Goonies House: The National Treasure is Now Off Limits

The Goonies's House Photos

Astoria Home

Emma Farrow

The Goonies is an American classic that took kids of the 80’s and 90’s by storm. Over the years it has been a staple film that is loved by children and adults alike. The adventure comedy was directed was Richard Donner and produced by the great Steven Spielberg. But what’s almost as infamous as the film is The Goonies house!

The overall story goes (if you didn’t already know) that a bunch of kids from the ‘Goon Docks’ in Oregon band together to try to save their homes from being demolished. In the process of saving their town, they come across an old map that leads them on a crazy adventure to find the hidden treasure of a 17th-century pirate.

The film experienced almighty success upon its release and has continued to be a loved masterpiece in the years following. It is said to have grossed in excess of $61.5 million.

Where is The Goonies house?

Where was Goonies filmed and where is The Goonies house located you wonder? The Goonies house is located in the sleepy town of Astoria, Oregon. Although a good chunk of the movie was shot in and around Astoria, many of the movie scenes were actually filmed along the coast of the northern state, which is a fair distance from the small town of Astoria. So when the Goonies bike ride to Ecola State Park, although it doesn’t take them very long, in reality, that journey is actually about 26 miles and would have taken far longer.

Who owns The Goonies house?

The Goonies house is instantly recognizable to avid fans, with its whitewash panels and panoramic veranda. But how much did The Goonies house sell for? The owner of the home, Sandi Preston, bought the home in 2001 for around $215,000 – $230,000, and she enjoyed a very quiet and subdued first few years in the property. But then in 2005, it was The Goonies 20th anniversary and Sandi instantly became inundated with avid fans wanting to get a closer look at their favorite movie home. Following the event, Sandi told media that she could expect as many as 1,500 people per day coming to get a closer look at her home.

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Sandi was well aware of the home’s history when she bought it, as The Goonies was actually one of her most loved childhood films. But she was unaware of the impact living in the house would have on her day to day life. She says although some of the fans get in the way and are often intrusive, most of them are not a nuisance. She told The Daily Mail, “most endearing was a woman whose son had died and ‘The Goonies’ was his favorite movie. She had brought his ashes to Oregon. I asked if she wanted to scatter some in the garden, which was in full bloom, so she and her family did that. It was so sweet. I read online that another person did that, in the middle of the night, without asking permission. Oh well, part of owning this house, I guess.’

However, after the 30th anniversary took place in 2015, Sandi could not take it any longer. The event attracted 15,000 people to Astoria. Fans were disrespectful, leaving beer bottles and cigarette buds in the driveway, and she was tired of having no privacy in her own home.

She resorted to covering her home in giant pieces of blue tarp in an attempt to gain back more of a personal and private life. She also put up signs which read ‘Access to The Goonies House closed’ and a second sign that read, ‘Imagine that you buy a house, fix it up, spend money, time and love.

Then the city of Astoria encourages 100,000’s of people to come and stand in front and view it. This driveway (maintained by homeowners) sees 1,000+ people every day. Most are kind, fun and welcome, but many are not.’

As you can imagine, fans that have attempted to visit the home since the signs and restrictions were put in place, have become very disgruntled to find that they are unable to get a good look of the famous property. Recent Tripadvisor reviews state, “Don’t Drive to Astoria if you’re going there to see the Goonies house. You can’t even see it from the road because it’s up a long driveway and a sign that’s posted that advises you not to bother the homeowner” and “There are now signs saying you can not even walk up the drive or the police will be called. We were very disappointed since we drove out of our way from Portland to see the house. The film museum is the next best option for Goonies fans. I think this community is missing out on great tourism by not allowing people to at least view the house.”

About The Goonies

What year did The Goonies come out?

The date The Goonies came out is sure to (unfortunately) make you feel just a liiiitle old. It was released on November 29, 1985!

Fans have been long awaiting a sequel to the film ever since the original movie came out 30 odd years ago, but it seems to be a rumor that has never been officially confirmed. However, Sean Astin, who played Mikey in the 80’s film, told Huffington Post, “It’s always possible. I will say that it’s likely that it will happen. I don’t know when, but I have always had confidence that that sequel will happen mostly because Steven Spielberg, from the time when I was a kid, told me he wanted it to happen and has never changed his opinion.” So we will have to continue to wait and see (sigh).

Sloth was played by John Matuszak who was a former football defensive lineman in the NFL. He played most of his football career for the Oakland Raiders. He then retired from the sport in 1981 and began to pursue acting. He starred in both movies and in TV shows and his first ever role was where he played O.W. Shaddock in ‘North Dallas Forty’ in 1981. He had several other roles before playing his most well-known character Sloth in 1985. Unfortunately, Matuszak tragically died shortly after in 1989 after an accidental overdose of propoxyphene.

Where was Goonies beach scene filmed?

The famed beach scene in the movie was filmed at Indian Beach which is located in Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach in the state of Oregon. The same picturesque beach was also used to shoot scenes for Twilight and Point Break.

Where was The Goonies ship scene filmed?

This scene was also filmed in Oregon, along the coast. They used Haystack Rock as a guide to finding the starting location of the map. Haystack Rock is a sea stack and it is one of the tallest stacks in the world! If you go looking for it, you can’t really miss it.

Why are they called The Goonies?

The Goonies’ name comes from where they live. They lived in Goon Docks which is a small town. Plus, the name kinda just fits doesn’t it!

What to do in Astoria, Oregon?

Besides being able to get a tiny glimpse of The Goonies house, of course, Astoria has loads of tourist attractions and things to do. What once used to be a quiet town, Astoria quickly turned into a famous landmark when the movie was released.

If you are heading to the town solely for The Goonies memorabilia, you can head downtown to the Clatsop County Jail, which is where they held the Fratellis until they were able to escape. Just across the street, you will see the Oregon Film Museum, which is what was the Flavel House Museum where Mr. Walsh worked in the movie.

You can then drive along the picturesque coastline for around 30 minutes and you will come to Cannon Beach. Here you will see Haystack Rock, which if you are avid Goonies fan you will recognize instantly. You can also visit the working riverfront of East End Marina, which is where Stef caught her crab.

Aside from The Goonies attractions, Astoria does have some pretty awesome tourist attractions too. These include the Astoria Column, which offers 360-degree views at the top and the Maritime Museum which showcases ships, fishing and military history. There’s also the Riverfront Trolley which takes you along the beautiful Columbia River. There’s also plenty of museums, a state park and riverside walks to take part in. And of course, there is The Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks which preserve and protect the historic sites that mark the success of explorers, Lewis and Clark.

Was Josh Brolin in The Goonies?

Yes! Josh Brolin (the one and only James Brolin’s son), who is known for roles in hit movies such as 21 Jump Street, Avengers, Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy did indeed have a role in The Goonies. He played Brand who was one of the main ‘misfits’ in the group. For Josh, The Goonies was one of his very first major roles as an actor, and he took on the character at the young age of 17 years old.