My #5 place to visit recommendation

#5- Cannon Beach:

Cannon Beach got its name from a cannon that was found washed up on the beach. It is about a 30-40 minute easy drive from downtown Astoria, and well worth the trip. Cannon Beach is a small city located right next to a long beautiful beach, featuring waterfalls, caves, and large rock formations that can be reached at low tide. The most famous of these rocks is Haystack Rock, which is enormous and very tempting to climb, but the Coast Guard makes many helicopter rescues each year because people get stuck on the rock, so I advise you not to try it. Not only is it fun to walk on the beach, play in the tide pools, and explore the little caves, but the actual city is great too. The streets are lined with stores featuring the best products of the Oregon coast, and the restaurants are amazing. You also have access, via a curvy road, to Ecola State Park, which has spectacular views of Cannon Beach to the south, endless cliffs to the north, and beautiful Tillamook Lighthouse located about 1/2 mile off the coast on a large rock in the Pacific Ocean. The road to Ecola State Park is located on the North side of the city, and you will pass it as you enter town coming from Astoria. Plan to spend the entire day enjoying everything that this beautiful location has to offer.

Jeremy's Insider Tips-

A light jacket is always nice to have, even if it just ends up staying in the car. Bring a towel and a swimsuit just in case you cannot withstand the draw of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Of course you will need a camera as well. Two things you absolutely have to do while in Cannon Beach is get some pizza from Fultano's Pizza, which is located on the main street which leads down to the beach (every Astorian knows that Fultano's in the best pizza in the world), and eat at JP's Restaurant for dinner, if you want to stay in town that late. Both offer the best in their respective cuisine areas.

My #4 place to visit recommendation

#4- Columbia River Maritime Museum:

The Maritime Museum is easy to find as it is situated on the riverfront in downtown Astoria. The Coast Guard usually has one of its large ships docked along side the museum, and the Lightship Columbia, which was a floating lighthouse in the Columbia River in the past, is part of the museum and can be boarded and explored with your museum ticket. The museum gives a fantastic presentation of the Columbia River both past and present. Inside the museum you will find artifacts going back to when Astoria was populated by native tribes all the way up to modern boating and fishing equipment. There are thousands of pictures of shipwrecks, wildlife, and industry which have been or currently are on the river. There are several interactive displays, such as the inside of the bridge of a cargo ship, and the bridge of a naval destroyer. There is a full-sized Coast Guard rescue boat (you can see it through the windows in the picture) showing what rescuing people in the surf is really about. There is so much inside the museum that I could write pages and pages about it, so I simply recommend that you must see it for yourself when you visit. It is worth your time and the small donation at the door to enter. You will not be disappointed and will leave knowing the area a lot better than when you entered.

Jeremy's Insider Tips-

Bring a camera and be prepared to spend a couple of hours in this amazing museum. There is something here for everybody so don't worry about children being bored in a "stuffy old museum."

My #3 place to visit recommendation

#3- Cape Disappointment:

Cape Disappointment is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River. It has an amazing view of where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet. This violent stretch of water is called the Columbia River Bar. Here you can see waves crashing over the rocks of the North and South Jetties and watch anything from ocean and river barges, fishing boats, pleasure boats, and enormous cargo ships make their way in and out of the Columbia River. Bald Eagles ride the updrafts created by the constant sea breeze and the cliffs. You can walk up to the actual lighthouse or go to the visitor's center which shares the lighthouse's amazing view but offer an amphitheatre and comprehensive information center. Cape Disappointment is also home to a large Coast Guard base and the home of their surf rescue training center. The drive to Cape Disappointment will also take you across the Astoria-Megler Bridge, which is something you should do anyway. You get an amazing mid-river view of Astoria as you cross the bridge in either direction. It is something to experience during the day and the night. It is from this bridge that "#5" parachuted from in the movie Short Circuit for all you movie buffs out there.

Jeremy's Insider Tips-
Bring a light jacket as it is always windy up at the lighthouse. You must have a camera with you. If you have binoculars you will want to have them with you. You have to hike up a steep hill to the lighthouse, but don't be intimidated because it isn't that far to the top and the scenery along the way to the top, and the view from the lighthouse is well worth the effort. This is a working lighthouse, manned by the Coast Guard, so don't be surprised if you encounter a little military presence.

My #2 place to visit recommendation

#2- Peter Iredale:

The Peter Iredale was washed onto the beach near Fort Stevens in 1906. It was a four-masted steel ship and they could not get it off the beach no matter how hard they tried. Over the years the sea has claimed almost all of the wreckage, but the rusted steel frame from the front of the boat can still be easily seen. You definitely have to see this site while you are in the area because it isn't going to be around that much longer. Seeing the Peter Iredale wreckage is not the only reason to visit this location though. It is a relatively unknown spot to tourists, which means you have an enormous, and I mean enormous, stretch of beach to yourself. Sand dunes seperate the beach from the parking area and are great to run up and down. It is beautiful to watch the sunset from the beach or even from the comfort of your car.

Jeremy's Insider Tips-
Bring a swimsuit, and towels any time you go anywhere near the ocean. My mom couldn't keep me from running into those beautiful waves as a child, and I still run into them as an adult.... even when I am just going for "a walk on the beach." Bring a windbreaker or light coat, especially if you are going to be there when the sun is going down. Bring a camera. Finally, I highly recommend that you buy a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid and gather some wood at the beach, which is washed up all over the place, and build a fire. It is completely legal, and is a great way to cook some hotdogs or marshmellows on sticks.

My #1 place to visit recommendation

#1- Astoria Column:

Built in 1926, the Astoria Column is the most visited landmark in Astoria. You will find pictures of the column on any Astoria, Oregon website and postcards/souvenirs. The Column is located on top of the small mountain, or large hill, that Astoria is built upon and surrounded by. It can be see from nearly every place in Astoria. Additionally, its location at the highest point in the immediate area means that you have a unparalleled view of not only all of Astoria, but of the Columbia River, Washington State, the Pacific Ocean, and just about everything in a 40-50 mile radius (on a clear day). The clearer the sky the more you can see, but even on a rainy day you will find the view of the city simply beautiful. You do not have to climb the column to enjoy this view, but all those 164 stairs inside are just begging to be climbed by the adventurous (there are platforms to rest on while you climb to the top so don't worry about holding up traffic).*

*Please note that the stairs are currently closed for repairs and are planned to be open to the public by Memorial Day 2009.

Jeremy's Insider Tips- The road driving up to the column is in great condition, but is full of sharp curves, so drive slowly. Make sure you bring some binoculars if you have some, and a camera. It is also a beautiful place to have a little picnic. There is a gift shop in the parking lot.

If you enjoyed this website you might also enjoy some of my other websites about the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Just click on one of the links below, and thank you for visiting my website!

An Insider's Astoria, Oregon Area Recommended Dining Guide
http://guidetoastoriaoregondining.blogspot.com/

An Insider's Astoria, Oregon Recommended Quick Trips Guide
http://quickastoriaoregontrips.blogspot.com/

An Insider's Astoria, Oregon Area Recommended Hidden Spots Guide
http://hiddenlocationsguideastoriaoregon.blogspot.com/