a weekend in Astoria, OR
You know I love pacific northwest weekend getaways!
Well, if you didn’t know that before, now you do.
Astoria, OR is a destination in the northwest corner of Oregon about two hours northwest of Portland and about three hours south of Seattle. It is a quick drive to the Oregon Coast with plenty to explore in and around town. It was the filming location for the cult classic film, The Goonies and has small town charm with a lot of history.
With four breweries, proximity to the coast, and a few tourist attractions, Astoria is perfect for a quick weekend trip!
LODGING
I gotta say, we have only stayed in Astoria once and our stay at the Hotel Elliott was great! Like the rest of the town, the hotel had vintage character while still being updated with all of your usual needs for a hotel. It was right in the heart of downtown so it was perfect for walking around and going to breweries and not having to drive. There was also a rooftop deck area which is a pretty cool amenity!
There are a couple well known chain hotels on the water that are also great options. The one thing that I have heard about staying on the water is that the seals can be a little noisy!
I’d love to be really fancy one day and stay at the Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa but we had a great experience at Hotel Elliott for our first trip to Astoria.
There are not a ton of AirBnb options in Astoria so I would suggest a hotel, especially if it is your first time in town.
THINGS TO DO
See “The Goonies” house
“HEY YOUUUU GUYYYYYSSSS”
Gosh, I really love The Goonies. I was so excited to see the house but - be warned - the house has been sold and people actually live there. They don’t want people really driving up their driveway and peeking in their windows (understandable) so you will need to park down the road and then you can walk by the house.
Also check out the Oregon Film Museum for more movie history and memorabilia!
Antiquing & Shopping
I love wandering through antique shops and finding treasures. There are a couple pretty neat antique shops in downtown Astoria. Vintage Hardware was my favorite shop we stopped at and they had a good amount of large vintage furniture pieces.
Sunday Farmers Market
Astoria has a great Farmers Market on Sundays. With a good mix of fresh produce, crafts, and more. I am sad that the Pilot House Distilling booth wasn’t open while we walked through and their tasting room was closed during COVID but we had a great time seeing goods from local farmers and artisans.
Fort Stevens State Park
Okay, this isn’t technically in Astoria but if you are making the trip you need to go to the beach. THIS BEACH WAS SO LOVELY. Obviously, I can’t guarantee weather but when we visited it was slightly warm IN OCTOBER and the wind wasn’t too crazy.
We explored the beach in two spots. The first was at the Wreck of Peter Iredale, an old shipwreck that I kept calling a pirate ship. This part of the beach was expansive with soft sand and probably the best “beach spot” in the park. The second location was at the Observation Tower. This is more of a lookout spot than a “play at the beach” spot but the view is INCREDIBLE.
We didn’t even get to explore the bunkers and some of the trails so we need to go back!
LET’S EAT
Okay, the breweries have great food but they are in the next section! So these two spots we stopped were great spots for a meal that are not breweries.
Silver Salmon Grille - Casey and I love cajun food and it is always such a lovely surprise when we find good cajun food unexpectedly! The hush puppies here were SOOOO GOOD! I ordered étouffée and Casey ordered a cajun chicken dish and we both loved our meals.
This is a nicer restaurant and it seemed like reservations were the norm for the main restaurant during the weekends. We were (luckily) able to get a spot in the bar and eat there with no wait. The bar is a loud atmosphere, but it was filled with conversation fueled by some delicious cocktails and food.
Coffee OR Waffle - We love a good food truck or food cart and Coffee OR Waffle was the PERFECT quick stop for breakfast. Casey got a pizza waffle with pepperoni, cheese, and ranch - IT WAS AMAZING - and I got a strawberries and cream waffle - ALSO AMAZING.
LET’S DRINK
It’s time for everyone’s favorite part of my recommendations - DRINKS! We went to three out of the four breweries in Astoria and also stopped at a pretty cool bottle shop and taproom during our weekend trip.
Buoy Beer Co - This place was extremely busy the whole weekend during COVID times but we know they are great. We visted this place in early 2019 and their beer and atmosphere are top notch. It is right on the water and they have windows to look through the floor to see the seals under the docks! They have also opened a beer hall across the street from their flagship location, which is great if you don’t want to wait to get a spot in the restaurant. I really enjoy their beers and my favorite from our most recent trip was the Dunkel Lager.
Astoria Brewing Company - This brewery had a lot of seating options at the bar, in the brewery, and out on the deck. They had a ton of touristy merch for those who want souvenirs. I loved that they had a replica of the house from The Goonies that held all of the Goonies related merchandise. My favorite beer from my flight here was a blueberry one that was seasonal.
Bridge and Tunnel Bottle Shop & Taproom - This was a cool spot! You can stop here for a pint on tap, fill up a growler, or pick up a mix and match 6-pack of cans from breweries from around the country. I enjoyed the atmosphere here on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Saturday night, there were lots of laughs and conversations and people playing darts and Sunday afternoon it was very chill and relaxing with conversations flowing.
Fort George Brewing - On our first visit to Astoria, Fort George Brewery made us want to stay an extra day in Astoria on our way to Cannon Beach. Their taproom is an intimate space with a fireplace and board games; I could stay there and drink their dark beers all day. Unfortunately, during COVID times, the taproom wasn’t open but we were able to make a reservation at the restaurant. The cheesy bread was the highlight of our meal.
Fort George is probably in my top 10 breweries and all of their beers are unique and high quality. I am a sucker for their dark and sweet ones but also had a really good one called the Positive Contact and was aged in chardonnay barrels!
If you want to hear even more about our trip and Astoria, listen to episode #70 of the podcast! Casey and I talk all about the trip, the food, the beer, and even more!
