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| | oregon | oregon coast | |||
Newport |
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Yaquina Head – | ||
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Yaquina Head, a narrow rocky headland that extends a mile into the ocean, has super tide pools, a dramatic lighthouse and hiking trails. | ||
| It’s also a excellent vantage point to look for gray whales, year round. There is a resident pod of gray whales, often come in close to shore to feed. Bring binoculars. | |||
 Yaquina Head Lighthouse – Built in 1873, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. Lighthouse is still in operation, Fresnel lens flashing a bright light to guide ships going by. |
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| Take a tour of the lighthouse, 111 steps to the top. Stop into the visitor center to check tour availability. | |||
| Interpretive Center – Stop into the visitor center for exhibits about the tide pools, sea birds, and harbor seals. Check out scale model replica of the lighthouse lantern, and learn about building and history of the Yaquina Head lighthouse. |
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| If the weather is gray or rainy, the visitor center has activities for kids, such as wooden toys to play with (similar to wooden toys used by kids who lived in the lighthouse) and coloring pages. | |||
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| Tide pools – Explore the tide pools with bright green sea anemones, hermit crabs, sea stars, barnacles, sea lemons (nudibranch), sea urchins, mussels, and surf grass. Be nice, don't poke your fingers into the sea anemones. Consult tide tables for low tide. |
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Nye Beach – A five mile long flat sand beach to explore. |
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| Buy kites in Newport, or here in Nye Beach, and fly kites on the beach. | |||
| Town area has shops with everything you need for a picnic lunch – cafes, bakeries, market. When weather is gray, make a beeline to Nye Beach Book House, new and used books, including good selection of kids books. | |||
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Yaquina Bay State Park – |
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| Plan to bring your picnic lunch here, lots of tables, including covered picnic tables. | |||
| Yaquina Bay Lighthouse – Wander through 1870's two story lighthouse to see family living quarters – parlor, kitchen, pantry, bedrooms. Lighthouse is open Wed. to Sun., Noon - 4pm. |
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Oregon Coast Aquarium – Oregon Coast Aquarium is a wonderful way to experience local marine life. Kids can reach into touch pools with huge orange sea stars, bright green sea anemones, abalone, sea urchins and spotted eagle rays. | |
| Watch sea otters, seals and sea lions in outdoor grottos, playing on the surface and underwater. In Passages of the Deep, walk through an underwater tunnel as sharks and rays glide overhead. Seabird Aviary has tufted and horned puffins (hard to see in the wild, photo above). | |||
| Little kids will want to climb all over dolphin and turtles sculptures in children’s play area. Aquarium has a cafe, outside aquarium are covered picnic tables . | |||
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Hatfield Marine Science Center – |
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Aquarium has tanks and touch pools with marine life of the area – colorful red sea cucumber, pink coral algae, green sea anemones, orange sea stars, urchins and hairy tritons. | ||
| Hands on exhibits include build a tsunami wall, hear and see underwater sounds, touch river and sea otter pelts, pilot a research vessel simulation. Center is uncrowded, fun for kids of all ages, popular with local families. | |||
| In front of the center is a bright yellow research submarine, and picnic tables outside. | |||
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Fun food – |
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Farmers Market – Saturdays, March to December, enjoy Oregon bounty - fresh picked vegetables, eggs, cheeses, breads, blueberries, honey, jams (marionberry, huckleberry, raspberry, blackberry, etc.), locally made fudge and sweets. |
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South Beach Fish Market – Looking for fresh seafood? The market has picnic tables outside, and Dungeness crab sandwiches (our choice), fish and chips, steamer clams, popcorn shrimp and more. |
