Astoria's seafaring heritage is well interpreted at this wave-shaped museum. It's hard to miss the retired Coast Guard boat, frozen mid-rescue, through a huge outside window. Other exhibits highlight the salmon-packing industry and the Chinese immigrants who made up the bulk of its workforce; the river's commercial history; and the crucial job of the bar pilot.
You get a keen sense of the treacherous conditions that define this area, known for good reason as the 'Graveyard of the Pacific.'