Has anybody ever been to the Sea Lion Cave in Florence? Do you think it is worth a 4 hour drive from Portland?

Thanks.

I am embarassed to admit that I have been to the sea lion cave. It was one of our "Griswald" moments-straight out of the 50s/60s tourist sites. You go down and elevator, see the sea lions, hear them bark and go back up. We were closer to them and had more fun seeing the sea lions off of Fisherman's Wharf in SF. It did make a good memory to laugh about though!

We went there too! It's a pretty goofy thing to do. Actually even with the elevator ride you are pretty far away from the sea lions. Like swalter518 says it is a totally Griswald moment because you're on this little perch and how long can you watch sea lions laying around barking? They don't do anything else.

By the way we also took in the Prehistoric Gardens in Port Orford during this trip. It was a winner road trip alright. What did save it was that the Aquarium in Newport opened that week and we stopped in to enjoy it. Was very good.

Thanks for the replies. I think we might be better off using our time doing something besides the sea lion cave.

While I agree one shouldn't drive four hours just to see the Sea Lion Caves, the area in which they are located is among the most beautiful on the Oregon Coast. If you can spend a couple of nights and enjoy incredible scenery it is well worth the trip.

Gocats is right-we came across the caves while driving down the Oregon coast and it is breathtaking. If you can cut over to the Coast just south of Portland it might be worth it!

Never been but I can't imagine paying to see something that if I stop in Newport I can see them about 40 feet below me for free. Barking and arguing (the dog hates them!) they are fun to watch for a few minutes but then I am about 5 minutes away not 4 hours. Plus there are many free outlooks along the highway where they can be spotted. They are not rare.

However, I second those that say the scenery is spectacular, awesome and beautiful so maybe drive down for that instead.

There is a very famous photo of the lighthouse at Cape Perpetua that is taken from a hole in the rocks in the Sea Lion Cave. While I agree that the site has been developed as a tourist trap, it is not unremarkable or like seeing sea lions sitting out on rocks in the open air. It is something to descend in the elevator into the dark, cool, cave at the depths of the cliffs. If you've seen "Pirates of the Caribbean" you'll know what I mean about being in an ocean cave. Not to say it's just like that, but it is a different experience and is worth visiting if you are in the area already.

I thought the Sea Lion Caves were great. It is different from just seeing the sea liions along the coast. How long can you stay - we stayed about an hour.

The coast of Oregon is spectacular and worth the trip even if you don't stop at the caves. What is your alternative - taking I-5 ? Take the coast road. ALso in Florence, see the sand dunes