With Full-Sized Boats And 30,000 Items, This Small Town Museum In Oregon Is A True Hidden Gem

There's no better place to learn about maritime history than near the ocean, and that's why one of the very best maritime museums in the nation is in Astoria, Oregon. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is located on the Columbia River just a few miles from where that river meets the Pacific. It's Oregon's official state maritime museum and it's nationally recognized as being one of the best museums dedicated to maritime history in the nation. It opened in 1963 and moved to its current location in 1982. If you're interested in boats and ships and history, you're going to love this place. Read on to learn more about this very special museum in Astoria, Oregon.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is lovely! It has 44,200 square feet of indoor exhibit space. Everything in it has been donated, and its collection includes over 30,000 objects, 20,000 photographs, and a 10,000-volume research library.

It also has a number of boats in its collection, including the Lightship Columbia, shown here.

The Bar Pilot boat Peacock is another of the many boats in the museum's collection.

Outside, you can also check out very large objects like a giant anchor and this huge propeller.

Inside, there are even more boats!

There are also a number of interactive exhibits. Visitors can see what it's like to pilot a tugboat, participate in a Coast Guard rescue, and live in Astoria during the salmon fishing heyday.

There are models of boat and ships to inspect and enjoy.

And, there are dozens of interesting exhibits about maritime history and humans' relationship with the sea.

The enthusiastic and knowledgable staff are on hand to answer questions and to teach visitors about the exhibits.

You'll love learning about maritime history at this museum. It's no wonder it's so well-known and celebrated in Oregon and across the nation.

It's easy to see why the Columbia River Maritime Museum is considered one of the very best maritime museums in the country. You'll be amazed at all you see and learn during your visit to it. Plan a visit to this museum and to Astoria today - you're sure to have a very memorable experience.

Looking for someplace great to eat after visiting the museum? Astoria has lots of fantastic restaurants to try!