The Best of Spring Break in Rockaway Beach
Despite the chill in the air, spring break—or a getaway untethered from school calendars—is right around the corner. The Oregon coast’s Rockaway Beach boasts family-friendly activities, stunning outdoor romps, and culinary treasures. It might just be the perfect spring break cocktail, and we’ve tracked down the best spots for springtime fun.
One of the historic early 20th-century locomotives operated by the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad made an appearance in the 1986 adventure film Stand By Me, but their history goes back much further. Aboard a Spring Break Excursion ride from Rockaway to Garibaldi, rail passengers get an on-board history lesson with stunning views to boot. Variable layovers in Garibaldi allow for shopping, meals, and exploration before the all-aboard call back to Rockaway. For nature lovers, the slightly longer Spring Splendor ride winds along the shores of the Pacific Ocean before turning into coastal forests along Nehalem Bay to its quaint destination of Wheeler.
Hands-on science and culinary exploration await at the Nehalem Bay marina. Knowledgeable guides will bait crab rings and teach techniques for capturing the day’s fresh catch, either from the dock (lifejackets provided) or on a two-hour boat rental. Either way, once crabbers have found success in the form of Dungeness crab, the folks at the marina will cook the legal-sized catches on site. Fire pits and picnic benches abound to nosh with a view.
Cedar Wetlands Nature Preserve Old Growth Cedar Trail
While outdoor adventures practically grow on trees along the Oregon coast, Rockaway Beach boasts a rare gem in outdoor recreation: a one-mile hiking trail weaves through an urban cedar bog to an impressively large old-growth western red cedar. Large is no joke, as the tree’s trunk measures 154 feet tall and 49 feet wide. And thanks to a trail formed by boardwalks built above the forest floor, there’s no need to worry about mud puddles—plus wheelchairs and strollers can easily access the wonder.
Old Oregon Smokehouse and Sand Dollar Restaurant
Oh-so-cute downtown Rockaway Beach is a veritable treasure trove of seaside shops; when it’s time to refuel, Old Oregon Smokehouse and Sand Dollar Restaurant do fresh seafood right. Old Oregon Smokehouse’s large hand-painted sign leads hungry travelers to an impressive collection of classic fried seafood: clam strips, calamari, halibut, crab cakes, popcorn shrimp—all with chips, of course. But the menu also branches into melts, seafood cocktails, and chowders. Just around the corner, Sand Dollar has seaside outdoor tables and a kitchen serving everything from Wagyu burgers to ciopinno.
Pop the Wicked soundtrack on for a round of putt putt at downtown Rockaway’s The Wizard of Oz themed course. Located next to Troxel’s Rock Garden, the fairytale course is open for young golfers 24/7, complete with a yellow brick road, scarecrow, tin man, and lion.
Decommissioned in 1948, the Naval Air Station Tillamook now serves as a museum with an impressively long list of aircraft on display from the tiny 1986 Windryder gyrocopter to the cockpit of a Boeing B-52G Stratofortress. Originally built to house huge, blimp-like helium-filled airships for anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort on the Pacific Coast during WWII, the one remaining hangar on site is now home to several exhibits. Visitors can learn about a helldiver crash, be immersed in a reproduction of the once-secret Cold War Anderson Air Raid Shelter, and climb into the F-4 Phantom cockpit used by Tom Hanks to film Sully.
The Tillamook Creamery’s flagship store is more dairy museum than store. Maybe even inching towards the idea of a dairy shrine. Visitors learn about Tillamook’s farms and cheesemaking process (Did you know some of the dairy cows get rolling back massagers?) along a self-guided or docent-led tour. Pro tip: opting for the guided version unlocks a tasting experience. Either way, the tour features a peek into the factory to watch real Tillamook cheese on its journey toward grocery store aisles. Come for the tour, but stay for the restaurant’s fried cheddar cheese curds and double cheddar grilled cheese. Save room for the onsite creamery, as the ice cream menu often boasts new flavors before they hit stores.
