Astoria, Oregon City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Astoria, Oregon Travel Guide has been your connection to Astoria's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Museums in Astoria
 In a city that dates back several hundred years, there are countless opportunities for museums to sprout up. Ask your bed and breakfast innkeepers for their expert local opinion on their favorite local museums.
One of the most breathtaking sights of the city is the old Victorian homes that lace the hillside overlooking the bustling port of Astoria. One of these homes is the Captain George Flavel House Museum. Captain George Flavel was a Columbia River bar pilot who was one of the Northwest's first millionaires. The house and separate carriage house are listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its location and immaculate attention to period detail. At this museum, not only will you get a sense of the Captain's daily life, and even see where he and his wife would watch river traffic come and go, you'll see what a stately, wealthy home of the past looked like.
Another museum worth visiting is the Columbia River Maritime Museum, a true treasure of Astoria. Here, you'll find American Indian dugout canoes and even the lightship Columbia, which once guided ships across the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River.
Another way to pay homage to Astoria's rich past is by visiting the Astoria Column, a 164-step spiral staircase located in a beautifully wooded area. From this structure, you'll enjoy a view unmatched by any other vantage point in town. The column itself is a feast for the eyes, as it is encircled with friezes depicting the settlement of Astoria, from the bottom which celebrates the rich American Indian tradition, and up to the top which depicts a scene of the first railroad coming to Astoria. The Astoria column is a unique way to learn the town’s history.
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