Astoria, Oregon is a small town in the northwest area of the state. It is only a few minutes drive from the Pacific Ocean. Nearby Cannon Beach is one of the most beautiful, and unknown, beaches in the country. It is over 6-miles long and the simplicity of its layout is stunning. It is something that every beach lover should experience. You can rent the fun to use beach bikes, and pedal your way up and down the sandy shore. Or, for the more adventurous of you, walk the entire beach. It has numbered markers so you know how far you’ve gone. Plus, for you movie buffs, the opening car chase scene from The Goonies (where the Fratelli’s escape by blending into the O.R.V. race) was filmed on this very beach.
Once you have had your fill of the beach, and for me, I could have stayed forever, head into neighboring Astoria, Oregon. It’s a small town that still has the old-time, rustic feel and look to it. In fact, Astoria is the oldest settlement, in the United States, west of the Rocky Mountains. Today, Astorians, still like the fact that their town isn’t as modern and ‘new’ looking as many other towns.
The reason that I first visited Astoria, Oregon, is because my favorite movie was filmed here. That movie, of course, is The Goonies. It’s a very popular 1985 Steven Spielberg movie. It tells the tale of a bunch of kids, in their early teens, who are dealing with the imminent threat of moving. Their houses are being bought out by a developer who wants to transform the entire area into a golf course. If you just see the movie, you may think that this is feasible. However, once you visit Astoria, Oregon, and the ‘Goondocks’ area in particular (the area to be transformed), you will realize that there would be no way of turning it into a golf course. First, it is a very populated location; many homes, and second, it is full of numerous hills. But for the movie, it doesn’t matter.
For me, visiting Astoria, Oregon was a religious experience. It was my Mecca. I have seen the movie 132 times and I love every second of it. Being able to visit the setting, in real life, was surreal. The Goonies house (house used in the movie) is a very high traffic area for fans of The Goonies. In fact, I learned that the house is the second most visited tourist attraction in all of Astoria. Watch out Astoria Column, we’ll be number one one day. The house is up a small drive/hill, as seen in the movie. The owners allow you to walk up to it, but not drive. It’s not a problem since there is ample street parking, and the hill takes about 2 minutes to climb.
When I visited the house, the current owners were not home, so I wasn’t able to go inside (as I learned that you can sometimes do). However, by the graces of God, the man who owned the home during the filming of The Goonies just happened to be there. I couldn’t believe it. He had so many stories to tell. We talked, literally, for a few hours. I got some one of a kind Goonies memorabilia, and learned so much about the town. He told me the location of many of the scenes from the movie, and told me some interesting stories (Jeff ‘Chunk’ Cohen revisited the town years later and spent time with them…).
Some other points of interest when visiting Astoria, Oregon include the Flavel House Musuem. This classic Victorian house was transformed into a local historical museum. It is a marvel of architecture. It is also the location of a scene from The Goonies. It is where Mikey’s dad is waving to the kids as they ride their bikes through town. It is a definite must see place in Astoria.
Other popular Goonies locales that you can find in Astoria include the field where Andy is cheering, at the beginning of the movie, Chunk’s pizza on the window scene from the old arcade, the dock where Stef is when the Fratelli’s drive by, Data’s home, Mouth’s home, the jail where the Fratelli’s breakout Jake, and many other spots. Most can be found online at numerous websites, or by asking the friendly locals in town.
One other area that you should visit while in Astoria, Oregon, is the Astoria Column. It is 125 feet high and gives you a breathtaking view of the town and water when you climb its 164 steps. Even though it wasn’t featured in The Goonies, it is still a must visit location in town.
Even if you aren’t a fan of The Goonies, and I don’t know anybody who isn’t, many other movies have been filmed in Astoria, Oregon. They filmed all of, or parts of Free Willy, Kindergarten Cop (the elementary school from the movie is just down the hill from The Goonies house), The Ring 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, Short Circuit, and many others. There truly is something for everybody to see and enjoy in the small town of Astoria, Oregon.
