What to do around the Peninsula.
Ocean Park sits in the narrow middle of the Peninsula. Nearly everything is within twenty minutes.
Photo: Seven Wonders of Washington State
From Ocean Park.
- Leadbetter Point20 min north
- Oysterville10 min north
- The ResthouseOcean Park · beach 5 min west
- Long Beach15 min south
- Cape Disappointment25 min south
- Astoria, OR40 min, over the bridge
Pacific Oceanlooking west
You are here
5 minutes west
The Long Beach Peninsula.
One of the longest drivable beaches in the world. Cars allowed on the hard sand in designated areas and seasons.
- Razor clams & crabbing
- Surf fishing
- Horseback riding
- Beach fires (check rules)
- Snowy plover closures
Bay Avenue is the easiest approach near us: less traffic, more privacy, firmer sand. Drive out for sunset.
10 to 20 minutes north
The quiet end.
Oysterville
A whole 1870s village on the bay, a National Historic District. Walk it in an hour.
Willapa Bay oysters
Shucked by the jar at Nahcotta and Oysterville, or license up and harvest your own.
Leadbetter Point
Remote forest and coastal loops, one to three miles. Bug spray, Discover Pass.
Pacific Flyway birding
Herons, eagles and shorebirds. Spring and fall are the spectacle.
Swipe for more
15 minutes south
Long Beach.
Most of the Peninsula's restaurants and attractions are here. Pacific Avenue is walkable end to end.
The boardwalk
Half a mile through the dunes. Best on a clear evening; just as good in a storm.
Discovery Trail
About eight miles to Ilwaco, mostly paved, with a gray whale display on the way.
Marsh's Free Museum
Jake the Alligator Man, a century of oddities, penny arcade. Free.
Big things
A 14-foot frying pan and a clam that spits for a quarter.
World Kite Museum
Kite history, art and rotating exhibits.
Go-karts & arcades
A block off the beach approach. An easy rainy-day option with kids.
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Driving on the sand, and getting unstuck
The Bolstad approach is the main vehicle access in Long Beach. Stay on the hard-packed sand. If a wheel buries, don't spin it: a volunteer recovery group near Long Beach will pull you out. Save their page before you drive out.
Photo: Wikipedia
25 minutes south
Cape Disappointment.
Cape Disappointment: named so because British fur trader John Meares failed to find the mouth of the Columbia River there in 1788.
- North Head Lighthouse
- Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
- Lewis & Clark Center
- Deadman's Cove trails
Why it's called the Graveyard of the Pacific
The bar below has wrecked enough ships to earn the nickname, and the Coast Guard runs surf drills there through the winter.
40 minutes, across the bridge
Astoria, Oregon.
Founded in 1811. No sales tax.
Maritime Museum
Steer a tugboat wheelhouse; the lightship Columbia is included. Two to three hours.
Astoria Column
164 steps up. Launch a dollar balsa glider from the top.
The waterfront
Riverwalk trolley, sea lions, container ships at close range.
Bowpicker
Beer-battered albacore from a retired fishing boat. Worth the line.
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More places to eat, and the Goonies house
Blue Scorcher Bakery, Fort George Brewery and Bridgewater Bistro on the river cover the rest. The Goonies house is on a private street; see it at the Oregon Film Museum instead, in the old county jail from the opening scene.
October through March.
- Go out. Off-season storm watching, clam digs, beach driving and local hikes are all great options.
- Go indoors. Marsh's or the Kite Museum in Long Beach, the Maritime Museum and local shops in Astoria, or even just the Bay Avenue Gallery in Ocean Park.
- Come back. Shower and hot tubbing in the rain, or read and play board games by the indoor fire.
Where to eat.
Oysters, razor clams, Dungeness crab and cranberries, all from a few miles away.
Ocean Park
- Sierra's Place
- Big home-cooked brunch. A Resthouse favorite.
- MyCovio's
- Italian, Thu–Mon dinner. Reserve.
- Doc's Tavern
- The town tavern.
- Okie's deli
- Groceries, deli and prepared food.
Long Beach & Seaview
- The Pickled Fish
- Ocean view, special occasions.
- The Corral
- The best burger out here.
- Castaways
- Seafood.
- Captain Bob's Chowder
- Chowder in a bread bowl.
- Long Beach Tavern
- Bar food, done properly.
- El Compadre
- Mexican.
- Sara's Rusty Spur
- Barbecue.
Coffee & bakery
- Colleen's Coffee
- Closest to us.
- Buoy 10
- Drive-thru, worth the detour.
- Dylan's Cottage Bakery
- In Long Beach. Pastries, sandwiches, deli.
Local shops.
About twenty-five independents on Bay Avenue and Pacific Avenue.
Ocean Park
- Jack's Country Store
- 1885 mercantile, licenses, Discover Passes.
- Bay Avenue Gallery
- Fifty local artists, plus kilns and wheels.
- Forgotten Treasures
- Antique mall, 1910 Bay Ave.
- Okie's Thriftway
- Seafood counter, bakery, deli.
Long Beach
- Wind World Kites
- Since 1987.
- Ocean Kites
- Further down Pacific.
- North Coast Antique Mall
- Lose an hour.
- Raven Ridge Mercantile
- Homewares, jewelry.
- Beach Duds
- Shirts and souvenirs.
Also Beachcombers, The Wooden Horse, NIVA green, Stormin Norman's, Long Beach Hobo Junction.
Groceries & more
- Sid's IGA
- Seaview.
- Brown's Market
- Long Beach.
- V's Coastal Market
- Local coffee, wine, deli.
- Golf
- Surfside (north), Peninsula (Long Beach).
- Live music
- Open mics; summer beach concerts.