TripAdvisor Traveler Rating based on
397 reviews
The Oregon Film Museum celebrates the art and legacy of films and film-making in the State of Oregon.
Housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, the museum invites visitors to explore these and other films and the production behind making movies in Oregon. Wander through this building that was an actual working jail (from 1914 – 1976) and the scene of the famous opening jail break from the Goonies.
TripAdvisor
Don't mean to be negative here, but I really don't know what this museum is all about. First, it was dirty, with soiled walls, peeling paint, moldy windows, trash etc. I wouldn't call this a true museum in the traditional sense of the word, but rather a persons collection of 80's era Goonies merchandise locked behind a jail cell with plexiglass so you can't even see it all in detail. And more than half of the exhibit is some strange interactive video recording project where you can record yourself in makeshift sets that isn't really Goonies related. So disappointed and confused.
Having "grown-up" in the era of Goonies, I have always wanted to see the movie site(s) ... and YouTube offered several videos of this museum (as a place to see). Well, I would definitely skip this site. To be honest, the staff was friendly ... but the overall experience was below poor. The exhibits and displays were old and appear to have not been updated, maintained, or painted in several years. Our group size of 8, with two being young kids 12 and under, still cost $40. In our collective opinion, it was not worth it. There is a small movie / filming room to the right side of the main entrance, and we were told that we could film a few sets ... and our "productions" would be emailed to our family. It has been a week, and no emails have arrived. Luckily, the filming "fun" did not cost extra. There were no other visitors inside the museum during our time, so the staff could have easily engaged us in conversation about the movie, trivia, or other Astoria-related factoids. Nothing ... nada ... zippo interaction for the 25 minutes we were inside the museum. The best part of the experience was the jeep outside the museum. It apparently was the original jeep from the museum ... which was nice to see. The exterior parking area also showed where the raised curb was that started on fire during the escape. Kinda neat. Not trying to bash this place, but for a museum in a beautiful little community, their team could really use some guidance on how to enhance visitor experiences. Heck, a new coat of paint on the exhibits or simply have the movie playing on a small monitor inside the store ... would go a long way to making visitors feel like their fees were worth the time. If not updated, I would skip this site and just visit the actual movie sites scattered around Astoria.
This is a small and humble museum but enjoyable just the same. The price is very affordable and we ended up buying a bundle package to see other attractions. If you are a movie fan in general, but especially a Goonie, you will enjoy your visit. If you are looking for a mega millions state of the art museum, this isn't it. I was amazed to learn there are so many movies filmed in Oregon and Astoria. Lots of photo opportunities and a chance to make your own movies too!
Honestly, if you are not a Goonies Fan, it's not a place I would suggest that you stop at. If you are a Goonies Fan (and who isn't?) then you definitely need to stop. There some props (Data's Costume), the cell used for filming at the beginning, a good gift shop, and the photo op outside with the "really cool ORV". Other than that, not a lot going on, mostly due to the green screen interactive scenes you can create either didn't work right or were very busy, so we tried one (Here's Johnny!) and once it didn't work, we passed on the rest. Cool though, if you're a fan.
We had a fun time at this museum. Go see the goonie stuff first then go make your film cuts. A rocket gets you 5 and only five takes. So is as a group of 4 made our takes thinking each ticket got five takes as we each paid, but beware as a GroupMe they only give you 5 takes total. The gift shop was cute very very small and the clerk was stocking as we were all trying to browse making shopping not a great experience. It's fun to see the goonies car and relics.
