Seaside Oregon is one of the top must-see tourist areas for locals and tourists. The Seaside’s sandy shores are beautiful and never too jam-packed with people like California beaches. The Seaside Beach offers a range of activities to do so you’ll never be bored when visiting. These activities can range from water sports such as wakeboarding, kayaking, swimming and sand activities such as searching for hidden treasures and building sandcastles.
If you’re not feeling the beach, you can hike nearby trails such as Ecola park, Lewis and Clark Discovery Park, and soapstone trail. Seaside Oregon coastline is also home to good food and drinks that line up across the boardwalk, so you’ll be sure to have your fill after a long day at the beach.
We visit Seaside Oregon, a couple of times a year, so we luckily know a few good spots to eat, drink, and things to do while you tour this little beach town. So go on ahead and find a comfy place because we have a lot to cover ?
This post is about the best things to do and see while visiting Seaside Oregon! So whether you’re making a pitstop or planning your Oregon beach vacations and need to narrow down some choices, we are here to help!
Disclaimer: These are our own personal opinions for having a great time in Seaside Oregon; they may or may not work for you. We do not claim to be experts or professionals; these are just what we like to do and recommend doing since we visit every year. Remember that prices listed can change whenever, and the hours posted can also change. So please double-check pricing and hours before heading out there. Also, check Seaside Oregon weather because it can be very up and down.
Seaside Oregon FAQ
Seaside Beach is an ideal spot for swimming and is surrounded by several nearby rivers and streams. The sandy beach provides a perfect place to relax with the whole family, and swimming is an incredible experience during summer. However, we only really recommend swimming during the warmer months since that’s when Seaside Oregon’s weather is ideal.
The pacific coast beach will not be a hot beach palms-style beach. However, it has excellent weather during the summer, and Seaside Oregon weather during the winter is freezing. The Oregon coast during the spring is still a bit too cold for most people and will get barraged with rain and wind frequently.
The hottest month at Seaside is August; you’ll see average highs and lows of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool seasons are three months, from November 22 through February 23, with an average daily maximum temperature of fewer than 52 degrees Celsius. The coldest month at Seaside is typically December, which averages 40 degrees and sometimes can warm up to 47 degrees.
Seaside Oregon has a variety of things to do, such as water activities from kayaking, wakeboarding, swimming, and parasailing across the Oregon coast. If you are not into water sports, you can stroll the sandy shores, walk, ride a bike across the seaside promenade, and admire the pacific ocean.
If you’re looking for adventure, we recommend hiking trails nearby, such as lewis and Clark discovery trail, Ecola park, and more. Finally, after all that hustle-bustle activity, you’ll want to relax with some great food scattered along with the small businesses near the Seaside.
Seaside Oregon vs. Astoria Beach vs. Cannon Beach
Which is better, Seaside or Astoria?
We personally love Seaside because while it’s smaller than Astoria, it offers more things to do, in our opinion. If you’re looking for a good museum, then Astoria is home to a cute maritime museum, but if you’re looking for more outdoorsy stuff to do and better food, then we suggest the Seaside.
The good news is that if you want to visit both, you can since Astoria is along the way if you’re traveling from Washington, and it’s only a short drive from Seaside if coming southbound. Either way, these sandy beaches offer a fantastic view of the west coast pacific ocean.
Is Cannon Beach or Seaside better? Which beach is the number one Oregon Coast Beach?
This is a hard one; Cannon beach is downright a better beach. It offers fantastic views, and the rock that appears from the water is such a scenic view. One cute note is Cannon beach was featured in Twilight, but the beach name is La push in the movie, which is a Washington beach.
Cannon beach doesn’t offer as many things to do compared to Seaside, so you’ll be able to visit the waterfront in under a day. While Seaside, trying to do all the items available in the area will probably take two days if done at a comfortable pace.
Things To Do on the Seaside Oregon Coast:
Take a bike ride through the seaside promenade and admire the West Coast Beauty
The Seaside Promenade is a short trail roughly 1.7 miles one way. People love to take leisure strolls as the scenic ocean view is beautiful from this trail. Others like to ride their bikes up and down the path and then have a picnic afterward on the beach.
Go-karting at captain kid amusement park and Other Attractions
Captain Kid Amusement Park is something that seems out of place for this area, but we are glad they decided to add this establishment to increase the number of things you can do while visiting the beach.
This amusement park at Seaside Oregon offers a family rollercoaster, go-kart driving, mini-golf, rock wall climbing, and more cool activities. The only thing to note is this place is usually open every day from 11-6 typically and closes when it’s raining for safety reasons.
Rough Pricing:
They also offer ticket deals where you can buy so many tickets for a ride and get a discounted price.
- go, kart driver- $10 and $15 if you have a passenger
You’ll have to be over 58 inches and ten years or older to drive. For passengers, they allow under ten, but over 58 inches tall, and the driver has to be 18 years or older.
- mini golf $10 per person
- rock climbing wall is $9 per person
Go hiking at Seaside!
A popular destination for hiking was the saddle mountain trail; sadly, this train had been closed due to a bridge collapsing. While this was a favorite amongst many hikers, there are still other hikes that can be done in the area, such as the soapstone trail, which is a relatively easy hike for everyone and can be completed in about 1.5 hours on average.
If you’re looking for a midtier hike the Ecola park nearby offers different rails that are glorious and are moderate level for hiking. If you’re looking for an intense hike, you’ll want to make your way to the discovery park located a short drive from Seaside. This hike is challenging as it can take over 7 hours to complete the trail. However, the views make it worth the intensity.
Visit The Seaside Aquarium and See Some Fishies
The seaside aquarium is a small aquarium that offers exhibits that range from crustaceans, fish, and touch tanks, and they have the cutest little seals! Some of these seals are 3rd and 4th generation seals at the zoo. The seals know how to do tricks, bark on demand, and do other stuff, all in the effort to get a tasty snack ?.
Cost: Prices subject to change at any moment
Adults are $10
children 6-13 $5.00
seniors 64 and up are 8.50
children under 5 are free
They have a family discount- Up to 6 members at $34, which is a deal!
Go Golfing While in Seaside Oregon
Seaside has various golf courses situated around the small town. A popular golf course would be the public nine-hole golf course: a seaside golf club that features a restaurant and sports bar. It’s open from 8:00 am to Dusk. It features 35 courses, so it’s a pretty good size for a golf session on a Seaside vacation.
Seaside Turnaround Marks: Stop And Take a Moment To Embrace The View at this famous landmark
This doesn’t even seem like a thing to do, but it is; the turnaround is essentially the point where the Lewis and Clark trail ended. This viewpoint is a spot you need to snap a photo at, especially during sunset and sunrise, when it’s the prettiest. You’ll find the turnaround at the heart of Seaside right as the beach begins.
Explore The Ocean Via Kayaking at Seaside! One of our favorite seaside attractions!
Seaside Oregon has a fantastic kayaking adventure that can be done whether you’re a beginner or a professional kayaker! Some of the routes you can take are through Broadway Park, Sunset Lake, and Qatar Park, and this is an easy session for beginners. If you’re more experienced, you’ll want to consider kayaking on the ocean, but we stress being an expert and practicing safe water habits.
Grab Some Souvenirs At The Seaside Carousel Mall
The Seaside Carousel Mall is located at the seaside beachfront. The mall connects small local stores that offer antiques, homemade goods, unique jewelry and clothing, and tourist stuff such as shirts, souvenirs, and more. There also is a spot for kids with the carousel, hence the name carousel mall. They also introduced a laser tag arena where you can play it with your loved ones. If you’re feeling hungry seaside carousel mall offers food places such as garden Asian cuisine, and if you love sweets or are feeling thirsty, make sure to stop at rascals for cold drinks and candy.
Hours change based on the season, but if you’re visiting during the summer, typically, they are open from 10 am to 8 pm.
Go Shopping At The Seaside Factory Outlet!
When you grow tired of the beach and outdoor activities, we recommend stopping at the seaside factory outlet, where you’ll be able to shop till your drop while getting killer deals. Some stores offered at the aside outlet mall are Nike factory store, Eddie Bauer outlet, Zumiez, Scout northwest trading, Helly Hansen, wine and beer haus, bath and bodywork, and more.
Hours: Vary by season
April-December- 10 am-8 pm Monday through Saturday
and Sunday is 10 am – 6 pm
They are closed on some holidays or close early
Go Thrifting At The Antique Mall at Downtown Seaside
This store offers a bunch of hidden jewels; thrifting has become especially popular these past few years, so we recommend this place if you can’t stand cheesy tourist souvenirs and instead want a piece you’ll be able to remember.
Hours: hours subject to change at any moment
10:30 am- 5:30 pm
Visit The Lewis and Clark Salt Works: Popular Historic Sites
Lewis and Clark’s expedition needed salt on their long train to help preserve the meat they were curing for additional purposes. NPS does a great job of covering in-depth the Lewis and Clark Salt Works history. They believe this place is where Lewis and Clark gathered the salt they needed for their long travel back home. The Lewis and Clark Salt Works is located near the seaside promenade.
Go-Wine Tasting At Seaside Oregon
If wine is your jam, you’ll love visiting Seaside because they have some fantastic wineries. A local favorite is the Evoke Winery which has over four stars on yelp. This relatively price-friendly wine tasting room offers different variations of wine, such as dark reds, dry wines, sweet wines, and white wines.
Hours: Hours change based on season and can change without notice
Sunday through Thursday: 12:00pm – 7:00 pm
Friday and Saturday: 12:00pm- 9:00pm
Visit Seaside Beach:
Go swimming at Seaside Beach
The shores of the Seaside are usually filled with swimmers, so that you can swim here for sure. However, we will mention there is typically no lifeguard, so you want to be extra careful and not go too far into the waves. Always practice water safety, and we don’t recommend swimming alone.
Sunbath on the shores of Seaside Oregon With Your Furry Pal
Seaside is a dog friendly beach, and that’s one of the main reasons we love visiting! Because being able to travel with our dog can be hard since not a ton of spots allow dogs and the whole traveling with pets part can seem like a tizzy to figure out.
But when we do find a pet friendly beach we are always down to explore, because it gives our pup the chance to experience new environments!
Just make sure while you’re relaxing with your pup that you don’t forget to reapply sunblock when you get in the water and every couple of hours while in the sun. Also, bring a sun umbrella to protect yourself from the harsh rays and a large towel for you both to lay on!
Build sandcastles
We suck at building castles, but maybe you’ll be the next sand castle building artist! Even if you’re a novice like us, it will be great fun to see who can build the best castle in your group or work on creating a masterpiece all by yourself. You’ll want to bring tiny shovels, a paintbrush, and different buckets if you are serious about building a one-of-a-kind master design ?
Go kite Flying at the windy shores of Seaside
It’s pretty windy at the Seaside, so kite flying is super popular with the kids; make sure to bring your kites, so you don’t spend an arm and a leg buying one there.
Seaside Oregon Hotels and Places to Stay
Beach Front Airbnb: Location varies
These charming beachside cottages are a must if you want a scenic view every morning and sunset. We recommend checking out Airbnb directly as listings are constantly changing, and we don’t want to get you excited if a listing up and closes randomly ? this has happened to us.
Best Western Plus Ocean View resort a must for Seaside Oregon Hotels: 2 min walk to the beach
This 3-star hotel has rooms with no view, partial ocean view, and full ocean view, so you can choose whatever option is in your price range/plans. They also have pet-friendly rooms for an extra nightly fee which is convenient for those traveling with our furry friends. This hotel is relatively inexpensive for being so close to the beach, which is a plus for ease of access to the beach. The hotel offers a bar, restaurant, pool, and hot tub.
Ebb Tide Oceanfront inn: 2-minute walk to the beach
This highly-rated 2-star hotel offers rooms with no view, partial view, and total ocean views, which will all differ by price. This beach is beachfront, so you have easy access to the beach plus, some significant bonuses this inn offers are the indoor heated pool, hot tub, free wifi, and pet-friendly rooms for an extra nightly fee.
River inn at the Seaside saves some coins with this Seaside Oregon Hotel: 7 min walk to the beach.
This highly-rated 2-star hotel is located right on the river and has riverfront rooms, average no-view, and pet-friendly rooms. Some amenities include on-site fire pits, a fitness center, a game room, a laundry room, and an indoor saltwater heated pool. They also have complimentary breakfast and complimentary DVDs to borrow, and complimentary wireless internet.
Places to Eat and Drink at Seaside Beach
Seaside Restaurants
Finns Fish House – 8 minutes walk to the beach
This restaurant offers delicious brews and different fish entrees! Whether you like crab cakes, fresh clam chowder, or Dungeness crab legs. This place has got you covered!
Firehouse Grill- 8 min walk to the beach
This restaurant offers all-day breakfast options and lunch after 11 until closing, which is excellent for some variety or those who like having breakfast for dinner. The breakfast menu offers omelets, french toast, huevos rancheros, biscuits and gravy, scrambles, and more! The lunch menu consists of burgers, an avocado BLT, salads, fries, and fish and chips.
Nonni’s Italian Bistro- 8 min walk to the beach
This place has a warm romantic atmosphere with great Italian food and wines. Plus, their tiramisu is to die for! The restaurant is popular and small, so it’s best to get there early to ensure you get a spot, especially on the busier warm sunny days. Nonni’s is a must for us every time we visit Seaside; that just shows how good it is.
Pig N Pancake- 4 min walk to the beach
This restaurant is known for its breakfast foods, but they also offer other American brunch and lunch foods such as burgers, pigs in a blanket, sandwiches, salads, and chicken tenders. They offer seafood like fish and chips, razor clams, and oysters for dinner. They also offer steaks, ribs, chicken, pasta, and salads. Regardless of what you order if you eat here, you’ll indeed be satisfied if not by the various foods then indeed by the excellent service.
The Crabby Oyster- 2 min walk to the beach
As the name suggests, the crabby oysters offer a ton of seafood entrees. Some choices we recommend are the oyster shooters, the crab meat, and the fish and chips. You don’t often find a restaurant that can do seafood perfectly, but this restaurant does it.
Seaside Dessert Spots
Sea Star Gelato: 4 min walk to the beach
This place is known for its delicious gelato, sugar-free drinks, and its large variety of cones and gelato flavors. You can get ice cream in a cone or waffle, orrrr what we recommend are their unique concoctions like their brownie sundae or their spaghetti.
Seaside Candyman: 4 min walk to the beach
This place has any candy you want, like jelly bellies, jawbreakers, candy sticks, and most notably, salt water taffy. They have over 170 flavors, so check this out if you have a chance! They also have ice cream, fudge, and chocolate if that’s more your speed.
Schwieterts cones & candy seaside: 5 min walk to the beach
This highly rated place offers ice cream, fudge, chocolate, truffles, caramel corn, caramel apples, candy, and soft drinks. This place will be a hit for the kiddos as it’s right next to the famous carousel!
Zinger’s homemade ice cream: 3-minute walk to the beach
This ice cream shop offers sundaes, cones, bowls, milkshakes, and to-go pints and quarts. They also have over 20 unique flavors!
That wraps up our guide on having the best time while visiting Seaside Oregon! if you loved this post, make sure to read some of our other outdoorsy posts that we’ll link below. ? Also, if you want to help us spread the word, share this post via the share buttons we have on the top and bottom of this page ☺️.
Looks like a beautiful place to visit – I would love to kayak here! Thanks for sharing such a detailed guide.
I love Seaside Beach, thanks for such a great collection of things to do there! One of my favorites is the Lewis and Clark Slat Works that you included, but you have a lot of things here I haven’t enjoyed yet.
It sounds like there are a lot of great things to see and do here. I’d love to take a day trip and chill out in the area.
Seaside, Oregon, sounds like a great place to visit! I love that there are so many places to eat within walking distance of the beach. That’s so handy. Thanks for sharing!
What a great introduction to a lovely part of the country! I’d love to visit the saltworks before heading off for a spot of kayaking and then some wine tasting!
Seaside Oregon sounds like a lovely place to be! If I were here, I’d definitely pick a nice swim followed by a hearty meal at Nonni’s Italian Bistro. Thanks for this travel inspo – saving it for later 🙂
Wow. So many grate ideas. Sounds like a lovely place!