Ilwaco - A fishing Harbor and More

Ilwaco is a small fishing harbor located near the mouth of the Columbia River at the southern end of the Long Beach Peninsula. It is a collection of homes for local residents, and a series of shops and eateries that bring visitors to the area. Welcome to Ilwaco.

On Saturdays during the summer the grassy area you see on the left in this image is lined with vendors selling their wares. Art prints, handmade crafts, food items, and assorted typical Saturday Market fare can be found here. Lots of people walk this path and view and buy the items. There are restaurants, places to sign up and go on a charter fishing expedition, and other businesses in the more permanent buildings on the right hand side.

Looking further left from the walkway we find the harbor. There is a combination of private, sports fishing, and commercial fishing vessels docked here. There is great fishing both out in the ocean and along the Columbia River itself, both of which are readily accessible from here.

We thought this was a cleverly done business locator. At several points along the walkway there are these sign posts. They are named “Fish Finder” and have metal fish attached to the post. On the metal fish is the name of a business and the fish is pointing in the direction you need to go to find that place. It is a nicely done, informative sign post.

Here is one of the local residents. It is just before the Memorial Day weekend and the locals are waiting for all of us tourists to arrive. We are sure this resident loves French Fries and other major food group staples that are presented to him and his friends for his tasting by those who visit this area.

One of the permanent eateries along the waterfront is “Ole Bob’s Seafood Grill”. They have outside seating along the walkway in decent weather and inside tables. Their food was fine and what you would expect in this seaside tourist environment.

Along the walkway there are a few art objects. This appears to be a bronze eagle that is sitting atop some whale bones. It is a nicely done sculpture.

Here are two of the local tourists out for a look around. On Saturday when the open air market is in full swing a lot of these kinds of visitors frequent Ilwaco. There are lots and lots of dogs walking their owners here for a look around.

On the backside of one of the buildings is this artistic painting. There is not an inordinate amount of art work or murals on the buildings but what is there is very nicely done.

Located at the South end of the harbor area is Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Company. Jessie’s is one of the commercial fish processing businesses in the area.

Here is a last look around the Ilwaco Harbor. It is a wonderful place to visit.

We hope you enjoyed this brief look at Ilwaco; it has been a great stop along the way in our travels. Whenever in this area be sure and visit Ilwaco, go fishing, eat some great seafood, and buy some much needed items. You will really like it here.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. All the best – George & Deanna