Kids will love these unique coastal attractions on your next vacation.
While the Oregon Coast’s expansive beaches, dune buggies and camping in forests are always a hit with kids, the region is also home to plenty of fun and educational attractions that visitors of all ages will love. From marine creatures to historic curiosities, you won’t want to miss these one-of-a-kind things to do on your family vacation.
North Coast
1. Explore What Lies Beneath Astoria
Most visitors to Astoria are unaware that a hidden network of subterranean tunnels weaves beneath the city’s streets. While these century-old corridors are off-limits to independent visitors, explorers of all ages can experience them with a little help from Astoria Underground Tour, where you can hear tales of Astoria’s fascinating history on most Saturday afternoons.
2. Spot Marine Life in Cannon Beach
From March 1 through October, volunteers from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program are on hand with binoculars every day at low tide to help visitors catch a glimpse of marine critters. Visit Cannon Beach between April and mid-July for the chance to see what may be the coastal community’s cutest resident — tufted puffins. These beloved birds live on Haystack Rock in their nesting season and are easiest to spot then. Interpreters also help with questions about tide pools and resident wildlife through fall.
3. Stroll Through a Ghost Forest in Neskowin
Neskowin Beach State Recreation Site is another great place for low-tide adventures. During the summer low tides — when more of the beach is revealed — you can see a “ghost forest” of around 100 preserved Sitka spruce tree trunks standing like sentinels in the sand. Some scientists estimate the trees to be around 2 millennia old.
Central Coast
4. Take a Mini Hike With Playground Fun in Lincoln City
Take a stroll down the world’s shortest park trail (it’s only 135 feet long) or let off some steam at the Oregon Coast’s first inclusive and accessible playground at Schooner Creek Discovery Park. Then head around the corner to The Pines Dine food truck village for offerings like burgers, tacos, dumplings — plus a full bar for grownups.
5. Watch Whales in Depoe Bay
As the whale-watching capital of the Oregon Coast, Depoe Bay is a great place for budding marine biologists. Spot resident gray whales at the Whale Watching Center and learn about southern resident orcas before heading across the street to deepen your understanding of life under the sea at the Whale, Sealife & Shark Museum. You can also cruise the ocean on a one-hour whale-watching excursion with Dockside Charters, which features accessible doors that make it easy to get on the boat.
6. See Bug-Eating Plants Near Florence
One of the more unusual attractions on the Central Coast, the compact Darlingtonia State Natural Site protects a bog full of cobra lilies (Darlingtonia californica), a type of carnivorous pitcher plant that feeds itself by digesting trapped insects. A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk wraps through the bog, making it easy to view the plants up close without disturbing them.
South Coast
7. Experience Upcycled Art Near Bandon
Check out larger-than-life creatures created from discarded materials that would otherwise be destined for the dump at Art 101. This whimsical gallery showcases the works of Angela Haseltine Pozzi, founder of Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea — a similar project that turns trash collected from beaches into art. Visitors are greeted by Bandonia the Phoenix, a 12-foot installation made from materials ranging from car bumpers to golf balls.
8. Learn About Lifeboats in Port Orford
On the grounds of Port Orford Heads State Park, the seasonal Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum is housed in a former Coast Guard barracks, but its real draw for history buffs and boat lovers is its 1930s-era lifeboat, which you can check out even when the museum is closed. Picnic areas and a network of kid-friendly trails, some with ocean and visiting sea lion views, make this a great spot to spend a relaxing afternoon.
9. Find Enormous Dinosaurs Near Ophir
The Oregon Coast has its own Jurassic Park of sorts — the Prehistoric Gardens. Since the 1950s, this kooky roadside attraction has been delighting kids of all ages with its collection of around two dozen to-scale model dinosaurs, strategically placed along a meandering trail flanked with massive skunk cabbage and towering trees.
10. Zip Around on Jet Boats in Gold Beach
Experience the thrill of heading up the Rogue River with a popular Jerry’s Rogue Jets excursion. Tours are suitable for all ages and range from short two-hour jaunts to extended six-hour excursions that take visitors into the expansive Wild Rogue Wilderness for wildlife viewing and river thrills.
– By Margot Bigg
– Top photo by Jerry’s Rogue Jets