astoria. Ok, recess, history teacher Naomi is done here.

So exactly one year after our Cannon Beach trip, we spent Veteran’s Day long weekend in Astoria, Oregon.

You don’t go to Astoria just because of Astoria, you go there because of its central location.

25 minutes north of Astoria, you can visit Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington, 20 minutes west of Astoria, you can stop by Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon, and 20 minutes south of the city, you get to Seaside—one of the many dreamy beach towns along the magnificent Oregon coast. No wonder this place attracted the early settlers, it’s so strategically located. If you get bored of just staying in one city during a vacation, you have to come to Astoria, because there is so much to explore near the city.

Within the city, you can easily spend a day walking around downtown by their famous river walk (there is also a trolly service from March to November), check out all the funky little shops, food carts (I know, so Oregon), and seafood restaurants. You can also visit some of their museums or drive up to the Astoria Column up on a hill so you can see the entire city from above. The city is quite hilly, so hilly that it’s nicknamed “Little San Francisco” so you will definitely burn off that garlic butter lobster you indulged during the day.

We stayed at a hotel by the river front—there are a bunch of them so do your research and see which one fits your family needs the best (some are good for small babies while some allow pets). The best part of being so close to a large body of water? Seagulls, sail boats, cargo ships, and the impressive Astoria-Megler Bridge—it’s definitely not a bad view to wake up to.

If you ever visit the city, I hope you have as much fun as we did during this trip.

Downtown Astoria

Walking by the beach in Seaside, OR

Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington