Exploring Astoria and Warrenton: Accessible for All
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Whether a slow walker or wheelchair user or a hidden disability, we want everyone to feel welcome in Astoria and Warrenton.
Ken and Cheryl, of Traveling with a Chair, share their experiences, insights, and tips to help individuals travel with disabilities. Their goal is to help you "Live Your Best Life from a WheelChair." Wheel the World and the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce invited TWAC to visit, evaluate and share the experience of a wheelchair user in the Astoria and Warrenton area. Here we share some excerpts from their blog post, Exploring Astoria in a Wheelchair: An Oregon Coast Town.
We had a fully accessible room with a roll-in shower and lots of rails to make things easy. The property also had an accessible indoor pool, and the exterior was easy to access.
We found the downtown area in Astoria very accessible with good curb cuts, and many of the restaurants and stores had either a flat entry or a ramp. Everywhere we wanted to eat was accessed without any issues.
The Astoria River walk is very accessible, and it uses a wooden bridge that is shared with the antique trolley that runs along part of the river walk. It is the perfect place to watch the ships moving up or down the river.
Ken found the Maritime Museum fascinating and we spent an entire morning there. It focuses on the history of the Columbia River and the surrounding Pacific Ocean.
Fort Clatsop National Memorial commemorates the 1805-1806 winter encampment of the 33-member Lewis and Clark Expedition. The fort itself is accessible from one side of the building. In addition, there are several trails that are worth rolling along. You travel over dirt and wood bark and the terrain is hilly going down the river path. This may limit some types of mobility devices.
The Peter Iredale shipwreck is one of the most visible and accessible shipwrecks in this area. It is located on the beach in Fort Stevens State Park.
Knowing what to expect when arriving in a new destination is important to all travelers. Wheel the World is committed to providing detailed information so that travelers can determine what is a good fit for their own need. Wheel the World is working with dozens of destinations in Oregon, including Astoria and Warrenton, to assess the accessibility of lodging, activities and restaurants and share that information through their Destination Guides. Wheel the World's brand purpose is: We believe that we, people with disabilities, should experience the world like anyone else. We know that all of us have different needs when it comes to accessibility and planning a trip can be a big effort. Read their travel guide for Astoria and Warrenton, Oregon: Accessible Guide to Astoria: Hotels, Activities, and Restaurants in this Charming Coastal Town where they conclude that:
This small coastal town is perfect for a vacation, weekend getaway, or even a day-trip. There is so much to explore and the best part: it is very accessible.
