The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park tells the story of the Corps of Discovery's arrival at the Pacific in November 1805, using the journals of Lewis and Clark as a primary source. The exhibits trace the entire journey from St Louis to the coast, with particular attention to the final weeks when the expedition camped in the Long Beach area debating where to spend the winter.
Cape Disappointment itself — the rocky headland at the south end of the peninsula — was named by British fur trader John Meares in 1788 when fog prevented him from finding the river mouth he was seeking. The park contains two lighthouses (one of the oldest on the West Coast), trails along dramatic sea cliffs, and access to the mouth of the Columbia River. The interpretive center is at the south end of the peninsula, about 20 minutes from Long Beach town.