FORT CLATSOP NATIONAL
MEMORIAL, Follow signs from Highway 101 in
Warrenton. Hours vary by season; museum opens at 8 am. 503-861-2471. The first
habitation built by Americans along the Pacific Coast, Fort Clatsop was built by
the Lewis & Clark expedition. The fort is furnished as it may have been in
the 1800s, with wooden bunks and tables and park rangers provide programs
showing what life may have been like for the explorers. The fort also hosts a
visitors center which included exhibits and audio-visual programs.
CANNON BEACH is a popular coastal resort town located in an area of natural
attractions such as Haystack Rock, a 235 ft. high offshore seastack, Ecola St.
Park, with excellent hiking opportunities, and miles of wide sandy beach
directly adjacent to Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach has developed an
atmosphere supporting all kinds of arts and crafts activities, and with a stroll
through the four block long village center you can visit numerous galleries, as
well as restaurants and shops of all kinds in a well preserved coastal
ambience.
SEASIDE MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, PO Box 1024, Seaside, OR 97138-1024 570 Necanicum Drive in Seaside, Oregon (Four blocks north of the Convention Center on Necanicum Drive). The Museum is open for visitors 7 days a week as follows: Monday through Saturday: Winter - Noon to 3:00 PM (Nov. 1st to 3rd weekend in Summer - 10 AM to 4 PM (3rd weekend in March through Oct. 31st). Sunday (All year) - Noon to 3:00 PM
CANNON BEACH HISTORY CENTER & MUSEUM, 1387 South Spruce Street, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 503.436.9301 ..Step into a Native-American longhouse and imagine the furnishings and garments you'd create from cedar, shells, and stones.... Imagine an encounter with the Pacific's most treacherous shoreline from a Spanish or English explorers' ship... Imagine the soreness of your seat back when travel to Cannon Beach from Portland included steamboat, train, and stagecoach rides and took an entire day... Relive the anxiety of World War II, when residents of Cannon Beach were "blacked out" for fear of invasion, and soldiers patrolling the beach enforced a strict curfew... Relive the tension of 1964, when a tsunami hit Cannon Beach, or of 1967, when "Beach Bill" legislation secured Oregon's beaches for public use—but only after a fight!
THE ASTORIA COLUMN, article by Jackie Meredith, about the history and meaning of the Astoria Column, located high on a hill above Astoria. Also in Astoria the historic LIBERTY THEATER is being restored.
BIKING THE OREGON COAST, traveling the Oregon Coast by bicycle is becoming more and more of a popular way to see the coast. It is advisable to travel north to south in the summer months as there is a steady north wind, which works as a tailwind. Scenic state parks with camping and/or picnic sites dot the 300 mile route from Astoria to Brookings.
Since 1984, SOLVE has coordinated beach cleanups along the Oregon Coast. Each year the Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup in March and the Beach and Riverside Cleanup in September draw thousands of volunteers. You can be a part of keeping this tradition going, visit www.solveoregon.org for more details!
TILLAMOOK COUNTY POINTS OF INTEREST, include Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain with
its legendary buried treasure; Three Capes Scenic Loop, a 34 mile drive over
Cape Meares, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda featuring Cape Meares Lighthouse,
Octopus Tree, Three Arch Rocks, Netarts Bay, and Sandlake Sand Dunes; the
Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum; the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center; the
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum; the Tillamook Cheese Factory; the Tillamook
County Fair; and Munson Creek Falls for Clamming, Crabbing, Camping, Fishing,
Hunting, Windsurfing, Hang Gliding, Whale and Bird Watching, Sea Lions and more!
TILLAMOOK COUNTY PIONEERS MUSEUM. Located at junction of US Highway 101
and State Highway 6. Established in 1935, the museum now boasts of over 35,000
artifacts including guns and Indian artifacts, children's toys and dolls and
other artifacts from the 1800s. The museum library is open daily from 8 am - 5
pm for people wishing to research using any of the library's many books, family
files, old records and a large photo collection. The museum is open Monday
through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm.
OREGON
STATE PARKS are among the most scenic in the world, with campgrounds, picnic
sites, day use areas, hiking and more.
OREGON COAST GOLF COURSES offer a huge selection of choices, from some that skirt towering sand dunes to others bordering scenic Pacific coast beaches or inland river valleys.
TILLAMOOK AIR MUSEUM
Located two miles south of Tillamook on highway 101, 6030 Hangar Road. The
largest wooden structure in the world, the Tillamook Air Museum is a World War
II blimp hangar and houses over two dozen of the finest vintage flying aircraft
in the nation. The museum also features a 1940's style café, aviation gift
shop, theater and lighter-than-air exhibits. Open daily except Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Admission fee charged.
NEHALEM BAY WINERY, 34965 Highway 53, Nehalem, 503-368-9463.
BLUE HERON CHEESE CO. is located one mile north of Tillamook, on Highway
101 1 block north of Safeway and 1 mile south of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
The Blue Heron French Cheese Company features cheese and wine tasting, gourmet
Oregon food tasting, Delicatessen and gift shop, espresso and fine chocolates
and barnyard animals for the kids. Open daily from 8 am to 8 pm in the summer
and 9 am to 6 pm in the winter. Call (503) 842-8281 for more information.
CAPE MEARES STATE PARK Located only 10 miles west of Tillamook, Cape
Meares is the north end of the beautiful 20 mile Three Capes Scenic Loop. The
Cape Meares State Park features interesting viewpoints, trails, several natural
attractions including the famed "Octopus Tree" and a historic
lighthouse first lit in 1980.
THE SEASIDE MUSEUM, 570 Necanicum Drive, Seaside, OR. The story of Seaside
is told through chronologically ordered informative and educational exhibits.
The museum also includes Clatsop and Chinook Indian items as well as an exhibit
showcasing Seaside's history for the 1899-1999 centennial celebration. There is
also a gift shop featuring centennial paraphernalia, city of Seaside flags,
postcards, posters, books, pamphlets and more. Open daily from 10am-4pm (summer)
and 12-3pm (winter). Admission is adult $2, senior (62+) $1.50, teen 13-18 $1,
under 12 free (with adult).
SEASIDE AQUARIUM, 200 N. Promenade, Seaside. 738-6211. Since 1937, the
Seaside aquarium has thrilled audiences with its many varieties of sea life. Sea
a variety of deep sea wonders in its 35 tanks. You can even feed the seals!
BUTTERFIELD COTTAGE MUSEUM, 570 Necanicum Drive, Seaside, OR. The cottage,
built in 1893, and since been remodeled as a 1912 beach cottage. The cottage is
home to a Fourth of July gala featuring live jazz, games, cake walk, bingo, food
booths, raffle and silent auction, as well as gingerbread Christmas affairs
during December.
COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria. 503-325-2323. Open
daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Walk through the bridge of a World War II warship
and look through the eyepiece of a submarine periscope. The museum’s 24,000
square feet of exhibit space is home to canoes, sailboats, warships, as well as
artifacts, tools, equipment and fine art illustrating America’s maritime past.
ASTORIA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, located on second story of Uppertown Firefighters Museum at 30th and Marine Drive in Astoria. 503-325-8669. Open 10 am to 2 pm Wed-Fri, 10 am to 3 pm Sat. This museum will delight children and adults with its nautical theme area, child-sized grocery store and "Creative Station" for arts and crafts. For toddlers, there is a carpeted play area and a puppet theatre as well as special toddler times from 11am-nooon on Mondays and Thursdays. Admission is $3.00 per person. For the price of one admission, kids can not only view firefighting history in Astoria, and try on firefighter's helmets, boots and turn-outs, but enjoy the Children's Museum too!
FORT STEVENS STATE PARK,
Originally commissioned as a Civil War fortification in 1863, Fort Stevens is
now a museum featuring genuine military artifacts, guided tours, a Chinook
longhouse replica, interpretive displays, movies and living history
demonstrations. The park is the largest state park campground in the nation with
596 campsites. Call 800-452-5687 for reservations. In the summer, guided tours
of an underground battery are available and there is a Civil War re-enactment
over Labor Day Weekend. Day use fee of $3. Museum open daily 10 am- 6 pm
(Summer) and 10 am- 4 pm (Winter)
ECOLA STATE PARK, Located just north of Cannon Beach. With views of Cannon
Beach, Haystack Rock, the Coast Range, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse and the Pacific
Ocean, Escola State Park is a prime spot for picnics, weddings and special
gatherings. The park has acres of forest, grass and trials for hiking and
relaxation as well as public restrooms, picnic tables and barbecue facilities
for your comfort. Day use only; fee charged.
BIRD WATCHING AT HAYSTACK ROCK, A favorite spot of many birds is Haystack
Rock, the monolith of Cannon Beach. Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots and
the Western Gull may all be seen on Haystack Rock. From April to August, the
Tufted Puffin may be seen nesting in burrows high on the grassy area on the
north face of the rock. For more information, contact the Haystack Rock
Awareness Program by calling Cannon Beach city hall at 436-1581.
LATIMER QUILT
AND TEXTILE CENTER Located at 2105 Wilson River Loop Road,
Tillamook, OR 97141. The center restores and preserves quilts and textiles,
features classes and exhibits in diverse aspects of textile arts, and an
extensive collection and library for viewing and researching. Open Sunday
12pm-4pm, Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 4 pm, closed Monday.
FLAVEL HOUSE MUSEUM, a Queen Anne Style Victorian Home, built in 1885, embraces its period furnishings that appear to be untouched, and present the same atmosphere in Astoria during the turn of the last century. The decorative exterior illustrates hipped roofs, balconies verandas, and a three-story octagon tower, all restored to its original form. Open daily during the summer, May-September (10-5), and in the winter, October-April (11-4). $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for children, located on 8th and Duane, please call 503-325-2203 for more information.
HERITAGE
MUSEUM – This museum offers some history to the Astoria area, specifically
Clatsop County. The features
include permanent exhibits interpreting past history, natural history, geology,
Native American artifacts, early immigrants/settlers of the region, and
important nautical events. Open
daily, summer (10-5), winter (11-4), and $3 for adults, $2 for children, and $1
for youth. Located on 16th
and Exchange, call 503-325-2203 for more information.
UPPER TOWN FIREFIGHTERS MUSEUM – This museum accommodates an extensive collection of firefighting equipment dating from 1977-1963. Astoria has a history of traumatic misfortune with fires, and here it is told through photographs and artifacts. It is located on 30th and Marine Drive, with no cost.
ASTORIA
RIVERFRONT TROLLEY – This restored, 1914, trolley runs for 3 miles
along the Columbia River and the conductor provides a synopsis of the area’s
history and attractions. The round
trip takes about 40 minutes. Catch
it anywhere on the riverfront between Basin and 36th streets, and
ride as long as you please for only $1. Summer
(3-9pm), Monday through Thursday, and (12-9pm) Friday through Sunday. Winter hours are permitted due to weather restrictions, but usually run
Friday through Sunday (1-4pm).
