Skip to content

Seaside History

Beach Blanket Bingo

July 10, 2013 | by Nate Burke

In the summer of 1959, Gidget arrived in theaters and America fell head-over-heels in love with beach culture. In the film, Gidget and her budding beau, Moondoggie, find romance during an especially dreamy summer and effectively kicked off the craze for summer fairytale adventures amidst the surf. In this photo taken in 1961, Seaside’s beach is stretched out in the lazy summertime heat with crowds of merrymakers relaxing in the sand. It’s a scene taken directly from a classic Beach Party genre film, where the sizzling sands and the lapping blue waves seem like the utopia everybody has been dreaming about for nine months.

It’s striking that even though Seaside’s beach is long and incredibly spacious (over 2 miles in length!) the folks pictured here are firmly settled and in the same vicinity. It’s obvious that they’re poised for an afternoon of socializing and people-watching: the two dynamic ingredients to make for a perfect summer day. Mingling with new people amidst the multi-colored beach blankets, coconut oil, and surfboards stuck upright in the sand, Seaside’s beach in 1961 had all of the classic components. Folks probably weren’t breaking out into song, but this was as close as history got to emulating a Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie.

and so much more!

Seaside Is Your Dog’s Best Friend

If you see a pack of corgis in adorable costumes running races, it’s just Seaside showing its love of pups. Every June hundreds ...

Watching Nature Run its Course in Seaside

Wonderful natural beauty in Seaside,

Plug and Play While Your EV Charges in Seaside

Whether you’re driving your electric vehicle along the entire 363-mile Oregon Coast Electric Byway or the shorter but equally sc...

Feel Like A Kid Again

Go ahead — take a vacation from adulthood with a trip to Seaside. We give you permission to feel like a kid again. Forgot how? H...

Smoothies, Boba, Floats and Other Specialty Drinks

It’s hot out and you’ve worked up a thirst. Sometimes that plain old water isn’t going to satisfy. Luckily, it’s easy to f...

Holiday Traditions

Recalling Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions on Oregon

Seaside’s Beloved Old Cypress Trees

Cypress trees are not native to the Seaside area, as they are to parts of Southwest Oregon, near the California border. Under idea...

COVID: What to Expect at the Beach and on the Prom

Seaside’s wide-open sandy shoreline has been a favorite playground for generations of visitors. As you plan your next trip, you ...

So Close, But a World Away

A couple explores Seaside as modern-day Lewis and Clark Adventurers

The Art of the Stroll: Celebrate Seaside’s Prom Centennial

When’s the last time you strolled the Prom? It’s a tradition synonymous with Seaside, thanks to the 1.5- mile paved, accessibl...

Behind the Scenes at the Seaside Aquarium With Tiffany Boothe

The Seaside Aquarium has been a fixture on the Prom for as long as anyone can remember; it dates back to 1937, one of the oldest a...

The Sweet Side of Seaside

Above photo: A tray of sweets on display at A Sweet Affaire, held every February. In February, we invite you to bask in the sweet ...

Fishing Adventures In and Around Seaside

Fishing on the Oregon Coast near Seaside

Sweets in Seaside

Confections conjure up memories of visits to Seaside Oregon as a child.

Ice Cream for Dinner

More than a dozen frozen treat shops, the thought of brain freeze is likely.

Wildlife Along the Coast

Driving highway 101 can yield miles of scenic wonders

Seaside Holiday Spirit

Seaside holiday spirit is more than evident around town beginning in early November. Ushered in by lights and decorations going up...

Going for a Dip in the 1920s

Seaside ocean antics in the late 1920s