We just wrapped up a full week on the northern Oregon coast, staying in the town of Seaside at WorldMark by Wyndham’s resort, fronting the beach. Seaside qualifies as Oregon’s first seashore resort, drawing visitors from Portland (about 80 miles east of here) and beyond since the late 1800s. It was the final destination of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery in 1806, and you can visit a recreation of the salt cairn they used to boil off salt from seawater on the original site. Generations of Oregon families recall summers spent strolling the 1.5-mile beachfront Promenade; playing Fascination and other arcade games along Broadway; and flying kites, building sandcastles and roasting marshmallows for s’mores over a driftwood fire on the beach.

We enjoyed introducing our two young grandsons to their first Oregon beach experience with three days here, beginning with the thrill of watching enormous kites in fantastical shapes anchored just in front of our condo. 

We found an excellent way to pass the time one morning before the temperatures warmed up on the beach by visiting the Seaside Aquarium, founded in 1937 and the oldest privately owned aquarium on the West Coast. Though not large, it houses more than 100 species and features 11 very delightful harbor seals;   a giant Pacific squid;  and touch pools with urchins, sea anemones and hermit crabs.   We enjoyed checking out the many tanks featuring lovely creatures like a wolf eel   and a sea cucumber.    Another “wow” was the 35-foot-long gray whale skeleton displayed at the front of the complex.

In addition to spending lots of time splashing in the waves, building sandcastles and playing baseball and football on the soft sand (we had great weather!), we checked out the stores and tried out the local gelato and salt water taffy. The kids are still a bit too young for the arcades, but they delighted in a spin on the indoor carousel,   which boasts a host of critters from horses and deer to an ostrich and a unicorn.

We realized three days weren’t nearly enough time to enjoy all there is to see and do at the beach, but it gives us much to look forward to during future trips with the little ones.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor