Travel to Astoria in Oregon This Labor Day

Three day holiday coming to you this Labor Day? Why not travel to Astoria in Warrenton, Oregon. The oldest American settlement in the west, Astoria provides the perfect three ingredients for a Labor Day getaway: history, beauty, and the beach.

Fort Clatsop
Lewis and Clark and their crew of 33 rested in Fort Clatsop, named after the American Indians who spent the winter teaching the Lewis and Clark expedition survival skills. In November 2005, just before a major Bicentennial celebration, a fire raged through the replica fort. However, the fort has remained open and functioning. It is a great opportunity to bring you family to watch rangers dressed in traditional clothes smoking meat and carving out canoes. Be sure your husband doesn’t try to take home any of the back-to-nature skills as mine did and smoke out the house.

Fort Stevens Park
For those more military minded, Fort Stevens Park was a Civil War fortification guarded from 1863 until after World War II. Take a guided tour on a military vehicle, walk, or bike to the museum of military artifacts. I have to admit that I skipped the military section altogether and had a wonderful time in Fort Stevens. Now Oregon’s largest campground, the park offers miles of beaches, bike trails, and picnic areas. I found the wreck of the Peter Iredale particularly haunting as its rusted frame curved from the beach sand. My family also enjoyed biking the shady trails to the tip of the peninsula to watch the mouth of the Columbia River open into the ocean. My four-year-old cooled off at the end of our ride by swimming in the small lake located near the park entrance.