5 Things To Do In Rockaway Beach, OR
My happy place is always the coast. Gosh, any coast will do. For now, I’m blessed to live in a state with the most beautiful coastline, and I love to share my favorite moments with my boys there.
Right now my favorite place on the Oregon coast is a small town called Rockaway Beach. It’s perfect.
Below are my current 5 favorites about Rockaway Beach. I did do a blog post earlier in the year as well, you can hop over there and read about that trip as well Click Here .
1) First thing first- the beach! We love to go to Manzanita Beach, and the one in my video is Nedonna Beach (below). This beach is special because it has the drift wood scattered all over, and forts all along the beach area. My boys can get lost in those drift wood forts for hours. Well, till they get hungry. Oh, man you guys, I want to go back and live there. Maybe open a little coffee/plant/art shop and live there, enjoying the coast and all it’s wonders.
2) “Three Graces” and Kilchis Point Reserve. Look up the tide table for the Oregon coast and go explore the tide pools in Garibaldi, called "The three Graces". The boys got to catch crab, find agates, and observed starfish, jelly fish and sea anemones. Then, head to Kilchis Point Reserve for an easy walk/hike around the reserve. I loved learning some interesting facts about the Native American tribes that once inhabited this area.
3) Explore the little town of Rockaway. We love to walk the little town. Get some coffee or dinner at OffShore Grill and Coffee House, grab some smoked oysters at Old Oregon Smokehouse, or (BEST PART), grab a corn dog at Pronto Pub. This is the place the corn dog was invented by a husband and wife who had a hot dog stand in the early 1900’s on Rockaway Beach for the tourists. Buns arrived all ruined one day and the couple came up with a pancake type batter (the same batter is used today) and just like that, the corn dog was born. Also, stop by the red caboose (you cant miss it), it’s the towns chamber of commerce. the nicest lady works there and is super helpful as far as answering any of your questions about the town.
4) Historic Rockaway. The train ride at Rockway/Garibaldi is a historic route. It only runs in the summer through September and then during Spring break, so plan your trip according. Once done with the train ride, head to the Historic Fishing/Boat Pier. we crabbed off the pier and then had those for lunch.
Pier's End at Garibaldi - check them out for cool events and rental information for an event. It’s pretty cool.
Oregon Coast Train Rides - book your train ride!
5) Crabbing, Fishing and Clamming. Yes, the beach is the best part of a coastal vacation, but, crabbing and clamming at the beach and then eating the goodness is just a cherry on top. We rented a house with crabbing equipment already there, but you can rent the stuff from Garibaldi Marina Rentals (click link and call them for information). Crabbing was a highlight of our trip this time around. The staff at the Garibaldi Marina will even teach you how to clam and crab and give you pointers.
