VERDICT: We gave 4 out of 5 tickets and here’s why!
This guide forms part of our complete USA Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across the United States.
This article is part of our 🚗 5-Day Pacific Northwest USA Road Trip series, exploring Washington and Oregon. Beginning at the Sumas border crossing in British Columbia, our 1,397-kilometre adventure takes us through historic coastal towns, spectacular beaches, iconic cities and one of America’s most famous volcanoes.. Read the complete itinerary here.
Day 1: Historic Bridges, Sea Lions & Astoria’s Waterfront ✅
Day 2: Haystack Rock, Puffins & Oregon’s Most Beautiful Beach ✅
Day 3: Shipwrecks, Cheese & Portland’s Weird Side ✅
Day 4: Volcanoes, Forests & The Mountain That Changed America
Day 5: Small-Town Charm, Ferries & The Journey Home
Astoria’s Hidden Troll Park Is Worth The Stop
Day 1 of our 5-day Washington and Oregon road trip led us to an unexpected discovery: Astoria’s fascinating Nordic Heritage Park, a Scandinavian festival, waterfront history and one of Oregon’s most unique hidden gems.
As we’ve mentioned before, so many times in our travels, no matter what time of year… we happen upon something unexpected.
We really plan where we’re going, where we’re staying & have a bit of an itinerary because we always have in the back of our minds “What if this is the only time we ever come here?” So, we see as much as we can see & take tons of photos & video while we wander wherever we happen to be.
This time we’re in Astoria, Oregon & we’ve discovered it’s The Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival – a tradition on the North Coast of Oregon for over fifty years. The Festival takes place on the 3rd weekend of June & embodies the rich cultural heritage that was transplanted to the Astoria, Oregon region by emigrants from the Nordic lands.
During the three days of the festival, over a dozen Nordic musical, dance & theatre groups are scheduled to entertain. Retail booths offer handcrafts, Nordic import items & traditional Nordic foods. Of course, you don’t need to be Scandinavian to enjoy this fun festival. There is plenty of free parking in the area, but just keep an eye on the time, as it’s mostly 2 hour parking between the hours of 9am and 6pm and these are strictly enforced.
We happened upon a long lineup outside Bowpicker Fish & Chips, operating out of a converted gillnet boat, famous for its albacore tuna fish & chips. It’s known for fresh, lightly beer-battered Albacore tuna with thick-cut fries, the half order we each tried was pretty tasty.
We ate nearby, on the waterfront by the Columbia River Maritime Museum (open to tour 9:30-5 daily, as it happens) & saw a pretty park with many flags flying. What we found when we got there were six unique troll sculptures located in what is known as the Astoria Nordic Heritage Park.
The park celebrates the region’s rich Scandinavian heritage with a Midsomer Pole, interpretive signs, granite pillars for each of the 5 Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland & Iceland. Trolls are a big part of of Nordic myth & folklore so each of the six trolls in the park represents an immigrant story, complete with its own personality & background:
- Viktor: The friendly newcomer who brought his grandfather’s pipe.
- Margit Trollsdottir: A troll who journeyed with her beloved cat.
- Olle: A playful troll who had to find his lost toys.
- Sven: The music-maker of the group, a master of the accordion.
- Annette: Known for her musical adventures.
- Leif: The resident grumpy troll of the bunch.
A really cool feature – you can hear the specific stories of each troll by scanning their QR codes
& listening to an audio tour of each one. The park is free & open to the public.
You’ll notice while wandering in Downtown Astoria, that there are a few other ways they like to celebrate: many Nordic flags were flying & another awesome feature we noticed… so many storefronts had brightly painted congratulatory messages for the 2026 graduating class, even listing the students by name.
Apparently, there is also the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, a historic, volunteer-operated trolley that offers scenic rides along the Astoria waterfront. It’s a hop-on, hop-off experience & runs seasonally, is weather-dependent & uses a diesel generator for power, with a route that connects many of the city’s riverfront attractions, museums & shops. We love a hop on, hop off but unfortunately, it only runs from 1-4pm Fridays so we missed it, but for only $1 a ride or $2 for a day pass, you can’t go wrong.
We enjoyed Astoria & would come again to experience more of the history & sights if we had the chance.
10 Reasons To Visit Astoria
- Explore the Nordic Heritage Park.
- Meet the six storytelling troll sculptures.
- Experience the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival.
- Try Bowpicker Fish & Chips.
- Visit the Columbia River waterfront.
- Explore the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
- Ride the seasonal Astoria Riverfront Trolley.
- Wander the historic downtown streets.
- Discover Astoria’s Scandinavian roots.
- Use Astoria as a gateway to Cannon Beach and Oregon’s North Coast.
More to explore in and around Astoria:
- Bowpicker Fish and Chips (Unique Experience)
- Astoria-Megler Truss Bridge
- Nordic Park and Hidden Trolls
Nearby Attractions:
With every trip, we offer feedback to travel companies along with honest views for you, the reader. We rate adventures on a scale of one to five tickets, judged on quality, service, memorability, and price. A perfect ‘Ticket Rating’ of a five-ticket score means the experience was flawless and we’d eagerly return. Your desire to go back is the ultimate measure of a trip’s worth. Exclusive to My Return Ticket.
