Historic Old Town Florence is one of the most beautiful and charming of the Oregon coast cities. Located on the waterfront below Highway 101’s Siuslaw River Bridge, this un-crowded district is the perfect place to spend time exploring art galleries, antique stores, gift and specialty shops, wine tasting and restaurants serving regional foods and wines.

Attractions
Florence Oregon Coast is the perfect setting for tranquility, relaxation, and fun.   Beautiful evergreen forests, sparkling lakes and river, towering dunes, and the dazzling Pacific Ocean are the backdrop to one of the most spectacular vacation destinations in the U.S.A.  This outdoor paradise not only provides a host of recreational activities, it is also home to some of the most scenic sites on the Oregon Coast.

There are several parks and other sites managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department near Florence, including Darlingtonia State Natural Site and Heceta Head Lighthouse at Devil’s Elbow to the north, and Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park to the south. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, managed as part of the Siuslaw National Forest, begins south of Florence.

Outdoor Recreation
With 10 miles of uninterrupted beaches, quaint local shopping, scrumptious dining, and plenty of family activities, your Florence Oregon vacation is sure to be unforgettable.

1. An array of unique and exciting attractions awaits you — from Sea Lion Caves and The Oregon Dunes to Old Town and The Heceta Lighthouse.  Take a dune buggy tour, have fun on bumper boats or ATV’s; ride horses on the beach, hike to the top of Cape Perpetua.
2. Whale watching, tide pooling, deep sea or fresh water fishing, hiking, bird watching, crabbing, and claming are just a few of the many local activities.
3. There are jet boat trips available up the Siuslaw River during the summer. For a more leisurely pace, the Westward Ho, an old fashioned sternwheeler, takes visitors on excursions and dinner cruises on the Siuslaw River.

Shopping and other activities

1. Florence’s tastefully restored Old Town offers interesting shops and boutiques, coffee houses and good restaurants. The Dolly Wares Doll museum has a wide variety of dolls on display, as well as facilities for repair and restoration of broken dolls.
2. South of town, the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum has exhibits of pioneer items such as kitchen and lumbering artifacts.
3. Florence is also conveniently located to Eugene, North Bend and Lincoln City that provide headliner entertainment as well as great shopping from outlets to boutiques to upscale department stores.
4. The Florence Community Event Center also hosts local community theatre, presentations from Eugene dance and musical troupes, and even performances from such notables as Helen Reddy.
5. Ten miles north of Florence, the enormous sea grotto of the Sea Lion Caves contains the only mainland rookery of Stellar’s sea lion in the lower 48 states. The sea lions occupy the cave in fall and winter, with up to 200 sea lions living there. Views of the coastline include Heceta Head Lighthouse and nearby cliffs that are home to guillemots, cormorants and other sea birds.

So, take a vacation with your family to this mesmerizing and alluring place.

Tags: activities, attractions, outdoor recreation