Skip to content

Seaside Stories

5 Ways to Social Distance in Seaside

August 4, 2020 | by Emily Gillespie

With miles of wide sandy beach and clean sea breezes sweeping along the oceanfront Promenade, Seaside is one of the best places to explore while social distancing on the Oregon Coast. Here are five fun and safe activities for your next visit.

1. Paddle on the River

What better way to remove yourself from the crowd than by taking to the water? Seaside has a number of options when it comes to waterway excursions, one of the favorites being a glide along one of two grassy-banked rivers to the majestic Necanicum Estuary. With a mix of fresh and saltwater, the tidal wetlands here are a great place to glimpse birds such as blue herons, bald eagles, and many others. You can rent watercraft of all kinds at Quatat Park, and you can find an ADA-accessible boat launch at Broadway Park.

2. Take a Bike Ride

Exploring Seaside on two wheels is a great way to pack in an adventure while also maintaining your distance from others. You can leisurely pedal along the sand-packed beach at low tide or along the concrete and picturesque Promenade or even right around Seaside’s famed automobile Turnaround, which is especially fun in a four-person canopied surrey bike. If you’ve graduated from pavement, head to the Klootchy Creek County Park, a 25-acre greenspace home to an impressive system of mountain bike trails under development. The dirt paths offer a mix of easy-grade switchbacks and heart-stopping downhills that will appease beginner mountain bikers and adrenaline seekers alike. 

3. Dine Outdoors

You would be making a mistake to visit Seaside without tasting its culinary offerings. While eating out has become trickier these days, you can do so safely at many of Seaside’s restaurants with patio seating. Finns Fish House has a brand-new patio with three 6-foot-long fire pits, allowing groups to safely dine on opposite ends. You can find upscale farm-to-table and seafood cuisine at Maggie’s on the Prom, which has a patio looking out across The Prom to the beach. Most restaurants also offer their tasty dishes to go, creating the perfect opportunity to picnic just before building a sandcastle or while sitting along the banks of Neawanna Creek at Broadway Park.

4. Take a Hike

Long before the phrase “social distancing” entered common vernacular, a popular way to escape and enjoy nature was to take a hike. South of town about 17 miles is Oswald West State Park, a dense rain forest that boasts several hiking trails. The 4.6-mile Cape Falcon Trail is an out-and-back path that reveals views of the curved coastline along the way, making it a crowd pleaser. If you want a change from the ocean views or are after a shorter hike, nearby Soapstone Lake Trail is an easy 2.7-mile trail that loops around a lake known for its resident newts. If you’d like to stay closer to homebase, there are good options starting right here in Seaside

5. Enjoy the Beach

Quite possibly the easiest place to keep 6-feet of distance in Seaside is on the beach that extends the length of the city. The trick, however, is finding the lesser-used spots and avoiding the crowds, which tend to swell with sunny weather. There are several beach-access points along the Prom and three main access points via city streets, though your best bet is to reach the beach from Avenue U at the south end of town. As an alternative, head north to the 12th Avenue parking lot and spread out along the beach toward the estuary. 

 

Photo by Don Frank

and so much more!

Let’s Fly a Kite

On the beach at Seaside is perfect for this. There are no overhead wires and the beach has few up or down wind drafts from the winds which move across the ocean. This makes kite flying easier and explains why kites are a common part of the Seaside landscape. Kite flying is for dry days as wet kite lines can act as a conductor for static electricity and lightning in a storm.

Learn More
My First Trip to Seaside

Recalling a memorable first trip to Seaside, Oregon

Learn More
The Quieter Side of Seaside

Seaside without the bustle of Broadway Street? If that sounds more like your speed, I’m here to tell you that it’s possible to...

Learn More
Wave Meets Wall

Back in 1925, the waves would encroach on Seaside's Turnaround with a dramartic ferocity

Learn More
Sea Foam on the shore's of The Cove in Seaside, Oregon
The Cove, Seaside’s Natural Treasure

Exploring Seaside's Cove, a natural wonder to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike

Learn More
View from the Tower

View from the old Seaside Hotel tower.

Learn More
Tillamook Head Trail
Seaside’s Very Own Rainforest: Tillamook Head

Hiking the Tillamook Head trail offers pure bliss for this local hiker

Learn More
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...

Learn More
Knights of Summer: Seaside’s Lifeguarding Tradition

Seaside has had a rich lifeguard tradition for almost 100 years.

Learn More
6 Great Asian Restaurants in Seaside

Alongside Seaside’s great local seafood options, pub fare and breakfast joints, there’s a small but robust collection of Asian...

Learn More
Summer’s Great, but There’s Nothing Else like Winter in Seaside

When you imagine a classic beach town, you probably picture something similar to Seaside, Oregon. Our town of 6,700 sits less than...

Learn More
Seaside’s History is an Honored Guest in Its Present

There are many local landmarks that celebrate the rich history of Seaside, a town that has been enjoyed as a popular beach getaway...

Learn More
Terrible Tilly: Stowing Away the Years

Perched atop solid rock more than a mile offshore from Tillamook Head, the notorious Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, (nicknamed “Terr...

Learn More
Seaside: More Than Just a Resort Town

Seaside is also a community of hard-working professionals

Learn More
Gone Fishin’

You know you’re in Seaside when . . . this sentence can be completed in numerous ways. Today I’ll finish it with: . . . you see a guy walking down the road in tall rubber boots, fishing pole in one hand, long silvery fish dangling from the other.

Learn More
A Year in Seaside – Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall Tips

While Seaside is an enduring summertime destination, our beach town increasingly draws visitors to its sandy shores throughout the...

Learn More
The Whole Clam Family

Family clamming on Seaside's beach is a tradition that literaly goes back thousands of years.

Learn More