The first port of call on our California Coastal Cruise was Astoria, so I spent one day in Astoria on the Oregon coast. I went on a tour of the beautiful Oregon coastline.
Astoria is in the state of Oregon on the west coast of the USA. I was surprised how stunning this part of the world is!
The Oregon coast has a mix of white sandy beaches and a range of spruce and fir trees that go all the way down to the beaches.
The first part of the tour was driving along the coast and stopping at a stunning viewpoint of the Cape Lookout State Park.
Lunch
The second stop was in Tillamook at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company that is set on a farm and you could tell by the farm smell!
We had a yummy lunch that included a salad, sandwich and chocolate. It was a very nice café, food, cheese, wine and chocolate shop.
Outside they had llamas and a range of old farm equipment, cars, trucks, trains and London Bus! That was funny for me to see a London bus in the USA!
Tillamook Air Museum
The next stop was at the air museum that was set in an old World War II blimp hanger. The museum had a range of U.S. warplanes. You can get into some of the planes and sit in the pilot seat. Also, there was a Mini-Guppy plane that was used to transport cargo and you could walk inside.
Tillamook Dairy Ice Creamery and Cheese Factory
Then it was on to the ice cream and cheese factory for the cheese and ice cream tasting! There is a small exhibition of how the milk is produced.
The cows have a balanced diet of grass and some grain that is grown on the farm. So they produce the highest quality of milk that is then produced into cheese and ice cream.
We tasted a range of cheddar cheeses and some ice cream flavours. I had to buy a huge ice cream as a souvenir for my stomach!
Cannon Beach
The last stop was at Cannon Beach, which is a long powdery white sand beach that goes on for miles. There are these huge rock formations right on the beach with the sea splashing up on them.
Cannon beach is good spot to see puffins in spring, I didn’t see any as it was September!
What Did I Wear?
The day I was there was in late September and it was a lovely sunny day, with light wind around 18*C. I wore jeans, tee and a cardigan as the wind was a little chilly and trainers so I could walk around easily.
Essential Info
- Weather in Summer: 16*C – 26*C
- Currency: US Dollars
- Language: American English
- Recommendations: Wear layers, bring your camera or smartphone to take lots of photos and pack an umbrella just in case as it rains a lot! I had a lucky day!
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the Oregon Coast, please share on Facebook and Pinterest so your friends and family can read too. Sharing is caring!
Have you been to the Oregon Coast? What would you recommend doing?
Happy Travels
Love Lucy x
Glad you got a to spend a short while in Cannon Beach. I used to live there. It’s a lovely little town filled with fine art galleries, tiny restaurants, little shops filled with goodies, lovely art glass and then, there’s the beach. Haystack Rock and the Needles are the rock formations you mentioned. Astoria is a fun stop. Even tho’ I lived in CB close by for a few years of my life, we recently took a cruise that stopped in Astoria and it was so fun to see it from a tourist’s perspective! Loved the little train that took you to town and back. Found a wonderful yarn shop! Now I’ll wait to hear about Hawaii. We frequently cruise there on Princess (of course!)
Author
I really enjoyed visiting Astoria, such a beautiful part of the world. I hope to return to see more and the puffins on Cannon Beach! Hawaii is coming up on the blog very soon and I cannot wait to share my wonderful time there with you. Thank you for reading Marni!
Even if at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company you could smell the farm… I still think this kind of genuine places have the best food ever, can you confirm? Also… what a bizarre thing to decorate with vintage trucks and… a London bus? I’ve never seen one in the US!
Author
The lunch I had at the Blue Heron was really nice and fresh! I would recommend it. I loved the farm, especially the London Bus, so unique!
Ooh, I’m going to be in Oregon in a couple of weeks and definitely want to visit Tillamook. I love tasting cheese and will, of course, have to follow your lead and treat myself to an ice cream as well!
Author
It was great fun and the ice cream was so good! Enjoy your time there.
Astoria is stunning, I agree, but so small. Not much to do unless you are on a tour, which, luckily, you were! The beaches on that stretch of coastline really are gorgeous. I haven’t been there for a long time, but they couldn’t have changed much. It sounds like you were fed really well and I would definitely stop for an ice cream sampling any day.
Author
I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful coastline and I recommend the ice cream!
The U.S. has so much beauty. I have yet to visit Oregon and article has giving me more to desire to explore sooner than later. Love the pictures
Author
Thank you very much! I recommend visiting, it is so beautiful.
I never thought there would be so much to see on shore on a California Coastal Cruise. I wonder how the London Bus got to the Oregon Coast? My mouth is watering for Tillamook’s cheddar cheese.
Author
It was beautiful to see and the cheese tasting was fun! The London bus was a big question mark!
Great post ! Would love to make it there one day. Lots of fun activities to do.
Author
Thank you! It is a beautiful place to visit.
This area hasn’t been on my radar. But you said puffins, I didn’t know we had puffins in the US and now I’m going!!!
Author
I would of loved to of seen them! But you need to go in spring time.
I use to live in Portland and have been to the Oregon so many times. It’s such a scenic drive out there with so many hidden beaches and dramatic sea cliffs. When my mother came to visit me the 1 thing she wanted to so on her whole trip was to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory. And their ice cream definitely made it worth the trip!
Cannon beach is super nice as are all the little towns up and down the Pacific Northwest coast – I hope you get to go back soon and see more of them! (And see the puffins, of course)
Author
I really enjoyed visiting Oregon and I hope I get to go back soon to see the Puffins!
I really need to get to Oregon one of these days! I’ve only spent a day in Portland, and haven’t had the chance to see other spots in the state. It looks so beautiful and you visited some wonderful spots! The Blue Heron French Cheese Company and Tillamook Dairy Ice Creamery and Cheese Factory would both be so fun to visit—I love making our way to places like that. Cannon beach looks wonderful too! I didn’t know that you can see puffins there in the spring. I am definitely going to have to try and find them there sometime!
Author
I highly recommend a visit! I had a wonderful day.
Cheese and wine on the farm sound fun! And I love the contrast that the London bus had on the farm. It’s beautiful.
But you know what I love the most about this post is how you even include what you wore and the essentials. It is a very nice touch because different locations at different times require certain essentials that we need to keep in mind.
Thanks for sharing, Lucy!
Author
Thank you Hazel! I’m so pleased you like the ‘What I Wore’ part. I’m always like to know what to pack so I though it would help!
Author
Thank you for your information!
I’ll be traveling to Oregon soon and cannot wait! Your pictures look incredible. I haven’t been to the West coast at all and currently live in Miami so I’ll definitely be seeing something completely new to me. Thanks for your post!
Author
Thank you Celina! I hope you have a fantastic time, I loved Oregon and it is very different to Miami! Have fun x