The Goonies House
368 38th St, Astoria, OR
Astoria, OR
The gabled Victorian on a bluff above the Columbia River where a band of kids set out to find One-Eyed Willy's treasure, still standing at the top of its long gravel drive in the oldest town in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1985, a Steven Spielberg-produced adventure movie sent a gang of misfit kids called the Goonies on a treasure hunt through booby-trapped tunnels beneath the Oregon coast, and it opened at a rambling Victorian house on a hill, the Walsh family home, where the whole story begins. That house is real, and it still stands near the top of 38th Street in Astoria, Oregon, looking out over the Columbia River almost exactly as it did on screen forty years ago.
For the millions of people who grew up quoting the film, arriving at the foot of that long gravel drive is a small, giddy thrill. The house is a private residence and always has been, so the pilgrimage is done from the street, but the setting does the rest: the same steep hillside, the same big river traffic sliding by below, and a whole town of Victorian storefronts and captains' mansions that turned Astoria into one of Hollywood's favorite small towns.
What Travelers Love
- Standing at the bottom of the drive below the real Goonies house
- The view of the Columbia River and its huge cargo ships from the hillside
- The old county jail from the film's opening, now the Oregon Film Museum
- A whole town of preserved Victorian architecture to wander afterward
Worth Knowing
- The house is a private home, so admire and photograph it from the public street, never from the driveway or yard
- There is no parking right at the house on its narrow residential street, so park considerately down the hill and walk up
- Astoria is walkable and full of other filming spots, so pair the house with the film museum and the riverfront
- The Oregon coast here is cool and often drizzly, so bring a layer even in summer
Learn about The Goonies House
The house on the hill
The Goonies house is an 1890s Victorian perched on the slope of 38th Street, reached by a long gravel drive that climbs away from the road. In the film it is the home of Mikey and Brand Walsh, the place where the friends discover an old treasure map in the attic and set off to save their neighborhood from foreclosure. Its gabled front, wraparound porch, and hilltop perch are instantly familiar to fans, and the house has changed remarkably little in the decades since filming.
Because the house is a private home, visitors gather at the bottom of the drive to look up at it and take photographs from the public street. Over the years the owners have asked fans to keep to the road and respect the neighbors, and doing so is what keeps the pilgrimage welcome. Even from below, the view is the shot: the Victorian on its bluff with the wide Columbia River spread out behind it.
Astoria, Hollywood's favorite old town
Astoria was founded in 1811 and is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, a hard-working river town of canneries, tugboats, and steep residential streets crowded with ornate Victorian houses. That untouched turn-of-the-century look has made it a magnet for filmmakers, and The Goonies is only the most famous of many movies shot here.
The film wove real Astoria landmarks into its story. The opening jailbreak was filmed at the old Clatsop County Jail downtown, which today houses the Oregon Film Museum, and other scenes ranged out to the beaches of the northern Oregon coast. Walking the town after visiting the house turns a quick photo stop into an afternoon of spotting the places where the adventure unfolded.
A forty-year pilgrimage
The Goonies has only grown more beloved with time, and Astoria has embraced its role as the film's hometown. Fans travel from around the world to see the house, and the anniversary of the movie's release each June brings an especially steady stream of visitors doing the truffle-shuffle at the bottom of the drive.
What makes the spot special is how little Hollywood magic was needed. There is no set here and no recreation, just a real family's house on a real hill in a real river town, the same one that a film crew found and fell for in the mid-1980s. Stand at the foot of the drive, look up at the porch and out at the ships, and the opening of the movie plays back almost frame for frame.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.
Details
Astoria, OR
Frequently asked questions
Can you go inside the Goonies house or tour it?
No. The house is a private residence and always has been, so there are no interior tours. Fans come to see it from the outside, taking in the famous Victorian and its hilltop setting over the Columbia River much as it looked in the film.
Where should I stand to see and photograph the Goonies house?
The house sits at the top of a long driveway, and visitors view and photograph it from the public street below rather than going up to it. Please stay off the driveway, porch, yard, and any neighboring property, and behind any fences. The classic shot is simply looking up at the Victorian on its bluff from the road.
Is it okay to visit, and how do I be respectful of the neighbors?
Yes, respectful visitors are welcome to admire the house from the public street, but this is a real, lived-in neighborhood that has struggled with crowds over the years. Keep your voice down, do not block driveways, park considerately down the hill rather than on the narrow street right by the house, and treat the area as you would want people to treat your own street. That courtesy is exactly what keeps the house open to fans.
What else in Astoria is connected to The Goonies?
Quite a lot. The film was shot around Astoria in 1985, and beyond the Walsh house you can visit the old county jail from the opening scene, now the Oregon Film Museum, along with other spots around this historic river town. Fans often make a small loop of the movie's locations while they are here.
Is there anything to know before making the trip?
It helps to remember that the house is simply a home on a residential hill, not a staffed attraction, so there are no facilities or gift shops at the house itself. Pair the visit with the walkable historic downtown, the Astoria Column, and the riverfront to round out a half-day in town, and bring a layer, since the Oregon coast is often cool and damp.
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