Seaside, Oregon's first seaside resort, dates back to the mid 1800s.
With a beachfront stretching 3 miles, a real Tilt-A-Whirl, and the closest thing Oregon has to a boardwalk, you'll be nostalgic for the golden days.
It's the standard issue getaway for Portland kids (& adults) forever.
But unlike Portland, Seaside hasn't changed over the decades. It's still full of shops selling kites, Roxy board shorts and trashy T-shirts. Where else can you ride a surrey while eating a caramel-apple, and proudly wearing neon-green sweatpants and sweatshirts that say, "Seaside".
As a beach resort, Seaside might be said to date to the winter of eighteen o five and eighteen o six, when explorers Lewis and Clark established a salt-making camp on the beach here, perhaps partly to escape the inland gloom of Fort Clatsop, where it rained almost daily.
Later, Seaside became known as the end of the railroad. In the 1920s Portland families would board at 6:30am, bring breakfast to eat on the train, pile out for a few hours on the beach, and return in the evening—all for a 25-cent fare.
Today tourists crowd the strip of arcades, fast-food joints, and gift shops lining Broadway. Away from the neon lights however, Seaside’s old-fashioned charm and picturesque natural setting have survived. The walking loop visits the best of old Seaside: the beachfront Promenade, the Necanicum River estuary, and the cottage-lined back streets.
Dooger's & Buoy's Best
Maybe our 1st stop, fuel up for the rest of the day at Doogers Seafood & Grill, where you will find steamer clams, scallops, crab cakes, fresh halibut and of course, clam chowder.
A visit to the Oregon coast just isn't complete without a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder... And don't forget to grab a Dooger's Chowder Kit on the way out.
OR Fuel up for the day at Bell Buoy, more like a snack bar than a restaurant.
See pictures.
Follow along with pictures...
Then, go to Bell Buoy and menu.
I'll pause for a moment while you get there...
pause
pause
...
OK.
Seaside may not be a port town, but it knows some fishermen. Buoy's Best Restaurant (eighteen hundred South Roosevelt Drive), has the finest, freshest seafood in town, straight from the Bell Buoy Fish Market next door. One of the only places approved to clean and sell razor clams. Cut out the middleman and get the clam chowder, which made a respectable showing last year. It's rich & buttery thanks to an overnight marinade. Also be sure to grab, oyster shooters ($3) and breaded cod with waffle fries ($10).
(SEE ALL EATS)
...
Next, is the Boardwalk
We'll relive our childhood and amuse ourselves with 'Blasts from the Past' from the 1930s--
We'll stroll along the historic boardwalk to the promenade.
Along the way we'll see the:
Funland Arcade, one of the country's last remaining Fascination parlors, where players roll rubber balls across a bingo-style game table, and attendants walk the aisles collecting money and handing out prize coupons, while the announcer calls games over a microphone.
Then, at the Seaside Carousel Mall, we'll buy that CHEESY NEON green Seaside hoodie.
You can't leave Seaside without it! (or at The Freedom Shop (111 Broadway).
Or for $3, ride on vintage Lusse Auto Scooter bumper cars (like the 1953 model styled after the curvy, chromed-out Chevy's of its era). And an original Tilt-A-Whirl, all over 70 years old...
Then head next door to Pronto Pup for a made-to-order corn dog.
And last, it's not a cheesy beach trip until you've wandered into The Seaside Candyman (21 North Columbia St.). Here you can spin a giant wheel to win free taffy and popcorn. Here it's like a tiny beach-town take on Willy Wonka.
...
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Next, is the Turn around, Promenade & Lewis & Clark
At the Promenade, a statue of Lewis and Clark greets you. By the time the expedition makes it to Fort Clatsop 15 miles north of here, their salt cache is gone. The captains sent five men to establish the salt camp here.
Join me for a visit to their salt-making camp, and close the end of their trail.
The Salt Works reconstruction is a 12 minute walk south.
A block from the beach, the reconstructed salt oven shows, how a small party from the Corps, boiled saltwater for salt. Interpretive signs are there. Nearby, at the foot of Broadway St., is the End of the Trail Monument.
To make salt from sea water, the men built a stone oven, lit roaring hot fires, then boiled huge kettles of sea water day and night. When the water boiled away, the result was white sea salt, which was packed into wooden kegs.
See pictures.
Salt Making Camp
See pictures.
Salt Making Camp
They chose Seaside because the seawater had a high salt content, and the animals and wood were abundant. Captain Clark pronounced the salt "excellent white and fine." They used the briny bounty, to cure elk and other wild game, for charcuterie, to nibble alongside wild onions, licorice root and berries they traded with local tribes, during their journey home.
salt-making camp.
Salt Works
Also, from here, you can view Tillamook Headland, to the South. Tillamook Head is the furthest the Lewis & Clark party went. More on that shortly.
Walk 'the prom', and Feed the seals.
Seaside is known for it's aquarium, the Seaside Aquarium at the Promenade, just to our North, 1 block.
It's provided a place of attraction for over 80 years, one of the oldest on the west coast (1937- History)
The building was once, one of the 2 Seaside Natatoriums, a salt water bath house and swimming pool.
See pictures.
Seaside natatorium and aquarium
See pictures.
Seaside natatorium and aquarium
It's maybe the best $8 you can spend on the coast. Pay the extra $2 to throw fish at the seals and see many of the sea-creatures who've made their homes there.. Also check out the open fish tanks where you can touch sea anemones and starfish.
With a beachfront stretching 3 miles, a real Tilt-A-Whirl, and the closest thing Oregon has to a boardwalk, you'll be nostalgic for the golden days.
It's the standard issue getaway for Portland kids (& adults) forever.
But unlike Portland, Seaside hasn't changed over the decades. It's still full of shops selling kites, Roxy board shorts and trashy T-shirts. Where else can you ride a surrey while eating a caramel-apple, and proudly wearing neon-green sweatpants and sweatshirts that say, "Seaside".
As a beach resort, Seaside might be said to date to the winter of eighteen o five and eighteen o six, when explorers Lewis and Clark established a salt-making camp on the beach here, perhaps partly to escape the inland gloom of Fort Clatsop, where it rained almost daily.
Later, Seaside became known as the end of the railroad. In the 1920s Portland families would board at 6:30am, bring breakfast to eat on the train, pile out for a few hours on the beach, and return in the evening—all for a 25-cent fare.
Today tourists crowd the strip of arcades, fast-food joints, and gift shops lining Broadway. Away from the neon lights however, Seaside’s old-fashioned charm and picturesque natural setting have survived. The walking loop visits the best of old Seaside: the beachfront Promenade, the Necanicum River estuary, and the cottage-lined back streets.
Dooger's & Buoy's Best
Maybe our 1st stop, fuel up for the rest of the day at Doogers Seafood & Grill, where you will find steamer clams, scallops, crab cakes, fresh halibut and of course, clam chowder.
A visit to the Oregon coast just isn't complete without a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder... And don't forget to grab a Dooger's Chowder Kit on the way out.
OR Fuel up for the day at Bell Buoy, more like a snack bar than a restaurant.
See pictures.
Follow along with pictures...
Then, go to Bell Buoy and menu.
I'll pause for a moment while you get there...
pause
pause
...
OK.
Seaside may not be a port town, but it knows some fishermen. Buoy's Best Restaurant (eighteen hundred South Roosevelt Drive), has the finest, freshest seafood in town, straight from the Bell Buoy Fish Market next door. One of the only places approved to clean and sell razor clams. Cut out the middleman and get the clam chowder, which made a respectable showing last year. It's rich & buttery thanks to an overnight marinade. Also be sure to grab, oyster shooters ($3) and breaded cod with waffle fries ($10).
(SEE ALL EATS)
...
Next, is the Boardwalk
We'll relive our childhood and amuse ourselves with 'Blasts from the Past' from the 1930s--
We'll stroll along the historic boardwalk to the promenade.
Along the way we'll see the:
Funland Arcade, one of the country's last remaining Fascination parlors, where players roll rubber balls across a bingo-style game table, and attendants walk the aisles collecting money and handing out prize coupons, while the announcer calls games over a microphone.
Then, at the Seaside Carousel Mall, we'll buy that CHEESY NEON green Seaside hoodie.
You can't leave Seaside without it! (or at The Freedom Shop (111 Broadway).
Or for $3, ride on vintage Lusse Auto Scooter bumper cars (like the 1953 model styled after the curvy, chromed-out Chevy's of its era). And an original Tilt-A-Whirl, all over 70 years old...
Then head next door to Pronto Pup for a made-to-order corn dog.
And last, it's not a cheesy beach trip until you've wandered into The Seaside Candyman (21 North Columbia St.). Here you can spin a giant wheel to win free taffy and popcorn. Here it's like a tiny beach-town take on Willy Wonka.
...
pause
pause
pause
pause
Next, is the Turn around, Promenade & Lewis & Clark
At the Promenade, a statue of Lewis and Clark greets you. By the time the expedition makes it to Fort Clatsop 15 miles north of here, their salt cache is gone. The captains sent five men to establish the salt camp here.
Join me for a visit to their salt-making camp, and close the end of their trail.
The Salt Works reconstruction is a 12 minute walk south.
A block from the beach, the reconstructed salt oven shows, how a small party from the Corps, boiled saltwater for salt. Interpretive signs are there. Nearby, at the foot of Broadway St., is the End of the Trail Monument.
To make salt from sea water, the men built a stone oven, lit roaring hot fires, then boiled huge kettles of sea water day and night. When the water boiled away, the result was white sea salt, which was packed into wooden kegs.
See pictures.
Salt Making Camp
See pictures.
Salt Making Camp
They chose Seaside because the seawater had a high salt content, and the animals and wood were abundant. Captain Clark pronounced the salt "excellent white and fine." They used the briny bounty, to cure elk and other wild game, for charcuterie, to nibble alongside wild onions, licorice root and berries they traded with local tribes, during their journey home.
salt-making camp.
Salt Works
Also, from here, you can view Tillamook Headland, to the South. Tillamook Head is the furthest the Lewis & Clark party went. More on that shortly.
Walk 'the prom', and Feed the seals.
Seaside is known for it's aquarium, the Seaside Aquarium at the Promenade, just to our North, 1 block.
It's provided a place of attraction for over 80 years, one of the oldest on the west coast (1937- History)
The building was once, one of the 2 Seaside Natatoriums, a salt water bath house and swimming pool.
See pictures.
Seaside natatorium and aquarium
See pictures.
Seaside natatorium and aquarium
It's maybe the best $8 you can spend on the coast. Pay the extra $2 to throw fish at the seals and see many of the sea-creatures who've made their homes there.. Also check out the open fish tanks where you can touch sea anemones and starfish.
