Northern Oregon Coast - looking for family-friendly recs

Our family is meeting my sister’s family at the halfway point in Rockaway Beach, OR in late June. I haven’t been to that part of OR in about 30 years so aside from beach town stuff, no clue what to do for day trips. We’re wiling to drive an hour in any direction to find something cool.

If you have any restaurant recommendations in the area, we’re open to that but it’ll be a lot of kids so not a top priority!

Thanks!

How old are the kids, and how much do they like hiking? We did Neahkahnie Head and Cape Falcon with our kids when they were school age, and again as adults. There are plenty of enjoyable shorter hikes that get the feel of the coastal mountains, but are not so strenuous.

There are kid friendly bike trails at Nehalem Bay State Park. If the kids are beginner cyclists, you can walk or jog along with them. Otherwise, it’s a leisurely pedal.

We found the Pelican Bay Brew pub to be a good family dinner spot, perhaps surprisingly.

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In Garibaldi there’s the Pirates Cove. Fried everything, booths and a great view of the bay. Wanda’s in Nehalem is tasty. The overlook south of Manzanita on the highway is not to be missed. Hit every lighthouse you see.

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Riverside Fish and Chips in Nehalem is good. This is a food truck with a few picnic tables. We took ours back to our rental.

As far as things to do, lots of hiking nearby. Cape Lookout (south and west of Tillamook) is a good hike out to the end of a basalt tongue that sticks out several miles into the Pacific. On the road getting there, you will pass the Whisky Creek Salmon Hatchery. They have a trout pond where you can feed giant trout. Bring lots of quarters. At little further along the road is the place where they make Jacobsen salt. Neah-kah-nie Mountain has a lot of great hiking too - lots of vertical though.

Cape Meares is in the same general area. Normally you would drive along the Bay and circle in from the north, but that road is closed. Access is from Netarts Bay and Oceanside.

Just north of Tillamook is the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Easy, quick tour and lots of ice cream.

East of Tillamook is the Tillamook Forest Center. It has been closed for the last year or so. If it is back open, it would be a good diversion too.

Pelican Brewing has tap rooms in Pacific City and Cannon Beach, with their main brewery in Tillamook. The main brewery might be worth a visit.

We have deep roots in the area. My wife’s family founded Nehalem around 130 years ago, and we lived outside Pacific City for a couple of years. PM me if you have questions.

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Oswald West State Park has an interesting beach, though it’s about a half-mile hike down to it. Also good hiking trails there. Hug Point State Park is also interesting, but definitely best at or near low tide, and underwhelming at mid or high tide. As Rick says, the hike at Cape Lookout is very good, though often quite muddy in the winter. The beach there is still interesting if the tide is low – it’s seen much erosion over the years, and now there really isn’t any beach unless you are there at low tide.

If you like sour beers, de Garde Brewing in Tillamook makes some really fantastic ones, and kids are welcome on the patio.

The Fish Peddler in Bay City is an informal place that makes tasty seafood. Can be crowded — IME, even on offseason weekends.

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You should contact Hollowine on CT. He lives in Hood River and has a vacation house in Manzanita Beach, OR which is just 12 miles north of Rockaway Beach.

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These are super helpful suggestions! Thank you - and keep 'em coming!

Nevør Shellfish farm too in Tillamook.

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I’d suggest stopping with the family at the Jetty Fishery between Rockaway and Wheeler. You can take the family and have them cook fresh crab to order for you and you can eat it there or take it back to the house. There used to be a good fish & chips place in Rockaway called Old Oregon Smokehouse, with lots of flags flying out front…not sure if it’s there with Covid? Wanda’s in Nehalem is good, but might be tight with a large group. I’ve only eaten there once, but Salmonberry Saloon in Wheeler was pretty good and might be able to accomodate a larger group with notice. McGregor’s Whiskey Bar (locations in Manzanita and Cannon Beach) can be fun if you can leave the kids at home for a couple of hours. And Upper Crust pizza in Rockaway is solid for beach pizza…won’t blow your mind but it’s the best place in the area that I’ve tried.

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I like Luna Sea ( . . . ) in Yachats.

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Not sure how far south you’ll travel but here are a few ideas
The Schooner in Netarts - never been there but looks like an amazing view and it’s got to have fresh seafood
Nevor Shellfish is nearby and Jacobson Salt Co (closed due to pandemic last time I went by)
South from there off Cape Lookout Road there is a turn out that looks back north - stunning view
McPhillips Beach - drive your car/truck out on an endless flat beach, super fun, pretty tame surf options for little ones
Pelican Brewing in Pacific City isn’t much for food (beer is ok, Pfriem in HR kills), but there is a huge dune to climb up at Cape Kiwanda, kids will absolutely love it
Lincoln City an easy pass
Tidal Raves in Depoe Bay is beautiful, crab cakes fantastic and nice selection Oregon wines to dig into
For an adventure, drive into the coast range and a hike to Drift Creek Falls, went during an atmospheric river event in Oct/Nov and was absolutely roaring
Have Fun

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In Tillamook you can take the cheese factory tour, and there’s the air museum which is far out in a weird historical way: About — Tillamook Air Museum

Garibaldi has the longest pier in Oregon too.

We had a good time at Tillamook. So much dairy.

at the limit of your hour drive time, but a nice day excursion North might be in order - stop in Astoria for lunch at the Bowpicker (famous fish & chips), then North to Fort Stevens State Park, which can provide hours of entertainment (beaches, trails, shipwreck, a million varieties of mushrooms to observe, etc). If you do the drive on a Sunday, the Astoria Farmer’s market is fantastic.

I also like Luna Sea, but the OP was looking for places within an hour of Rockaway Beach, and Yachats is well over two hours from there.

BTW, there’s a new Luna Sea location in Seal Rock – was promising but not a finished work yet when we ate there last summer. Has the added bonus of being just across the highway from the best beach in Oregon for my tastes.