We drove through this rather large coastal city while on our way to visit family in Charleston, OR…read morefor the weekend. It's known as Oregon's 'Bay Area', and it definitely has that feel with hills and all. Coos Bay is a major port for maritime commerce, namely lumber. Population is over 15,000. It's home to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and hometown of iconic runner Steve Prefontaine. It offers natural beauty for outdoor adventures at Shore Acres State Park and Sunset Bay State Park. There's plenty of hiking and storm watching opportunities. Golden and Silver Falls are popular hiking destinations. If you're a gambler, the Mill Casino is also a popular destination offering lodging at their hotel and RV park. Visit the Marshfield District for shops, restaurants, galleries, historic buildings, museums and theaters. And don't forget the fresh seafood abound. One of our favorite things while driving along highway 101. If you're in the area, I recommend stopping to take in what this coastal city has to offer!

The history of Coos Bay dates back to the days of Lewis and Clark. One of the most famous…read moreresidents, Coos Bay was the birth place of Steve Prefointaine. People come from around the world to participate in the memorial race that was set up in his memory. But, what is Coos Bay known for today, first, world class golf (not my thing), but they are known for it. Second, the sand dunes. The Umpqua Dunes in northern Coos County are the widest and highest in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. This section of dunes is closed to off-highway vehicles, so hikers love them. Whether you are looking for hiking, beach exploring, mountain biking, sea lion watching .... it's all within a short distance of Coos Bay. Kind of the hub for the Oregon Coast if you are in the middle region of the state.

This is a surprisingly nice memorial. It's simplicity and openness gives more gravitas to the…read morememorial's message, and it's location in Skinner's Butte Park, next to the Willamette River, is quite fitting.

This gift shop is adorable! It's mostly touristy stuff, but they do have some food and drinks as…read morewell as some specific souvenirs that you can buy. The people working here are friendly and enjoy their jobs. They seem a little bored but they help you immediately when you need something. Make sure to stop in here after the museum and lighthouse tour! You'll probably find a fun souvenir to take home!

We came to visit the museum in the lighthouse and we were surprised to find this delightful little…read moregift shop and Cafe. The cookies are huge and delicious and the vegetable turnover was such a treat. Reasonably priced and great for a quick lunch or a coffee when you are visiting the museum.

In A Nutshell: -It's…read morenot too often you can actually walk down to a dam & watch real fish inside the water like an aquarium. -You can do that at Winchester Dam and Fish Ladder, which is a National Historic Landmark in our great country the USA. -You can easily find parking in the small lot, then walk down the concrete/mental stairs towards the dam. -There are plenty of places to take some really nice photos of the entire dam & Umpqua River. -As you walk down the steps towards the fish count area, you will be able to see real fish struggling against the strong currents through glass. -You can see all sorts of fish if you wait a little. Overall, this is a nice place to take your family.

This was the first place I ever went to when I first got to Oregon in 2018. It was a wonderful…read moreclimb down but going back up at my age and my disability was hard but I love it. I love going over the bridge and seeing the waterfall. I think everybody would enjoy that's just my opinion.

This was easy to reach. You can't go up but you can go in…read more The crab fishermen are working hard in the river mouth right outside the walls. great coast view from the windows

Nice park. Loved the partially restored river lighthouse. Enjoyed the gift shop. Staff at friendly…read moreand knowledgeable. I'm a little puzzled by a lack of lighthouse shirts and sweatshirts. I surely would have purchased two as my wife who could not enter with her wheelchair still made me go back and double check I didn't miss it the first time. It's a well set up attraction. While the opportunity to raise funds by selling items, I gladly donated the price of a shirt to hopefully move park service towards further developement of this gem.

When you visit it, the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House comes alive with history. Here, you'll get…read moresome good insights into some strong women's lives. Tip: The stairs are steep so be aware; they're not recommended for small children or people with mobility issues. When you ascend to the attic, you'll find an impressive replica of the house, and also a nice collection of war memorabilia (Swords, flags, photos, medical instruments, etc.). We very much enjoyed learning more about the history of Eugene; the docents were both friendly and knowledgeable. The furnishings and architecture are from a different time and the tour was informative.

Read a review from 3 years ago and it said it was only $6 to get in and guess what? It's still only…read more$6 to get in! The docent was a very kind and friendly lady who knew the most about Aida but knew something about all of them. I appreciate her honesty when we asked a wished didn't know she would tell us she was not sure but would offer a maybe because... or probably because.... She pointed out what pieces of furniture were original to the home and explained how the rest were donated. So much history! She said the last lady who owned the home was raised in the Campbell House Inn which is actually where we stayed! I didn't take a bunch of photos as I was enjoying the moment and listening to the docent tell us the history of the home. Also many other people have posted great photos here already so no point in being redundant. The docent said it is decorated for Christmas during the holidays and recommended to visit it if I'm the area during that time. The theme was weddings do when we visited as the docent explained that someone had donated a tremendous amount of wedding gowns to the museum.

This is near our stay. We wanted to go down to the beach…read moreto tide pool search but it was still too wet. 60 degree water is chilly. Maybe next time.

This is a great place to come to find gourmet products. They run a classy operation by providing…read morefree cheese samples for their creations. I was happily surprised to see they also sold my favorite Italian Asiago cheese. The only bummer was looking into the ingredient list for there Umpqua over the counter ice cream to find it is ultra processed using high frutose corn syrup to make this product.

On our quest to see all the available lighthouse stations…read more on the Oregon Coast. This was part of it. Great lighthouse , The keepers home is now a short stay rental with a fenced yard. What a spot.

For us out of staters it costs $12 to park. There was a Park Ranger on site so there's no escaping…read moreit. It's quite a hike up to the lighthouse. It's definitely not recommended for people with disabilities. We stopped a couple times to catch our breath on the way up. They do have a gift shop, but as expected, it was overpriced. Once you get to the top, there are beautiful views of the coastline. The lighthouse itself isn't much. When we were there, there was a volunteer who was there to answer questions. If you're looking for exercise, this is the ticket.