• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • TravelingDad

Traveling Mom

Traveling tips, deals, info from moms and families

  • COVID-19
  • Road Trips
    • ROAD TRIPS ACROSS THE USA
    • ROAD TRIP PLANNER
    • ILLINOIS ROAD TRIPS
    • TEXAS ROAD TRIPS
    • GEORGIA ROAD TRIPS
    • CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIPS
    • NORTHEAST ROAD TRIPS
    • MIDWEST ROAD TRIPS
  • Destinations
    • Northeast
    • Southeast
    • East Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
    • Southwest
    • Northwest
    • West
    • US Cities
      • New York City
      • Chicago
      • Los Angeles
      • Orlando
      • San Diego
      • San Francisco
  • Disney
    • Disneyland
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney Worldwide
    • Disney Cruise
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
  • Outdoors
    • Skiing
    • National Parks
    • RV/Camping
    • Beaches
  • Travel Resources
    • Babies and Toddlers
    • Free Things to Do
    • Packing
    • Discount Attractions Tickets
    • Discount Disney World Ticket
    • Discount Universal Tickets
    • Grandparents
    • Cruising
    • TravelingDad
  • Search
  • COVID-19
  • Road Trips
    • Road Trips Across the USA
    • Road Trip Planner
    • Illinois Road Trips
    • Texas Road Trips
    • Georgia Road Trips
    • California Road Trips
    • Northeast Road Trips
    • Midwest Road Trips
  • US National Parks
  • RV and Camping
  • Beaches
  • Disney
    • Disneyland
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney Worldwide
    • Disney Cruise
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
  • Cruises
  • Skiing
  • Free Things to Do
  • Traveling with Babies and Toddlers
  • Traveling Grandparents
  • TravelingDad
  • US Destinations
    • Northeast
    • Southeast
    • East Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
    • Southwest
    • Northwest
    • West
  • US Cities
    • NYC
    • Chicago
    • Los Angeles
    • Orlando
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • International
  • Travel Resources
    • Book A Trip
    • Discount Attractions Tickets
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
    • Discount Universal Tickets
    • Packing
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Mobile Menu

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
You are here: Home / Family Vacation Ideas / Family Vacations in the Pacific Northwest USA / Central Oregon Coast Weekend | Coos Bay

Central Oregon Coast Weekend | Coos Bay

February 25, 2013 //  by Carissa Rogers//  Leave a Comment

FacebookTweetPin1LinkedInShare1
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, TravelingMom may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

The Oregon Coast isn’t known for warm waters or beach reclining activities. In fact you’ll need a windbreaker or light jacket even in the warmest months!

But you honestly can’t beat the jagged beaches of the Central Oregon Coastline for photographic wonder and family fun!

We recently traveled to the Central Oregon Coast when our daughter was in a District Swim Meet there. Heck yes! We happily tagged along for the weekend. The adjoining towns of Coos Bay and North Bend sit on the northern peninsula of the Coos River (where the river makes a bend.. hence the name – North Bend ).

CoosBayMapIt’s a great little area packed with beaches, restaurants and the Coos Bay Boardwalk was not like any other boardwalk I’ve been to. It’s on the bay side of the town and instead of kitschy stores and tourist traps, it’s simply a beautiful boardwalk with coastal and shipping museums and picturesque flags flying. Go for a WALK!

Coos Bay is located about 4 hours drive from Portland, and 3 hours from Medford. If you drive up the coast from California, it’s about a 10 hour drive along Highway 101.

Where to Eat in Coos Bay

I love asking the locals where THEY eat. We started out with breakfast at The Pancake Mill. (Good luck deciding which type of pancake to have!) My husband had the buckwheat pancakes and my daughter tried out the banana pancakes. – Huge smiley faces for both. Another recommendation was to eat at Benettis, a nicer Italian restaurant, with plenty of seafood on the menu. We are saving this one for a ‘sans kids’ trip back to the Coast, because it didn’t seem all that kid-friendly (plus it was more expensive that we were looking for). We opted for a little café just up the street called Shark Bites. And it was perfect for the kids AND the grown ups! We tried fried oysters for the first time (parents = thumbs up, kids = thumbs down). And you can’t go wrong with fish n chips while on the coast. The kid menu had seafood-free options making a couple of my pickier eaters happy. The Fisherman’s Seafood Market is a floating hole-in-the-wall gritty boardwalk eatery. And it claimed to have the best clam chowder in town. But with very little sit down eating room (there was a covered eating area on the boardwalk outside) it was too cold to eat outside. (Saving this one for the next trip too!)

CollageCoosBay

Where to Stay

We were surprised at how few medium to nicer hotels there were in the area? By far the nicest hotel accommodations are at the local Casino (which admittedly is strange) but we went ahead and booked a room there on the recommendation of a fellow swim parent. Let me say: I dislike Casinos, and was very nervous about the rooms being smoke filled. I’m happy to report the hotel part of the operation was very clean and decidedly SMOKE-FREE. Of course the Casino is NOT. I did venture into the casino late one night to order some late-night munchies for our crew. And other than I had to LEAVE the Casino while waiting for my order to finish, it was yummy food and surprise(!) they gave out free sodas. One last kudo… the indoor pool was fabulous, and there were 2 outdoor hot tubs looking out on the river part of the bay.

Other lodging options in the area are the Best Western Plus (where the swim team stayed), the Quality Inn, the Red Lion and several budget hotels.

Central Oregon Beaches to Visit

There are several Beaches along the southern Coos Bay Area. The 3 we loved the most were:

  1. Bastendorff County Beach Park – Free but not a ton of parking but a lovely sandy beach and flat easy walk out to the ocean.
  2. Sunset Beach State Beach Park – Free & plentiful parking with an amazing circular bay inlet that will take your breath away. TIP: Trees along the steep cliffs surrounding the bay make for FABULOUS family photography shots!
  3. Shore Acres & Gardens State Beach Park — $5 to park. Holiday lights in the winter, gorgeous gardens (especially in the spring and mid-summer) and magnificent views of crashing waves and ship-destroying rocks. There basically isn’t shore/water access at this beach but go for the views!

BONUS!!

You don’t have a choice. Go to the Cranberry Sweets store right on Newmark (one of the main roads). I dare you to come away from the chocolate and fruit filled candy wonder of a store without buying a thing! They have over 50 samples sitting out waiting for you to… SAMPLE them!

  • Most popular item: Cranberry Jelly candies.
  • My GoodNCrazy Favorite: The Lemon Merengue Pie Candy!
  • And the Wierdest? Cheddar Cheese Fudge for sure!

Carissa and her family were not compensated in any way for this article.

 

FacebookTweetPin1LinkedInShare1

Category: Family Vacations in the Pacific Northwest USA

You May Also Like

  • The Oregon Coast with kids is a great family vacation
    7 Family-Friendly Activities When Visiting The Oregon Coast with Kids
  • Explore California's Central Coast
    5 Top Reasons You Should Explore the Central Coast of California
  • Trying to decide where to stay at Universal? Learn the BEST thing about Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Orlando.
    The Best Thing About Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Orlando
  • There's a private on-site marina at Key Largo Bay Marriott Beach Resort! For the full scoop, check out our Key Largo Bay Marriott Beach Resort Review.
    Key Largo Bay Marriott Review: A Family Friendly Florida Keys Hotel
  • Siblings jumping into the ocean is part of the joy of traveling with your family, even when traveling while Black.
    Best Beaches on the East Coast for Families
  • Pretty and practical beach bags
    Pretty and Practical - The Summer's Best Beach Bags
Previous Post: « 4 for Free in Utica
Next Post: I Think You Grew »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Ask Us!
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Manage Push Notifications
  • Site Admin

Copyright © 2021 Traveling Mom · All Rights Reserved