The Oregon coast is among our favorite places to visit. We present here our top picks for a three-day itinerary for the most northerly section of the Oregon coast. The itinerary can be experienced any time of year as seasonal temperatures change only mildly (though you’re much less likely to get into the water in winter); a May to September visit gets you into Flavel House, and a June to August visit allows time to visit the lighthouse interior and its gift shop. Avoid Mondays and Tuesdays as several locations are closed on one or both of those days; see the hours for the Garibaldi Museum for even more restricted open days. Be sure to pack for layers and include rain gear, a hat, and sunscreen so that you are covered in any possible weather. We suggest arriving at the maritime museum by 10:00 to allow sufficient time to visit the day’s suggested sites.
Columbia River Maritime Museum
Our itinerary starts with a visit to one of the nation’s finest museums of maritime history. Come learn of Captain Robert Gray’s exploration of the Columbia in 1792 in the ship that gave the river its name, the Columbia Rediviva. Come see why the crossing of the perilous bar at the mouth of the Columbia earned the bar the appellation “graveyard of the Pacific.” See displays on some of the famous shipwrecks and the history of the U.S. Coastguard’s efforts to save the lives of sailors and passengers of stricken vessels. If you are a reader and you also visit the Lightship Columbia, you should plan on two to 2.5 hours for your visit—longer if you watch one or both 3D movies; each movie is 25 minutes long.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Dr, Astoria, OR 97103, 503-325-2323. Open: daily 9:30-5; lightship Columbia open daily 11-3 (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). Admission: 18+ $18, 65+ $15, 6-17 $8, 5 and under Free. 3-D movie $5. Gift shop.
Flavel House Museum
This 1886 Queen Anne style house of 11,600 square feet was the home of one of Astoria’s most influential citizens, noted bar pilot and local businessman, Captain George Flavel and his wife Mary Boelling, who lived here with their two grown daughters Nellie and Katie. Come admire this beautiful house, but also watch the short movie presented in the carriage house to learn about the Flavel family. Plan on one to 1.25 hours for your visit.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Flavel House Museum, 441 8th St, Astoria, OR 97103, 503-325-2203. Open: daily May-Sep 10-5 (last entry 4:30), Oct-Apr 10-4 (last entry 3:30). Admission: Adult $7, Senior $6, Youth $2. Gift shop and restrooms in carriage house.
Astoria Column
The Astoria Column is the last of twelve historic markers erected in the early 1900s between St. Paul, Minnesota and Astoria, Oregon. A ribbon of murals winds around the column displaying significant historical events from the region, starting with the native peoples from before the arrival of Europeans, Captain Gray’s arrival in 1792, and ending with the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. If unwound, the murals would be more than 500 feet long. Visitors can climb the stairs and view the landscape from the top of the column.
Comcomly Memorial to Chinook Chief Comcomly is also part of the park, as well as the trail head for the Cathedral Tree Trail, a hike with a round trip distance of 1.6 miles; the trail ranges from Easy to Moderate difficulty. Plan for 30 to 45 minutes for your visit, perhaps one more hour if you hike out to the Cathedral Tree.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Astoria Column, 1 Coxcomb Dr, Astoria, OR 97103, 503-325-2963. Open: daily 5-10. The site is free to visit, but a yearly parking permit is $5. Restrooms on site. Gift shop on site open Oct-Mar 10-5, Apr-Sep 9-6; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Park
This site combines a great visitor center with a replica of Fort Clatsop. The original Fort Clatsop was constructed by the Corps of Discovery in the winter of 1805-1806 and was built within yards of the current replica. The site offers a wonder of education for interested visitors. Plan on one to 1.5 hours for your visit, more if watch the short movies in the visitor center theatre.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Lewis and Clark National Historic Park Fort Clatsop Visitor Center, 92345 Fort Clatsop Rd, Astoria, OR 97103, 503-861-2471. Open: Jul-Aug daily 9-6; Sep-Jun daily 9-5; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission: Adult $10, 15 and under Free.
Seaside and Cannon Beach
Accommodations for two nights in Seaside: there are several hotels on or close to the beach; may we suggest Shilo Inn Seaside Oceanfront or Ebb Tide Oceanfront Inn? Promenade Inn & Suites Oceanfront: 30 N Prom, Seaside, OR 97138, 503-738-9571; Ebb Tide: 68 3rd Ave, Seaside, OR 97138, 800-468-6232. As usual, don’t wait—these ocean front properties fill up fast.
Day 2: how about a slower paced day today? Spend some time on the beach, play in the water—but use caution, the beaches in the region are known for dangerous rip currents, and go shopping. If you enjoy taking home a souvenir or a hat or t-shirt to commemorate your trip, you will find it in the tourist shops on Broadway St; the Lewis and Clark Monument is at the beach terminus of Broadway and, if you take accommodations at the Promenade Inn, Broadway and the monument are right outside the entrance; Edd Tide is but a block north along N. Promenade.
Seaside Aquarium is right on N. Promenade along the beach and placed between Promenade Inn and Edd Tide. 200 N Prom, Seaside, OR 97138, 503-738-6211. Open: daily summer 9-7 daily winter 9-5 (closing hours may vary), closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day (see website for other possible closures). Admission: Adult $11, Seniors 64+ $9, 6-13 $5.50, five and under free with paid admission. The aquarium building originated as a “natatorium,” or indoor swimming pool, and was renovated in 1937 to create the Seaside Aquarium and is the oldest privately owned aquarium in Oregon. The stars of the aquarium are the harbor seals, and it turns out that the Seaside Aquarium was the first in the world to successfully breed harbor seals in captivity. Plan 45 minutes to one hour for your visit. Note: no restrooms.
Cannon Beach: take some time in the afternoon of day 2 to make the short but beautifully scenic drive to Cannon Beach, before returning to Seaside for dinner and perhaps a bonfire on the beach.
Cannon Beach History Center & Museum: 1387 S Spruce St, Cannon Beach, OR 97110, 503-436-9301. Open: Wed-Sat, 11-4. Admission: Free, donations gladly accepted. As one might expect, this is a smaller, local museum, but the displays are top-notch and are aided by the exciting history of the local region. Plan on 45 minutes to one hour for your visit, dependent upon how much of a reader you are.
Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site: this beach in Cannon Beach is among the most beautiful we have been on—the iconic Haystack Rock visible to the north and the rocks at Silver Point to the south lend the beach an uncommon natural beauty. Even better, the site has no admission fee and has restrooms and plentiful free parking. Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site, 3288 Pacific Ave, Cannon Beach, OR 97145.
Day 3: as you head south on Hwy 101, watch for the Silver Point Interpretive Overlook just south of Cannon Beach, and Neahkahnie Viewpoint and Neahkahnie South Viewpoint about four miles south of Arch Cape and one mile before entering Manzanita.
The drive south from Seaside to Tillamook takes you through some scenic country but it is not the freeway, meaning that the drive to Tillamook will take about 1.25 hours, longer if you stop at the scenic viewpoints.
Tillamook Creamery
The cheese factory has to be among the most visited sites on the Oregon coast! The viewing hall allows you to observe and read just how cheese is made and how it is cut and packaged. Displays also teach visitors how the cows are cared for. When your self-tour is complete, enjoy some free cheese samples and then visit a gift shop that will knock your socks off. When you’re finished shopping you can even enjoy lunch in the food court or Tillamook ice cream in a fresh-made waffle cone.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
4165 N Hwy 101, Tillamook, OR 97141, 503-815-1300. Open: daily 10-7. Admission: Free. Plan for one hour for your visit, longer if you have lunch at the food court or indulge in a Tillamook ice cream cone.
Tillamook Air Museum
Come visit an unusual element of World War II history! Naval Air Station Tillamook included two massive wooden hangar structures that housed a fleet of K-Class airships for coastal anti-submarine patrol. Only Hanger B remains and is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world.
Oh yeah, the hangar also houses an air museum! The museum used to have many more aircraft on display than it does today, but the opening of Jack Erickson’s museum in Madras resulted in many aircraft that had been housed at Tillamook transferred to Madras. However, a great collection of aircraft still remains at Tillamook and is very much worth the visit—aircraft on display include an F-14 Tomcat that was used in filming the original Top Gun. Other historical displays round out the museum’s offerings to make it a site worthy of a visit. Note: the site is not heated, so wear warm clothing in cool weather.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Tillamook Air Museum, 6030 Hangar Rd, Tillamook, OR 97141, 503-842-1130. Open: Jun-Sep, daily 10-6; Oct-May, Tue-Sun 10-4. Admission: Adult $13, 65+ $11, 7-17 $8, 2-6 $4, under 2 free. Free parking; gift shop on site. Plan one to 1.5 hours for your visit.
Homeward Bound?
It is likely that you have some distance to travel to return home after your visit to Tillamook Air Museum. If, instead, home is not far away, or you are planning another day with one more night’s lodging, you might consider these additional sites to visit; you may need to rearrange the itinerary schedule to make room on convenient days.
Heritage Museum: 1618 Exchange St, Astoria, OR 97103, 503-338-4849. Open: May-Sep daily 10-5; Oct-Apr Wed-Sun 10-4. Admission: Adult/Senior $5, Youth $2.
Fort Stevens Historic Area: Hammond, OR 97121, 503-861-1470. Open: daily 8-6. Admission: free, though an Oregon State Parks permit or day pass required to park.
Seaside Museum: 570 Necanicum Dr, Seaside, OR 97138, 503-738-7065. Open: Wed-Sat 11-4. Admission: by donation.
Garibaldi Museum: 12 Garibaldi Ave, Garibaldi, OR 97118, 503-322-8411. Open: Thu-Mon 10-4. Admission: Adults and Children 11+ $4, Seniors 62+ $3, children 10 and younger free.
Cape Meares Scenic Viewpoint and Lighthouse: 3500 Cape Meares Loop, Tillamook, OR 97141, 503-842-2244. The inside of the lighthouse and a gift shop are open Thu-Sun 10-4.
McMinnville and Oregon Coast from Lincoln City to Newport
Another option is to make your Oregon Coast trip a longer vacation—consider adding another Hit the road in the Pacific Northwest itinerary continuing south along the coast: https://hittheroadpnw.com/2022/05/13/mcminnville-and-oregon-coast-from-lincoln-city-to-newport/
Updated July 2024
Hit the Road in the Pacific Northwest 