Manzanita?

My family and I are headed to Manzanita (we%26#39;re rented a little house) for Labor Day. Any suggestions for things to do, see, restaurants, etc would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Manzanita?

Oh, lucky you! Manzanita is a quaint little coastal town that is much less tourisy than Cannon Beach or Seaside. You could go to Nehalem to the Nehalem River Inn for a nice dinner one night. Make reservations asap for that weekend.

Oswald West State Park would be a nice place to spend some time, also. Take the short hike back to Short Sands Beach. I have a review here of OWSP. Go into Cannon Beach to Mo%26#39;s with your family. It is a great place for a family, you will views of Haystack Rock. www.cannon-beach.net

You may want to spend some time with the kids in Seaside. They have a small aquarium, a couple of carnival rides and lots of fun places to get casual eats. We like Sam%26#39;s Seaside Cafe. www.seasideor.com Have fun at the coast! :)

Manzanita?

My family and I just returned yesterday from 4 days in Manzanita visiting my parents. I grew up there, so am pretty familiar with the area.

Oswald West State Park, 4 miles north of Manzanita, is one of those places you can just get lost in, and I%26#39;m talking in a good way. The old-growth forest, the streams, Cape Falcon, Neah-Kah-Nie Mt, and the fabulous Short Sands Beach. You could easily spend two full days at the park and not take it all in.

Cannon Beach, Seaside and Tillamook are all within 35-40 minutes and worth visiting. 17 of us went to dinner at Dooger%26#39;s in Cannon Beach last Saturday evening and it was fantastic. Everyone enjoyed their meal and even with the required gratuity, the total bill was only $326. Cannon Beach is a very trendy and touristy place. I have often described it as a mini Lahaina, Maui.

Seaside is much more fast paced, but for a reason....there%26#39;s lots to do and see. Seaside has never been my favorite place, but I%26#39;m obviously in the minority.

Tillamook has the world-famous Tillamook Cheese Factory and an air museum housed in the largest clear-span wood structure in the world, an old World War 1 dirgible (blimp) hangar. The Three Capes Scenic Route is worth a day drive.

In and around Manzanita, I recommend driving hwy 53 to the Nehalem Fish Hatchery on the North Fork of the Nehalem River. Chinook and Silver Salmon are just now beginning their run and there should be some great viewing at the hatchery. If you like spending time lounging on the river bank and swimming, 11 miles up the main stem of the Neahlem is a State Forestry park called Nehalem Falls. It%26#39;s usually 15-20 degrees warmer up there than in Manzanita and it%26#39;s quite beautiful.

Manzanita beach is one of the nicests in Oregon. It%26#39;s wide, long (8 miles), clean and uncrowded. Plus the views of Neah-Kah-Nie Mt are spectacular. For the past 3 years my wife has taken many sunset shots from here (you just can%26#39;t watch too many sunsets!!) in August and I can tell you they are nearly as nice as those we witnessed on Maui last fall.

Hope this helps. If you have any specific questions, let me know and I%26#39;ll try and answer them for you.

Den

Dennis--Sounds like a great trip! You are definitely not in the minority regarding Seaside. I am thankfuly that even our teens don%26#39;t care for it, lol! They have friends coming down from WA next week, and our trip will be to Cannon Beach, not Seaside. Glad that Dooger%26#39;s was good for you:)

BTW, MissO, check out Arcadia Beach, it is also a very nice place to photgraph a sunset. We stopped there on the way home from our dinner at the Nehalem River Inn, it was awesome! :)

I always enjoy the beach, the air and the ocean are all I need.

Cannon Beach allows you to enjoy the beach, have a little shopping and eating spree and relax.

I just don%26#39;t like the cheesier aspects of Seaside..syrahgirl, maybe you should try renting in CB once and see what it is like?