The Goonies House

The 1985 film written by Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus and directed by Richard Donner follows four adolescent boys on an adventure to find the mysterious treasure of the pirate One-Eyed Willy. Why? Not only is it exciting but the Goonies are on a race against time to find a way to save their homes from developers.

The movie has become a cult-classic among those of us who grew up in the 1980s. It starred the likes of Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Jonathan Ke Quan, Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton, Kerri Green, Joe Pantoliano, Robert Davi, and of course Anne Ramsey as the beloved Mama Fratelli.

In June 2005, the Never Say Die! Goonies 20th Anniversary Celebration was held in Astoria, OR. Fans from around the world converged to watch the movie in the Columbian Theater as well as travel to the various locations used in the film.

The opening of The Goonies begins with the dramatic jail break of Jake Fratelli. His brother Francis Fratelli literally sets the parking lot ablaze while Mama Fratelli waits in the Jeep.

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The original jail for Clatsop County was used from 1914 until it was decommissioned in 1976. The longest used, free-standing jail in Oregon, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, two years before The Goonies was released. It was also used in Come See The Paradise and Short Circuit.

in the summer of 2010 the jail was reopened as a museum dedicated to all the movies filmed in Astoria, including The Goonies. It is located at 732 Duane Street at 9th Street, Astoria, OR.

In the exciting car chase that begins the film, Lawrence 'Chunk' Cohen, one of the four main characters, is seen eating pizza when he sees the Fratelli's black Jeep and police cars race past the bowling alley windows.

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Even twenty years later, LC Bowl is still in operation. It is located at the intersection of HWY 30 & 8th Street, in downtown Astoria, OR.

Home to Mikey and Brand Walsh, as well as headquarters to the Goonies, this house features at the center of the plot. In a few days' time, Mr Walsh will be forced to sign papers and sell the house to developers who want to tear it down. Mikey and his friends are desperate to find a way to stop this, as they don't want to move away! Luckily a trip into the attic reveals a treasure map that might possibly lead them to a solution to all their problems!

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Located at 368 38th Street, Astoria, OR, this is one of the most memorable visuals in the entire film. Although the present owners don't mind you walking up the gravel drive and taking a picture of yourself in front of the house, please remember to park at the bottom of the hill. And please be courteous and don't bother them or try to peek inside!

Richard 'Data' Wang lives just across the gravel driveway from Mikey and Brand Walsh. And you might say he likes to "drop" in from time to time!

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Seen only for a handful of seconds in the film, Data's house is literally right next to the Goonies house. So you might as well snap a picture of you yelling "I want my bike! I want my bike!" while you're up there!

After "tying" his brother Brand up, Mikey, Mouth, Chunk, and Data race down the hill into town bent on trying to find their way to One-Eyed Willy's treasure. On the way they pass the local museum where Mikey's dad works.

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In reality, the Flavel House was an actual home before being donated to the city of Astoria. Located at 441 8th Street, in Astoria, OR, it is actually located directly across the street from the original Clatsop County Jail used in the opening sequence.

Built in 1885 for Capt. George Flavel and his family, this Queen Anne-style home is now a museum. If you're in town on the travel of the Goonies, definitely take a break and visit it!

This isn't all the filming locations used in the movie -- there are others in Oregon and California that I haven't yet had a chance to visit. But here's a list of them in case you can!

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Ecola State Park (entrance): Right off Hwy. 101, 2 miles north of Cannon Beach, the entranced was used in the movie while the Goonies were searching for One-Eyed Willy's treasure. You can see them riding their bikes along the drive.

High School Football Field: One block South of the Maritime Museum, the Astoria High football field is seen in the movie during the opening car chase. Andy is coaching the cheerleaders into a pyramid formation.

Haystack Rock: Located just south of Cannon Beach, OR, you honestly cannot miss this giant natural landmark! Used in the scene when the Goonies match the doubloon to find the hideout of the Fratelli's.

The Lighthouse Lounge: Although it was built as a set inside Ecola State Park, the actual building itself no longer exists. But with a little hard work you can find the place where it used to reside!

Goat Rock State Beach, CA: Used at the end of the film after the Goonies escape the cave-in, this beach is just off Highway 1, south of Jenner in Sonoma County, CA.

The Store: Only seen in the deleted scenes of the DVD, the store used in the film is located at 304 37th St, in Astoria, OR. It's now the Astoria Coffee Company.

I can still remember the first time I saw The Goonies... I must have been have been about six, and it was on accident. My mom had stopped by a friend's house and I was sent in to stay with her older children who just happened to be watching The Goonies at the time. The first scene I ever saw was when Chunk got locked in the freezer with the stiff! So you can imagine it stuck with me from that point on.

It was until a few years later that I saw the movie in its entirety. During my teen years The Goonies became a staple in my film library and I was always watching it. Ironically, it never dawned on me that I only lived barely an hour away from where the movie was filmed!

It wasn't until 2008 that the opportunity came up and I got a chance to visit Astoria, OR. So a very sunny day in late August, I followed in the footsteps of the Goonies and visited the Clatsop County Jail, the Flavel House, the Bowling Alley, and the mother of them all, the actual Goonie House!

There aren't words to describe how exciting it is to visit a place you've seen so many times on a TV screen. Especially one that has grown to be a part of you life. Walking up the gravel drive way to the Goonie House gave me shivers. Standing where the characters stood, seeing the views they saw, it's all so amazing!