Skip to content

Seaside History

View from the Hotel Seaside

February 27, 2013 | by Nate Buke

This photo was taken from the front lawn of the classic Hotel Seaside and shows a breezy and clear day on the turnaround in the 1920s.  It turns out the Hotel Seaside was a popular nerve center for the community and its vacationing tourists. The balcony of the Hotel Seaside, pictured at left center, was where major local announcements would take place.  During the busy summer season when the turnaround, beach, and promenade were packed with people, the crowds would gather beneath the balcony to hear announcements, commercials, and ceremonial recitations.  The announcer perched on the Hotel Seaside balcony and spoke into a microphone or loudspeaker to project his voice out to the crowd.

A beautiful day at the beach has always attracted cruising vehicles and anybody who has ever taken their car for a jaunt through the turnaround can relate to this picture. It looks like some folks in their late Model T are on an early afternoon joyride, breathing in both the fresh sea air and the soothing view.  These kind of joyrides are definitely a longstanding Seaside tradition. Do you remember your first trip down Broadway? Did it include cruising the turnaround in your car? Please share your memories about your turnaround experience(s).

Editor’s Note: The turnaround and promenade were jointly constructed in 1921.

and so much more!

How to Treasure Seaside

Learn why one family uncovers more reasons to love Seaside each time they visit. After 40 years of coming to Seaside, there are st...

RECAP: Chalk Art Contest on the Seaside Prom

*** Register here for our 2nd annual Chalk Art Contest July 29/30! In celebration of the Prom Centennial, the Sunset Empire Park a...

The Succulent Season

Celebrating the arrival of the Oregon Coast

Lookout on Neahkahnie Mountain

Sometimes an Oregon Coast outdoor adventure doesn

Film Lover’s Guide to Seaside

Home to an abundance of places to eat, sleep, appreciate culture and have fun — in the water, forests and downtown streets — S...

The Amazing and Colorful History of Seaside

The Lewis and Clark expedition reached the sea near Seaside. Seaside has one of the most compelling stories you’ll find anyw...

Paddle Neawanna Creek
How to Paddle Seaside

Spend a little time in Seaside, and you’ll find yourself itching to paddle on the rivers and ponds.

Lifeguards Keep Seaside Beach Safe

Summer is just around the corner! Memorial Day weekend in Seaside ushers in the season with the return of a welcomed sight that fo...

A group of women prepare to learn surfing in Oswald West State Park. Photo by Justin Bailie.
New Year, New Adventures

Instead of starting the new year by committing to breaking bad habits — and then forgetting that you even made the resolution â€...

The Roaring Twenties on Broadway

The roaring twenties was an exciting era in Seaside.

5 Ways to Stick to Your Healthy Resolutions in Seaside

The New Year is here, and along with it your New Year’s resolutions. If being more mindful about your health and well-being is o...

How to Explore the Historic Gilbert District

While many visit Seaside to stroll the Prom, ride the carousel and load up on saltwater taffy, walk east on Broadway over the Neca...

Beach Reads for a Vicarious Escape

Chances are, you have more time to read right now than you have had in the past decade. And we all know, a good book can transport...

Beach Access for Everyone

Beach Wheelchair Access is Growing on the Coast Seaside is proud to be among a small number of coastal towns in Oregon to offer fr...

Discover Marine Wonders at Low Tide

One of the great delights when visiting Seaside — especially for families — is coming into contact with the otherworldly wonde...

5 Ways to Social Distance in Seaside

With miles of wide sandy beach and clean sea breezes sweeping along the oceanfront Promenade, Seaside is one of the best places to...

Sharing the Stoke With Surf Shop Owner Josh Gizdavich

SEASIDE SPOTLIGHT: Our latest profile in a series focused on the behind-the-scenes movers who make Seaside the unique destination ...

How to Be an Earth Steward in Seaside

An estimated 14 billion pounds of discarded plastic and garbage — from cigarette butts and water bottles to food wrappers and pl...