Free & Cheap Things to Do in Astoria

Historic Sites

A 125-foot painted tower built in 1926 atop Coxcomb Hill, its 525-foot frieze spiraling up the exterior with scenes from Pacific Northwest history. The free 164-step climb to the observation deck rewards visitors with a panoramic sweep of the Columbia River, the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and on clear days the Olympic and Coastal mountains.

Address: 1 Coxcomb Drive, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Park open daily 5am–10pm. Buy small wooden gliders ($1) at the gift shop and toss from the top — a local tradition. Column closes in high winds, mostly winter. Free shuttle from downtown weekends in summer.

Walking Tours

A 6.4-mile paved-and-boardwalk path that runs the full length of the Astoria waterfront, from Smith Point in the west to Lagoon Road in the east, along the route of the former Astoria & Columbia River Railroad. The trail passes piers, working canneries, ship-watching benches, the Maritime Museum, and frequent sea-lion haul-outs at the East Mooring Basin docks.

Address: Smith Point to East Mooring Basin, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. The Astoria Riverfront Trolley shadows the path for a $1 hop-on, $2 all-day fare — handy for one-way walks. Best sea lion viewing late winter through spring.

Walking Tours

A restored 1913 streetcar — Old 300, salvaged from San Antonio — that runs four miles of the Astoria waterfront on rails reclaimed from the old Burlington Northern railroad. Volunteer conductors narrate the city's history as the trolley clatters past canneries, the Maritime Museum, and the working seal-and-sea-lion-filled East Mooring Basin.

Address: Boardings between 39th Street and the Port of Astoria, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Runs noon–6pm daily Memorial Day through Labor Day; weekends only in spring and fall. Cash or Venmo (@Astoria-RTA). Dogs ride free. Round trip is about 60 minutes.

Arts & Culture

A small city park at 11th and Duane that honors the Chinese immigrants who built Astoria's salmon-canning economy in the late 1800s. The centerpiece Pavilion of Transition is paved with a mosaic-fish floor and ringed by dragon-carved columns, with quiet benches, granite calligraphy panels, and a moon gate set into the surrounding wall.

Address: 11th & Duane Street, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Open dawn to dusk. Two blocks from the Riverwalk and three blocks from the trolley line — easy add-on. Best light for photography is mid-morning when the sun catches the mosaic.

Historic Sites

The rusted iron skeleton of a four-masted British barque that ran aground on October 25, 1906, en route to the Columbia River — one of the most accessible shipwrecks of the Pacific's Graveyard of the Pacific. The wreckage sits half-buried on a wide flat beach inside Fort Stevens State Park, ten miles southwest of Astoria.

Address: Peter Iredale Road, Hammond, OR 97121

Tip: Low tide lets you walk right up to the iron ribs; high tide leaves only the upper frame above water. Restrooms at the parking lot. Pair with a free walk on Coffenbury Beach.

Historic Sites

An 1885 Queen Anne mansion built by Astoria's first millionaire — Columbia River bar pilot Captain George Flavel — and considered one of the best-preserved Queen Anne houses in the Pacific Northwest. Self-guided tours walk through restored period rooms, fourteen distinct fireplace mantels, and a wraparound veranda overlooking the river.

Address: 441 8th Street, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Open daily 11am–4pm in summer; reduced hours in winter. $14 'Adventure in History' pass covers the Heritage Museum and Oregon Film Museum too — a real value for the budget traveler.

Historic Sites

The Walsh house from the 1985 Steven Spielberg-produced film, perched on a hill above the Astoria waterfront and still standing as it appeared in the movie. After a stretch of being closed to fans over property damage, the new owners opened exterior viewing — visitors can walk up the gravel drive and photograph the house from the sanctioned viewing area.

Address: 368 38th Street, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Park west of 37th & Duane and walk a few blocks up. Stay off the porch and neighboring yards — access depends on respectful visitors. No interior tours.

Arts & Culture

A Smithsonian-affiliated museum on the Astoria waterfront covering 200 years of Columbia River maritime history — sail and steam vessels, the dangerous Columbia Bar, the U.S. Coast Guard's lifesaving stations, and a moored 130-foot lightship visitors can board. Galleries include a recreated bar-pilot rescue scene that genuinely tilts and rocks underfoot.

Address: 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR 97103

Tip: Open daily 9:30am–5pm. Admission includes boarding the Lightship Columbia. The 3D theater is an additional fee. Free parking lot is also a handy place to leave the car for downtown.