Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is just amazing. But I will admit that I am heavily biased in…read moremy opinion as I love Newport, Oregon and could easily see myself having a second home here. Perhaps even a primary home as well but I do like living in a large metro area because of the various services and entertainment options at your disposal. I have been to this Natural Area twice now and it's just so beautiful! The first time I really took advantage of taking pictures of the lighthouse here as well as the view. The second time was a repeat of that particular activity but in addition to that we went down to the tide pools and were immediately entranced with all of the aquatic life in those pools. We took pictures of that and were just so revitalized immersing ourselves in the nature there. I t was beautiful and simply amazing. Really nothing else needs to be said other than if you are touring along the Oregon Coast and are hitting the lighthouses this is a must stop... well they all are actually but this one really is. There is another lighthouse on the south end of town so Newport has scenic and at another time more practical advantage of having two lighthouses in the same town all within very close proximity. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is truly a beautiful place!

You can't miss this place! It does cost a few dollars to drive in, I believe it is free for bikers…read moreand walkers. They direct all traffic through the visitor's center where you can ask the knowledgeable staff about anything and grab brochures and maps if needed. We went up to the lighthouse, down to cobble beach and the tide pools, and everywhere in between, it was so much fun. It was sunny and started raining after we arrived, it's fantastic either way. We were here close to low tide, so that helped improve our tide pool experience, but you can't go wrong fitting this into your schedule while on the coast!

May 2024 visit. We…read morehad to stop by twice to catch them when they were open... and I'm so glad we did. My favorite part was the view, but I also enjoyed exploring the old lighthouse. It's pretty small but the self guided tour was free so we didn't mind. I currently feel more peaceful just thinking about being there.

I just visited the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse a couple of weeks ago (in the beginning of March) and it…read morewas open for tours. This is the original, smaller, and, in my opinion, the more interesting of the two lighthouses in Newport. This lighthouse is built into an actual three-story house, which you can walk through most of. Although it was not possible to walk to "the top," I'm not aware of any lighthouse that is currently still allowing this in 2026. (Lighthouse lenses are extremely expensive, and, unfortunately, it's not difficult to imagine how one or two bad tourists might have ruined this for the rest of us.) But you can still walk through the first three stories of the house, and I thought that was pretty cool. On the first floor of the house, there was a replica of a fifth order Fresnel lens, which is the smallest standard size lens used in lighthouses. For the lighthouse enthusiast, it's really interesting to compare the size of this lens to the much larger first order lens at Heceta. I also found it interesting to think about the lightkeeper walking through their actual house with hot oil, rather than filtering it in an oil house and then carrying it up to the separate lighthouse. While the rooms were roped off, it was possible to walk right up to the doorway of each one, and see that they were filled with replica furniture similar to what would have been used in the late 1800s. Eventually, this small lighthouse was replaced by the much larger Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is 4 miles to the north. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse was not open for tours when I visited, but I've seen pictures, and it looks almost exactly like the Heceta Lighthouse, except it's still whitewashed. So, in my opinion, this smaller lighthouse is actually more unique, and maybe even more worth visiting than its replacement. This Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is managed by State Parks. Parking is $10/day or free with an annual pass. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse (the newer, taller one 4 miles to the North) is managed by BLM, which charges the same daily use fee, but is covered by a different (federal) parking pass. So, you can't see both with the same pass. If you absolutely have to choose, in my opinion, Yaquina Bay has the better lighthouse, while Yaquina Head has the better beach, museum, and hiking trails.

This museum includes the Burrows House, 1895, and the Log Cabin. I haven't been yet but intend to…read moresoon. Then I'll write a real review.

From the owner: Built in 1895, this Queen-Anne Victorian house turned museum holds a long and colorful history. It…read morenow features comprehensive exhibits on our Lincoln County's history.

Fun place to walk around, go through shops and galleries, eat lunch and take in the view of Yaquina…read moreBay and Bridge, and the various wildlife. There are a variety of restaurants available. Our favorites are Clearwater and Local Ocean. We love seafood and they have the freshest fish varieties. There are many cute and quaint gift shops and galleries to explore. There's a wide range of options, including yummy treats! The Sea lion docks are fun to visit, although pretty stinky. You can definitely smell the fish coming in off the fishing boats and being processed. Not the best smell, but a clue that fresh fish is available. There are also museums you can visit along the bayfront, namely Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center. There are kayak tours and discovery boat tours. Such a wonderful place to visit. There's something for everyone. Highly recommend!

Awesome views and just a great place to relax with plenty to do and see nearby…read more We came for a spot to eat lunch and luckily found a great parking space. Paid for an hour and just enjoyed the views. Ther was a fish monger working nearby and feeding the seals with scraps of fish. The breeze was perfect for how sunny it was sitting in our car. We didn't walk around as we had family waiting for us. We've been here before and there are lots of resend shops of all kinds to explore but parking can be a problem. Just be pat, spots open often.... if you're lucky.

A small, but sweet, park & memorial with simply stunning views. There's a decent sized parking lot,…read moreas well as street parking and a city lot not a block away. Benches, beach access, with artwork and the Vietnam dedication....lovely lil spot.

The park is small but it is all about the view. It is a great place to sit and watch an ocean…read moresunset.

Yet another lovely, quaint little coastal town in Oregon - and another great spot to base yourself…read moreout of while exploring the coast. But be sure to spend a little time relaxing and exploring Newport as well - there's lots to see here and it's such a chill town! There's tons of history here. The Yacona Tribe were the original inhabitants and their lineage can be traced back around 3,000 years. Newport's Bayfront is full of seafood processing plants - you can even watch them working in some of them! So it's no surprise that this town is known as the Dungeness Crab capital of the world! And one more FUN FACT: the longest road in the US (US Route 20) starts in Boston and ends here in Newport - now I have a new road trip bucket list item haha! There are several sections of Newport and the two I'm most familiar with are Nye Beach and the Bayfront areas. Nye Beach has some decent restaurants and cute little parks along the beach front, as well as hotels and a wide sandy beach that has dramatic tidal changes. The infamous Yaquina Head Lighthouse can be seen from certain parts of the beach - it's nearby and totally worth exploring as well (famous for being featured in the movie The Ring). The Bayfront area is my fave - you get views of the lovely Yaquina Bay Bridge from all angles, and it's full of awesome shops and restaurants and even fishing piers - all with killer views of course. Be sure to get the crab dip at Gino's - it's phenomenal. And you MUST stop in Femme Fatale to satisfy your morbid curiosities! The people are just wonderful - so friendly and welcoming. Outside of the quaint little areas I mentioned, Newport also has all the regular mod cons you could need in terms of grocery stores and fast food and fas stations - it's growing fast and definitely not remote but still somehow manages to be relaxed and peaceful. Been coming here a lot over the years since I first visited and no doubt l'll make my way back again - sooner rather than later lol! Highly recommend!

I've been coming up here from southern Oregon for decades ,fishing and camping, then moved here a…read moreyear ago. Parking downtown bayfront was always free until a couple months back. During the winter when this area is a ghost town the locals are not happy about a parking fee. The city gets a nice money grab during the summer, about 4 months, then locals are left to support that area of restaurants, plus pay to park. This does not set well with locals from my interaction as a vendor at various markets. I love this place and will support it in other ways. Maybe a yearly pass sticker for county residents could work

We are so very lucky to live in a community that has such an outstanding library. The staff is…read morealways finding new and inventive ways to engage the young and old in activities that are age appropriate and enjoyable. And, of course, the library has a wonderful collection of books, movies, newspapers, magazines and streaming services. The staff has always been kind, courteous and helpful. Unfortunately, because of city cutbacks, the library has been unable to reopen on Sundays and Mondays. The library is my favorite building in the entire county and I encourage everyone to check out (forgive the pun) this gem.

It's great they have open hours on Sunday. My kids were happy to find the books from the various…read moreseries they're currently into with the help of the librarian. WiFi is good too. The place has a very nice feel and reminds me of the quality library from my old hometown. Getting a card was simple enough with merely showing my local bill for electricity.

Our first time RV'ing anywhere, and so we went to the visitor center as it was listed as a free rv…read moredump site. First, the streets around the center are WIDE. Second, the pull in spot looks like it was well thought out. Plenty of space to maneuver. While the poor soul(s) in charge of the RV do the dumping, everyone else can pop on into one of the nicest visitor centers we've ever been to... and we've driven through almost all the states in the union. The center doesn't need to be open as they've got a great protected setup just outside the front door. Fortunately they were open, so we went in and spoke with Mike who was extremely helpful! He pulled up a map of the city, and with a red sharpy quickly marked all the places in town where we'd be able to pull up and park parallel... he even took into consideration how steep different streets were. If you're visiting Newport, go here first before anywhere else!

Apparently the tallest lighthouse in Oregon! Found out I came here before but never went past the…read morevisitors center lol! It was super gorgeous and not busy at all. There wasnt a ton to do because we didn't book a tour of the inside but it was still fun to learn the history and see it for myself.

A beautifully kept example of coastal lighthouses. Very well preserved. The interpretive center is…read morea must visit. There's a massive body of historical knowledge relevant both to various stages of lighthouse operation and the growth and expansion of Oregon and the US in general.

A very informative and quirky visit with lots of sights to see and learn. The sculptures were cute.read more

I have been coming to the Oregon Coast my entire life but have never been to Ripley's Believed It…read moreout Not. Because it's stupid. But went today. Verdict: kitschy, worth one visit in your life. Just the one.