rpietrzyk

Hi, we are going to arrive in Cannon Beach Oregon this May and drive down the coast through the wine country, and fly home out of San Francisco. This is all new for us so we would appreciate any help you could give us on nice places to stay, must see/do attractions , good shopping places, great resturants ( love seafood) etc. We have 8 days to spend so please help. Any advice will help, thank you!

Rich & Jackie
Chicago, IL

janisj

Do you want to spend any time in San Francisco too? W/ 2 or 3 days in SF, you'd get different recommendations than if you are spending all 8 days along the coast/in wine country.

Also - what is your budget for accommodations?

In general though, until we get that info, I'd stop one or two places on the Oregon coast, one night in the Redwoods, a couple of nights in or near Mendocino, 2 nights in Sonoma county and then fly out of SFO.

rpietrzyk

At most 2 days in San Fran, but as I said we are totally flexible. We can spend up to $150 a night for lodging. Again thank you for your help.

boom_boom

Lincoln City, Florence or Brookings on the OR coast.
Redwoods Nat. Park, Parire Creek St. Park for the redwoods. Eureka has an interesting old town and numerous motels.

Stay on 101 until Route 1 swings toward the coast at Leggett and then spend a night or two in Fort Bragg, Mendocino or near by. Fort Bragg motels likely to be cheaper than Mendocino.

Follow Rt. 1 to Albion and then take Route 128 through the Anderson Valley, Phil, Boonvilee back to 101 near Cloverdale. Many great wineries along 128 near Navarro and Philo.

Now you're in the Mendocino wine country and few miles south you'll be in Sonoma County....Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, all offer a wide choice of wineries.

The Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg is reasonable. Execllent selection of eateries as well.

janisj

boom_boom's plan is really good. Here is a terrififc place just south of Mendocino w/ room from $130 and up. The best buys IMO are the Bayside rooms at $175. That is a bit over your budget but the rooms are large and have a veranda w/ rocking chairs looking over the Bay and state park. Other rooms are much more. $130-$175 is really good for ocean view rooms near Mendocino -- it is a pricey area. http://www.littleriverinn.com/

But you can find places for a lot less up along the Oregon coast so they will average out w/i your budget.

This place in Brookings is nice/inexpensive http://www.oceansuitesmotel.com/

This is sort of a funky place in Gold Beach w/ everything from dirt cheap rustic cabins to pricey condo-type units all on a beach. http://www.irelandsrusticlodges.com/

Or there are lots of places in Bandon - This one is quirky but the location is terrific and is walking distance to everything http://www.seastarbandon.com/

Andrew

I usually recommend people touring the Oregon Coast get a-hold of AAA's Oregon Coast Tour map. It breaks down the coast really well to show you where all the parks and stops are and what they are; you past tons of pull-overs, viewpoints, and parks as you drove down US 101 in Oregon, so it's nice to know ahead of time where you may wish to stop, which lighthouses are easy to access, etc. Without prior information, they all kind of seem the same.

Cannon Beach is a beautiful, popular coast town. The beach there is eye-popping the first time you see it, with the well-photographed Haystack Rock as the primary focal point. Just south of Cannon Beach, maybe 7 miles south, is Oswald West State Park. If you want something different from the usual tourist pull-overs, stop at Oswald West - parking lot along the road - and hike 10 minutes to the beach (just follow the clearly-marked trail), to Cape Falcon. I was out there last week photographing a gorgeous sunset - perfect weather in Oregon this last week! - and numerous people were surfing out at this secluded spot.

A much longer hike perhaps is just north of Lincoln City, out to Cascade Head. There may be some sort of shortcut out there, but otherwise the main trail is a modestly challenging hike - but the views at the end are breathtaking. Don't attempt if you aren't into hiking.

I'm not fan of Lincoln City myself - I prefer Newport, about a half hour to the south. Newport has the Oregon Coast aquarium (which of course you can stop off and see anyway without staying in Newport) and the Yaquina Head lighthouse (just north of town), which is a nice natural area with some cool birds down on the rocks. And Newport has a beautiful bridge - one of my favorite anywhere, the Yaquina Bay Bridge (you drive over it on 101 at the south part of Newport). If you like bridges, get off 101 just before the bridge to get a view; driving over the bridge it isn't nearly as impressive.

April's (restaurant) in Newport is sometimes recommended but I've never eaten there. There are a few Mo's clam chowder restaurants on the coast - kind of an Oregon thing. There's a Mo's in Newport.

Others prefer Yachats to either Newport or Lincoln City - much smaller than either Lincoln City or Newport.

Gold Beach gives you the option of taking a day to cruise up the Rouge River.

If you are heading for the California Redwoods (highly recommended), staying in Crescent City, CA - first city in CA going south on 101 - may be an option as well as Brookings, just because Crescent City is a bit closer to the Redwoods, in case you wish to get an early start or something. Brookings is quite a bit smaller as I recall.

rpietrzyk

You guys have been so helpful. Thank You for your time and kindness!!
If there is anything else that crosses your mind please advise. Again thanks and bless you all.

OurOregonCoast

Eat at Georgies if you are in Newport- they really are good. Yes to the Aquarium but be sure to go down the street to the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Wildsprings Guest Habitat in Port Orford, Crawdad festival in Lakeside, Rhododendron and Azalea Festivals, Steam Train Rides out of Garibaldi....

We have a lot of information and be sure to check out our May Calendar... http://ouroregoncoast.com

I too love Crescent City and Eureka as well.

bluzmama

Are you flying into Portland? Oregon has quite a few wineries in the Willamette Valley off of Hwy. 18 or 22 West which head to the coast. And there's the always exciting Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinneville, where you can see the Spruce Goose and an SR71 for the real airplane buff.