Lincoln City

Formed from the union of five communities located along a distinctive stretch of beach, Lincoln City’s locales feel varied and interesting, with hidden gems galore. An artsy enclave on the Coast, world-class kite festivals draw thousands in the summer. Local glass blowers create distinctive and colorful glass floats, then clandestine “float fairies” shrewdly hide them along the shoreline for beachcombers. They’re designed to evoke old glass net floats that washed up on Oregon beaches carried by ocean currents from Japan.

In the midst of beautiful Oregon coastal forests, several nearby hikes are also a thing to behold. Drift Creek Falls features a surprising scene in the middle of the woods: a 100-foot high suspension bridge over a 75-foot waterfall with Drift Creek below. On the edge of the Pacific, the wide-open trails at Cascade Head lead to panoramic views of Lincoln City’s coast, as well as Devil’s Lake and Cape Foulweather further out. Devil’s Lake and Siletz Bay provide large swaths of sheltered, open water for fishing, water sports, and swimming… disregarding old folk tales about a sea monster in the lake, of course.