I really love Seaside…read more It's probably my favorite town on the Oregon coast. The first time I ever visited was in my early teens and I came here with the Masonic youth org of which I was a member. I think we ended up going here a couple times during my years in that group but I never came with my family until just this past summer. Since we're from Eugene, Florence to Lincoln City was usually where we headed to the beach. I've always thought of Seaside as the closest thing you'll find to a California beach in Oregon. The weather is not bad for Oregon's coastal cities but they also have lifeguards on duty, which is atypical. The shopping/tourist area is really conveniently located, being right on the beach near all the hotels and compact enough that you can feel at ease if your teens wander around on their own. There's lots of shops (souvenirs, clothing, ice cream, and more), as well as the Seaside Carousel Mall whose centerpiece is of course the carousel. (Which is awesome by the way!) There's bumper cars and other arcade delights. There are several stops on the Oregon Ice Cream Trail too! We came here for the Fourth of July weekend and had a fantastic time. I love parades; we had fun watching theirs, and it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't see anything or that people were standing five deep. It was easy to get a viewing spot. The historical society held a Fourth of July Social and it was so much fun. They had a cake walk, face painting, fishing booth, bingo, cotton candy, hot dogs and dessert that one of the local orgs were selling. It was like being in the movie Pollyanna! This was held directly after the conclusion of the parade just a couple blocks away, and also a short walk from where we were staying. The town hosts lots of events too. The Miss Oregon pageant is probably the most high profile, held annually here. They also have art walks, as well as a jazz festival. And amongst their Independence Day celebrations is a fantastic fireworks show on the beach--truly the best fireworks show I've attended anywhere. But of course the reason you go to Seaside is the beach. There's a parking lot a block or two from the beach and street parking as well, but one thing I will say for Seaside is that it doesn't have as much beach-area parking as other coastal towns. The Promenade goes along the beachfront, and the Seaside Aquarium is a stop along the Prom. The beach is beautiful and large, and even has a little swingset in one area. The water is COLD, even in the height of summer, but you get used to it pretty quickly. My little one had never been to the beach before but, like her fave Moana, the sea seems to call to her. Seaside has an amenity that I don't think is terribly common, which is that they offer beach wheelchairs. My mom uses a wheelchair when away from home, and we were able to borrow a beach wheelchair so she could go out with us. It wasn't the easiest thing to push on the sand, but it did the trick. That was fun since she was able to watch as my babe took her first steps in the ocean. There were three wheelchairs, which you borrow free of charge through Sunset Empire Park District (Seaside's recreation district) and can use for up to four hours total (that's including key exchange, so make sure your building that into your time at the beach). The wheelchairs are locked up near the public parking lot, which is about a block from the beach and a four or five blocks from the park district building I think. Be aware that these are not motorized wheelchairs, and it would probably be impossible for the person in the wheelchair to make it through the sand on their own so someone will need to push. There may also be a place where you can rent beach wheelchairs for a fee, maybe for a longer period of time. And if you find the little blue "roads" made especially for the beach wheelchairs that may make it easier to maneuver in the sand. Though the spring and summer is my favorite time to visit, there's undoubtedly things happening year round. Seaside would be in my top three places to visit on the Oregon Coast. From Portland, it's a fairly quick drive at about an hour and a half or so (it used to be a getaway Portlanders in its early days). Just be aware that you'll be driving through the Coast Range, mostly on a two lane road, and we saw quite a few elk along the way during both day and night so you'll need to be alert.

Seaside is tied with Cannon Beach as most dog unfriendly city on the West Coast. There are…read morevirtually no covered outdoor spaces to enjoy a beer or meal with your pup. We braved the rain at 1 brewery and had enough. The hotel did not let us leave the dog alone so were out of options.

Nice airport close to Gearhart and Seaside. Closest airport to Cannon Beach too. No scheduled air…read moreservice at this airport, only private general aviation, charters (listed on their website), and occasional commercial / military. There used to be a biplane guy doing sightseeing rides but he hasn't been there in a while. No fees. Kind of short at 2150' though without the displaced thresholds it's more like 2350. Watch those crosswinds, and really watch for the deer and ELK that wander onto the airport sometimes. There's a nice pilot shed with 'courtesy bicycles' available for fly-in visitors. Cabs are cheap and there's at least one car rental place nearby (phone #s for both are on the reader board and the airport website). Some of the restaurants / hotels will do airport pickup if you ask. It's easy walking distance to Gearhart and several restaurants and other attractions, closest is just a few steps down the road. The airport website and airport reader board have lots of good info too. Officially there's no camping on the field but if you pitch your tent after dark no one will likely bother you, Don't leave tents etc. unattended as the police have been known to come out and confiscate. It is relatively safe with a fence around the tie-down ramp area. Oh and the map here on Yelp shows the city hall address not the airport so don't try to land where the pointer is!

56S is a good little airport. The pavement is well cared for and there's plenty of tie down space…read more There are trees to the North but I was clear of them by 200' in a 160HP Warrior. There is a departure proceedure for noise so please adhere so it stays open for years to come. It's quite a walk to get any where so next time I'll explore the transportation options.

Sure wish they would stop yapping at the front desk all the time. I get greeting folks who come in,…read morebut letting them stand there for 10+ minutes to shoot the shit is more than a little disruptive. I come here to get out of the house away from any distractions so that I can get writing done. Pretty bad that I have to wear earplugs and headphones at a LIBRARY. Otherwise it's a nice location and environment. Just keep in mind that it isn't any quieter than a typical office job environment.

Very modern looking library, especially compared to the others in the area. Five stars for an…read moreawesome children's area. I love how it's separated into its own area and has so much more than books. A puppet theater area, large stuffed animals, puzzles, toys, computers, etc. Large selection of Spanish books. They have a weekly story time on Wednesday mornings geared towards the preschool crowd. Large parking lot with plenty of parking. Located near all the Seaside attractions (Boardwalk, shops, restaurants, outlet center, etc.).

People running the post office are friendly. They seem to appreciate their customers. We get…read morepackages from Amazon, etc., and never have problems. If we have a need to send a package or mail something needing special service it isn't a problem. We don't have a choice but are happy with our service.

Why do your hours state open at 8:00 a.m.? Monday through Friday the office is not open until 10:30…read moreto pick up packages. I am elderly and housebound. My caregivers leave at 10:00 a.m. and I am deprived of my basic needs. They are there in the office but will not open the door.

Gearhart volunteer for department helps save my life in 2018. I made it to my house in less than…read moresix minutes at 5:30 in the morning.

My friends gave not so helpful directions to her house. When I walked into the firehouse and asked…read morethe fireman for help he did not snicker as I read them, especially about making a turn at the blinking light, and said, "Oh, well, they removed that blinking light about 8 months ago." He got out his map book, gave us directions, and we were on our way. They have really cool big fancy shiny new equipment there, and appear to take great pride in maintaining it. It's a volunteer department, so I give them all big credit for putting in the time to keep that place clean as a whistle. If I swooned or had a fire or needed assistance, I bet these guys would take good care of me.

If this is the same as the Visitor Center at 2nd & N. Spruce streets, then it earns 5 stars for…read moreservice, friendliness, and helpfulness. I didn't catch their names, however both folks who were working Thursday, October 12th were kind and even printed the state parks pass we bought online so we could visit Ecola Beach SP. We couldn't ask for better ambassadors for the town.

There are always friendly and knowledgeable staff who have great recommendations. Even on a busy…read moreweekend they take the time to answer all of your questions. Jim in particular went the extra mile and helped us with an unusual challenge. Thanks to the great staff at the visitors center!!

Cannon Beach is one of the coastal areas that's a favorite amongst Portlanders. And I can see…read morewhy--it's a great town. I'd never been there until last month, but have long wanted to go; when I was growing up we really only visited the central coast. Cannon is a more... I guess upscale beach locale is the best way to put it. Some of the towns along the coast can feel run down, cheap, or inundated with souvenir shops or silly attractions. In Cannon Beach, the attraction is the beach and Haystack Rock, really. The shopping is more upscale and often higher quality (not to mention more expensive!) thank you'll find in some of the other coastal cities. There's some pretty good shopping here, including toy stores, clothing stores, art galleries, sweet shops. They have a theatre company here, which I thought was really cool and wished we'd be around to go to one of the shows. It's near Seaside, my favorite coast town. And the library is right along the main drag. I'll be really happy to visit again. One thing I love about the Oregon Coast is how biodiverse it is. This area is right along the coast range, so when we were almost at Cannon Beach--like a mile or two from downtown--we saw a fairly large herd of about 13 elk grazing along the roadside. Then a mile away you'll be at Haystack Rock ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the starfish and anemones. I look forward to a visit to Cannon Beach where I can wander more leisurely (the babe was asleep in the car with grandma whilst I visited a few shops), and also walk out to Haystack with my little one to check out the tide pools.

Cannon Beach is tied with Seaside as the most dog unfriendly city on the West Coast. We couldn't…read morefind any restaurants that had outdoor seating. There was no outdoor space to enjoy a beer or meal with our dog. The hotel did not allow us to leave the dog alone, so we were stuck with no options. We have never experienced such a dog unfriendly city before.

Haystack Rock is spectacular and something you'd see on National Geographic. I couldn't believe…read morehow easily accessible it was from Canon Beach. There are tons of access points to the beach, but the easiest is to park in the parking lot and walk across the street, past the public bathrooms and homes, and you're immediately in front of Haystack Rock. The rock is impressive, jutting out of sea of crashing waves, dotted with greenery. The best part was watching all the pufffins flying round and round. At low tide, you can get pretty close up to bird watch or take photos. The puffins come to nest here in spring, and we saw a tons of them at the end of May. The history is just as interesting. The rock was created by ancient lava flow. People used to climb the rock back in the day and get stranded when high tide came in, requiring many rescues. To prevent this, they dynamited the bottom, creating the monolith shape we see today. The rock is now a protected marine garden and wildlife refuge. It was even featured in The Goonies movie. The beach stretches for miles, so you can also continue on for a nice walk. They were also dog friendly. We saw several remnants of fire pits, so guessing they are ok.

Neat! It's a big big rock in the water. The weather was gloomy when we went and the water was not…read moresafe to swim, but the rock was impressively large. In hindsight I wouldn't have driven out from Portland just to see this rock, but it is famous so I'm told.

The library is pretty small but so is the town so in proportion I would say it's a decent size. We…read morehad our toddler with us for a trip so decided to stop in for her to browse thru the children's area. They have a few games. A good selection of books. Seemed to be popular. As we were there a few other kids and their families arrived as well. Good spot for the kids if you need an activity for a little bit of time.

Nestled amongst the trees on a small path past the Post office, the Cannon Beach Library is…read morewonderful! Clean, well laid out and a very inviting children's reading area for such a tiny library. For a small library, they have many of the most in demand books, a kids section, free magazines and a back room that contains donated books for sale. The books cost practically nothing and the funds raised go towards necessities and improvements. Cannon Beach Library is a non-profit, it a public library, so they rely on donations and self raised funds. If you are staying in Cannon Beach for any length of time, stop by! Limited days and hours, open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 12-4pm.