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Astoria, OR What to do in Port


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We'll be visiting Astoria on a Sunday in September. According to the Trolley page, we would need to check the trolley "shelters" for any operating information after Labor Day. Does it run after Labor Day? The rental car offices are closed on Sunday, and I don't see any other transportation options. Should we just consider walking around town for the day? The ship tours are pricey and most involve a lot of driving.

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Yes, it runs - just not on a regular schedule. Given there's a ship in town odds are very high that it will be operating unless there's a mechanical issue (cruisers = busy day = most income!) Even if not running, it doesn't actually go many places - you can walk parallel to the tracks all the way up the waterfront to the Maritime Museum and the old pier where the Rogue pub is.

 

I'd also check with Enterprise directly - it would be foolish to be closed when there is a ship full of potential customers to rent all your cars... even if they need to pay double-bubble to get folks to work a Sunday, it should still be a very profitable day for them.

 

We visit Astoria every year or so and easily find things to do to kill a day between the various pubs & restos, the column, museums & historic homes - and if you do rent a car Fort Clatsop is definitely worth a visit. There are also several whale watching sites along the coast - while it's too early for the southward migration to be on even at the end of September, there are resident whales which can often be seen from land (small-boat tours for insanely cheap prices compared to Alaska, from under $30pp, run out of Depoe Bay but that's at least a 3 hour drive each way... only on a long port day is that worthwhile).

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We'll be visiting Astoria on a Sunday in September. According to the Trolley page, we would need to check the trolley "shelters" for any operating information after Labor Day. Does it run after Labor Day?

 

According to the Astoria Riverfront Trolley web site, the trolley will not be running after September 4.

 

http://old300.org/

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Yes, it runs - just not on a regular schedule. Given there's a ship in town odds are very high that it will be operating unless there's a mechanical issue (cruisers = busy day = most income!) Even if not running, it doesn't actually go many places - you can walk parallel to the tracks all the way up the waterfront to the Maritime Museum and the old pier where the Rogue pub is.

 

I'd also check with Enterprise directly - it would be foolish to be closed when there is a ship full of potential customers to rent all your cars... even if they need to pay double-bubble to get folks to work a Sunday, it should still be a very profitable day for them.

 

We visit Astoria every year or so and easily find things to do to kill a day between the various pubs & restos, the column, museums & historic homes - and if you do rent a car Fort Clatsop is definitely worth a visit. There are also several whale watching sites along the coast - while it's too early for the southward migration to be on even at the end of September, there are resident whales which can often be seen from land (small-boat tours for insanely cheap prices compared to Alaska, from under $30pp, run out of Depoe Bay but that's at least a 3 hour drive each way... only on a long port day is that worthwhile).

 

 

 

I wouldn’t count on driving to Depot Bay to go Whale watching. Not only is it a three hour drive on a normal day throw in a little traffic and maybe an accident and pretty much guarantee you will not make it back to Astoria. You might just as well keep your rental car and drive it to the next port. [emoji51]

We sometimes see whales off Cannon Beach. But don’t go there specifically looking for whales. It’s a bonus if you see some. Cannon Beach is a very nice beach town with a number of good restaurants and nice shops. It’s an easy drive from Astoria.

 

 

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  • 7 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Astoria is a sleepy but lovely town.  We are also on a ship that stops here, however we live so close that we visit Astoria about once a year anyway, this stop is just a bonus for us.  The column is great for a cloudy or sunny day, but a sunny day is the best treat.  If you can't climb the stairs in the column, then the viewpoint is worth seeing nonetheless.  The Maritime Museum is wonderful.  Across the street from this museum is the BowPicker fish and chips.  Fantastic daily fresh fish & chips, however it's literally a dry docked boat in a gravel parking lot that only takes cash ($10pp??? 2019) and only has one maybe two outdoor picnic tables, so that's something to consider if you want to brave the loooong, slow line.  But worth it!   The Flavel Museum (old mansion) is cool to see.  If the trolley is running, that's fun, but it's SLOW and takes a long time for it to get down and back, & fingers crossed it's not full if you do finally get it to stop.  There's a few GREAT breweries in town as well as some great coffee shops and waterfront restaurants (Buoy Beer, & many others).  LOTS of Lewis & Clark history areas close by, but you'd need to use a taxi, & if you do, go over the bridge just for the sake of it.  This town is SO cute.  You can miss it if you don't look for things to do, but there's actually tons to do.  Search TripAdvisor to see more.  Enjoy!  This is a sweet little town! 

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We were there just a few weeks ago and weren't really expecting much from this little port... however, it turned out to be a really fun day. 🙂  Very walkable if you are up for it. We went to Buoy Beer and happened to get a table by the window with a great water view. We chose our beers for our flights and also shared a basket of deep fried cheese curds! Oh my goodness.... there are not enough adjectives for this bounty of delectable cheese-y goodness. It was SOOOOOOOO good. 🧀🍺

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16 hours ago, Langley Cruisers said:

...Buoy Beer ... a basket of deep fried cheese curds!

Thanks for that info Karen - the RAM stopped selling cheese curds, so we can't address our curd cravings on pit-stops down I5 any more! Knowing we can get them in Astoria will probably drag us out from Portland to the coast more regularly - I seriously regret having ever tried them, as going without for too long is like not being able to find Marmite when the cravings hit. Very addictive - I'd happily never eat poutine ever again if it meant more curds went into the fryer 😉

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1 hour ago, martincath said:

...I seriously regret having ever tried them... Very addictive...

 

So true. 🤣 I thought I had died and gone to deep fried heaven, that's how good they were. I'm sure some bristle at the thought of them, but I remember them fondly on a day in port when I wasn't expecting much and prepared for anything. 😊

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  • 8 months later...

We will be in Astoria in port on a May 2020 cruise and have rented a car from Enterprise.  Planning on taking a scenic drive to the northern Willamette Valley wine country to enjoy some tastings and the beautiful outdoors. 

 

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We have a driver hired for 4 hours, and I was looking for an itinerary that would fill 4 hours and allow us to see the highlights of Astoria.  So far, I am thinking the Column for the view, Cannon Beach (?), again for photo ops, some downtown stops at brew pubs or wine stores, a drive over the bridge...anything else I could fit into our time frame?

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1 hour ago, misha1 said:

We have a driver hired for 4 hours, and I was looking for an itinerary that would fill 4 hours and allow us to see the highlights of Astoria.  So far, I am thinking the Column for the view, Cannon Beach (?), again for photo ops, some downtown stops at brew pubs or wine stores, a drive over the bridge...anything else I could fit into our time frame?

 

If you are planning to include Cannon Beach, that (in my opinion) is your time suck. You know it's well over an hour's drive each way? I think you should probably decide what you want to do and I guess by that, I'm saying is Cannon Beach on your bucket list, or would you be content to do it another time? It is beautiful and majestic - you will get some great photos, but it's really a stop and enjoy it place to be instead of a try and squeeze it in. 😊 Hope that helps.

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