5 Filming Locations for Goonies Fans to Visit

As my wife and I planned a trip to Oregon, we thought it would be fun to visit the locations seen in a movie we grew up with – The Goonies. It was filmed in and around Astoria, Oregon, not too far from where we would be camping. We made a day of it, and explored these five most popular filming locations.

The movie was filmed in more than these five locations. Places like Lower Columbia Bowl (the restaurant where Chunk saw “The most amazing thing I ever saw”), John Warren Field (the spot where Andy leads the cheerleading squad) and East End Mooring Basin (where the Fratelli’s wrap up the car chase scene at the start of the movie).

But these five spots are the ones that draw the attention and traffic. It’s a chance to see for yourself the spots where Mikey found the treasure map, or where the goonies rode their bikes on their way to One-eye Willie’s treasure.

Clatsop County Jail – Oregon Film Museum

Before our trip to the Oregon Coast, we watched The Goonies movie – that way we could see the sites in the film. The opening scene is one of the Fratelli brothers in the Clatsop County Jail. His family is waiting outside in the Jeep and after his escape, they light a fire around the entrance so the cops can’t chase them as easily.

Today, the Clatsop County Jail is the Oregon Film Museum. One side of the building is a tribute to The Goonies. It includes the jail cell where the Fratelli brother (Jake) was held. There’s even the lead pipe contraption he used to support himself when he was faking his hanging.

The other jail cells include memorabilia from the movie, including the board game, VHS cassette tape, movie posters, Data’s invention coat with all the fixings, and much more.

The other half of the building places you into movies. You get to act out various scenes from not only The Goonies, but other movies filmed in Astoria (Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Twilight, etc.). Watch your scenes in the screening room near the front entrance. Email your video files to you, too. I’m not sure if we did everything correctly, but with only two people (my wife and I) it was difficult to play actor and cameraman.

Don’t miss the bins in the filming room with movie props from The Goonies movie. We saw Chester Copperpot’s wallet and the skeleton key Mikey used in the cave on his way to the treasure.

The Walsh House (Mikey’s house)

I read a lot of articles about seeing the Walsh house during our visit. Many said there are no trespassing signs. Others said the owners have been known to call the police. I concluded that we would photograph the house from a distance. However, other people were standing near the house talking to the nice woman who owned it.

We walked up the drive at Duane and 37th Street and joined in the conversation. She was very nice, and seemed to really enjoy talking with the visitors. There were only a few of us there at that time (4-6 people in total). At one point she invited us into her yard to show off some of her flowers. In my opinion, keep it to small groups and be respectful of the people and the property. Maybe pass on getting an Instagram video of yourself doing the Truffle Shuffle. In short… be respectful.

Right next to the Walsh house is the blue house of Mikey’s friend Data. They have a large gate up and a no trespassing sign. They’ve also placed a tarp over the window where Data ziplined over to the Walsh’s front door. Be respectful of their property as well.

Flavel House Museum

The Flavel House Museum appears for a brief moment in The Goonies movie. As Mikey and his friends ride their bikes through town on their way to the coast, they cycle past this house. Mikey’s dad is the assistant curator of the unnamed museum and waves to the kids as they go by.

Captain George Flavel, a boat pilot on the Columbia River, built this house in 1885. George is also noted as Astoria’s first millionaire.

The house reflects the Queen Anne architecture, popular during the Victorian era. The parlor, library, music and dining rooms are restored with antiques from the late Victorian era. It’s a beautiful house worth visiting, regardless of whether you want to tour the museum or just walk by it and pretend to wave at the “Goonies” as they ride past. 😉

Ecola State Park

Ecola State Park is one of the many state parks in Oregon. Located on the coast, just south of Seaside, Oregon (and north of Cannon Beach), it’s lush green trees contrast nicely against the blue ocean below.

In The Goonies movie, the boys are riding their bike along the winding road that leads to Ecola State Park. You also see Mikey’s older brother, who meets his high school nemesis. The bully holds him to his car while speeding down the road, then launching him over the edge on his bike. Please don’t try to recreate this scene. I’m sure they were using stunt doubles and protective gear so no one was injured.

RELATED POST: Visit the botanical gardens at Shore Acres State Park along the Oregon coast

When the boys reach the coast, they’re seen pulling their bikes up the side of a grassy area. That’s Indian Beach, which is part of Ecola State Park. It offers a great view of the next filming spot: Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.

If you want a beautiful spot to enjoy the Oregon Coast, Ecola State Park is worth a stop – and you can drive the road the goonies took at the start of their journey to find One-eye Willie. It’s a win-win.

Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach is an iconic location along the Oregon coast. As the Fratelli’s are escaping at the start of the movie, they end up on Cannon Beach in a race. Their jeep blends in with all the other jeeps racing on the beach and they complete their getaway as they drive by Haystack Rock.

When Mikey and his friends make it to the beach later in the movie, Mikey uses the pirate token to line up Haystack rock with other features. That token marks the Lighthouse Lounge as the entrance to One-eyed Willie’s treasure map. So even though the boys are standing near Indian Beach in Ecola State Park, they’re looking south toward Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.

Summary

We had fun exploring these locations. And one interesting fact to close this article with: The Lower Columbia Bowl location thought it would be fun to serve strawberry shakes and pizza during the 25th anniversary of The Goonies movie. However, so many people recreated Chunk’s smashing of them against the window (as seen at the start of the movie), that they decided to NOT serve strawberry shakes for the 30th anniversary.

I guess there’s something about recreating iconic scenes from the movie. I won’t lie, I thought it would’ve been funny to do the Truffle Shuffle at the Walsh house. But I wanted to be respectful of the area and the people who live in those iconic houses. Plus, I didn’t want to scare away my readers with a photo (or even worse, a video) of me doing the iconic “dance.”

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