Newport, Oregon is a fairly decent size beach town in Oregon about 3 hours from Portland, Oregon. You can find Newport along the coast in the middle of the state. People have spent their vacation time here since the 1800s. We spent spring break there one year and did all kinds of fun stuff. Since then we’ve been back a few times for just a night or two.
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Newport, Oregon Restaurants
All the food we had in Newport was fantastic. We had no bad meals here!
Le Maison
The best breakfast place in Newport! Le Maison is a small French bakery and bistro in Newport, OR. It’s ranked #1 on Tripadvisor, so I had to check it out. It’s a small place, but they were able to accommodate our party of 6 without making us wait. They do not have a children’s menu, but they do have large pastries for $4.50.
Nelscott Cafe
Nelscott Cafe is a cozy restaurant in the Nelscott district of Lincoln City that’s absolutely adorable. They are best known for their hamburgers but they also have amazing stuffed French toast, killer hamburgers, fried pickles, and much more.. On Fridays they have $5 hamburgers. But if you have a hankering for stuffed French toast like I did, be sure and get here before 11 AM when they quit making it.
Our kids really enjoyed eating here. Around the windows are lots of games. Our kids had fun playing war and Old Maid while we were there.
Here are pictures of the delicious food we tried, breakfast burrito, almond French toast, and a hamburger with fried pickles.
The Original Mo’s
You can’t visit an Oregon beach and not go to Mo’s for clam chowder.
Mo’s Restaurant serves its famous clam chowder at their family-friendly restaurants along the Oregon coast. Mo’s, a seafood restaurant, started at the original restaurant in Newport, OR over 60 years ago.
No trip to Newport would be complete without a visit to Mo’s. You will most likely be waiting for a table no matter what time you get there. We got there around 1 PM and the wait was 30 minutes. The restaurant is located at 657 S.W. Bay Blvd. in Newport.
All of the kids meals were $5 – $6.
Mo’s has many other locations in Oregon, including a small one in the Portland airport.
Starfish Grill – Located in the Best Western is Starfish Grill. They have super cheap breakfast. $3 kid meals and $5 specials for adults. The breakfast was excellent.
Yummy Bowl – We asked a Newport local where we should go it and he directed us to the Yummy Bowl. It was hands down the best food we had while we were in Newport. All the food was good. We went for lunch and the most expensive entree was 6.55. Every day they run a lunch special for $5.50. All of the entrees came with fried rice, wontons, and soup. The portions were massive. We left with tons of leftovers. The staff was nice too.
La Roca – I prefer spicy Mexican food, but despite being un-spicy it was good. The kid meals are large and about 4.95. The lunch menu has lots of choices for 6.95-8.95. We had lunch fajitas for 2 was 16.95. They do not offer free chip refills.
Things to do in Newport, Oregon
Newport offers a lot of various activities, all of which are family-friendly. With it sitting right on the coast there are loads of water activities, but only if you can brave the cold water. (I can’t, this Texas gal cannot handle the cold water in Oregon.)
Coast Park
Coast Park is the newest park and best part in Newport, featuring state-of-the-art play equipment, a magnificently detailed shipwreck, and more. Located at 100 SW Coast Street
Devil’s Punchbowl State Park
Devil’s Punchbowl State Park is between Newport and Lincoln City. It is a state day-use park on the central Oregon Coast in the United States. It is centered on a large bowl naturally carved in a rock headland that is partially open to the Pacific Ocean. Watch for signs along the highway to point you in the right direction or use your GPS. You only have to go off the main road a tiny bit before getting there.
There is no admission to get into the park. There was plenty of parking and a short walk to see the Devil’s Punchbowl.
There’s an easy path along the cliff with breathtaking views. The path is not steep, just slightly sloped. There is a fence along the path, but I would still keep an eye on your children.
We were told this is a great place to spot whales, but we never saw one. There were many people set up to watch whales and photo them. I heard that there were whale sightings off and on everyday, we were in the area. So, if you visit at the end of March or the beginning of April you have a fairly good shot at seeing them.
There’s also picnic tables in the park and a small winery near the parking, The Flying Dutchman Winery. Unfortunately, we were there so early in the morning that the winery was not open yet.
Oregon Coast Aquarium – This is the best aquarium in Oregon.
OSU Hatfield Science Visitor Center – This place is so cool
Ripley’s Believe It or Not – I’ve heard it’s been updated. Make sure this is true before you go!
Sandcastle Playground
The Sandcastle playground is the best playground we found in Lincoln City. Regatta Park in Lincoln City is a stunning place on the edge of Devil’s lake.
While we were staying in Newport we drove over so the kids could play on the playground. The playground is one of the best in that area.
Although the wind was awful at the beach, this park was far enough away that it didn’t affect this lake. We couldn’t even get our kite to fly here. They have a small dock that you can fish off of.
We came here because we read about the Sandcastle playground. Sandcastle playground is a massive wooden playground for kids.
It was an excellent playground and worth the drive from Newport.
I need to mention the bathrooms here. They were pretty rough and you should try to make sure your kids go potty before coming here. They smelled bad and had no doors on the stalls.
Sea lions
The Sea Lions are downtown. They are fairly easy to find, just ask someone.
Undersea’s Garden
This is one of the weirdest attractions we’ve ever done.
The Undersea Gardens in Newport, Oregon is not worth the money if you are paying full price. If you can get a discount then go for it. I got a daily deal that got us into Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Wax Words, and the Undersea Garden. If I had paid full price I would have been upset.
- The Undersea Garden is one room with windows showing local fish. It is very dark in there and it’s moving,
- If you are prone to motion sickness then you are probably going to feel sick when you leave here.
- A few times a day they offer a show. Only go during times that they are doing a show, otherwise you’ll be done in 10 minutes.
During the show you will get to see an octopus, a sunflower starfish, and an eel. Someone in a scuba outfit goes down and picks them up and swims back and forth along the windows with them.
Wax Works
Are you into wax museums? I had never been to one before, so I don’t have anything to compare Wax Works too. Despite this I still wasn’t impressed. This place seems old and run down. The best part was getting to see Yoda, he actually looked more realistic then the others. Maybe, because he’s not a real person! With that said the people in front of us seemed really into it and took tons of pictures. They did seem impressed.
I did not pay full price to go here and I do not recommend paying full price. It’s just not worth spending the money. I think it’s pretty common for this place to be included with one or two other attractions.
Update: Wax Works contacted me and told me that they remodeled. I have not been back to Newport since their update so I am unsure if it is any good or not.
Located at 250 S. W. Bay Blvd., Newport, OR. 541-265-2206
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Yaquina Head Lighthouse is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse built-in 1872 with a 93-foot tower. It’s located in Newport, OR and can be found inside Yaquina State park. There is a $7 entry fee for cars with less than 9 people. It is located at 750 Lighthouse Dr., Newport, OR 97365. The Interpretive Center and Gift Store
are open in Summer from 9-5 and in the Winter from 10-4.
The Yaquina Head Lighthouse was originally known as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse. The historic Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is believed to be the oldest building in Newport and is Oregon’s last remaining wooden lighthouse.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse Tide Pools
Down below the Yaquina Head Lighthouse are tide pools. You take a set of stairs down to the beach where you can see many types of starfish, anemones, crabs, and occasionally a sea lion or sea otter.
Newport Oregon Hotels
We have only stayed at three places in Newport or nearby so far, but I will keep adding new ones as we try them.
Best Western at Agate Beach – We stayed here and our room had a mini fridge, coffee maker, and two beds. It’s on the beach and they have an indoor pool. Breakfast is not included, but cheap. They offer a military discount.
Schooner Landing – We spent a week here and really enjoyed it. It had an on-site playground and fire pit. There is an indoor pool and jacuzzi at the clubhouse. It’s up above the beach, so just a short walk down and you are on the beach. This is a timeshare so all units have either one or two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.
Salishan Resort – Salishan is just north of Newport and has a lot packed into one resort. Pool, hottub, putt-putt, bicycles, beach, live music, great food, a tree top ropes course and so much more.
What to wear in Newport, Oregon
Recently, I was asked what someone should wear when they visit Newport. This is kind of a loaded question because you are at the beach, but you are not necessarily going to dress for the beach! I have an extensive beach packing list that you can print off. I’ll post it below. I also have a general travel packing printable that is super helpful. Click this packing list to print it!
When we went to Newport it was warm, cold, and extremely cold. However, it could get hot too, depending on when you visit. With that in mind, I suggest layers! Lots of layers! I also recommend a windbreaker or rain jacket, and a warm fleece for the evenings. You can pack shorts in hopes of a warmer day, but know you likely won’t need them. You will likely stick to jeans the entire trip.
Thank you for the highlights!