Last month, my family and I ventured down to the Oregon coast. We’d never been there before and couldn’t wait to explore — it’s only a few hours drive from Seattle and offered tons of things to see and do, even with a one-month-old baby in tow. Here are a few of our favorite things to do as a family on the Oregon coast:
Oregon Coast Road Trip Suggestions
Haystack Rock: That’s us, pictured above, at the famed Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. Go during low tide and you can check out awesome tide pools all along the base of the rock — we saw crabs, starfish, puffins, and sea anemones. There are even local volunteers from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program available to point out cool features and tell you more about the wildlife.
Seaside: This quirky little beachfront town is one of the more touristy parts of the region, but we had fun walking around and checking out the shops and restaurants. There’s an indoor amusement center with rides and mini golf, candy stores full of hard-to-find treats (and local homemade faves like sea-foam) and a nice sandy beach to play on.
Tillamook Cheese Factory: Drive south from Cannon Beach and you’ll find the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory, a must-see (in my opinion — I’m obsessed with their cheese and ice cream) and a fun stop along the coast. Grab a grilled cheese in the cafe, watch the cheese being made from the upstairs factory windows, and get an ice cream cone from the ice cream counter.
Ride a trolley: We passed through Astoria, one of the more northern cities along the coast (and home to the Goonies house). Some fun things to see in town like the Astoria Column (not very kid-friendly with all those stairs) and the Astoria Trolley. The Old 300 historic trolley, a favorite of my train-loving three-year-old. You can hop on and off around the waterfront, but if you ride it round trip it’s about an hour. You’ll learn fun facts about the area, go under the Astoria-Megler bridge and drive past the Maritime Museum. And maybe the best part: my pre-schooler sat still the entire time.
Fly a kite: The Oregon beaches are totally gorgeous (and you can drive your car on the sand, a nice perk if you’re traveling with kids and all their gear!) and pretty windy. We took a kite out one day and my husband and son had a blast flying it around. If you need a break from all the sightseeing, take a kite to the beach and relax.
Those were some of our favorites — have you been to the Oregon coast? What did you enjoy?
Thank you for the wonderful article! This is very helpful to families visiting the Oregon Coast for the first time trying to find exciting things to do with the entire family! Thanks again for sharing!
It looks beautiful there! I have heard the Oregon coast is a great place. Thank you for sharing.
As a Seaside resident I second this post, Lyndsey! Great pics. 🙂
What beautiful places to see I would love to visit the Oregon coast one day. I’ve never been to Oregon before.