What to do in Newport Oregon

Newport appears about half way down Highway 101 on the Oregon coast. It boasts beautiful beaches and rock formations to its north and south, rivaling the better known coast of California near Monterrey and Big Sur. Several lighthouses such as Yaquina Head dot the often foggy headlands, marking safe passage to protected harbors.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is best known for having housed Keiko, the orca from the movie Free Willy , until 1998, when he decided to relocate to Iceland. Even without Keiko, the aquarium remains an excellent adventure for all ages, featuring sea otters, seals, and an enclosed coastal bird aviary including puffins. “Passages of the Deep” is a walkthrough gallery underwater where you can watch sharks, rays and halibut swim overhead.

The old Bay Boulevard hosts various restaurants and tourist sites such as an underwater garden, trinket shops and a good selection of Seafood restaurants, many serving the famous Yaquina Bay oysters.  The street is marked by several murals of maritime life, including Moby Dick. The Rogue brewery offers its fine selection of micro brews. Try their fish & chips!

While there are plenty of attractions that charge admission, our favorite Newport offerings are free – the large and active fishing marina, and as a consequence the abundance of California sea lions.   You can wander among the fishing fleet, picking out gill netters, purse seiners, trawlers and a variety of other fishing boats.  In a large public parking lot, piles of colorful crab pots and floats beckon to any passing photographer.  The backdrop includes the distinctive Yaquina Bay Bridge designed by Conde McCullough and finished in 1936. 

The sea lions are the major draw though – you can’t miss them, as you’ll hear their barking several blocks before you arrive at the pier that provides a balcony view. On several anchored wharf platforms, old bull sea lions hoist themselves out and enjoy the sun when it is present. Newport’s weather is mild but it does get almost 70” of rain each year, mostly in the winter months. Drawn by the Yaquina Bay oysters and other plentiful seafood, California sea lions gather most days on sunny wharfs or offshore rocks. Their fur dries from slick browns to soft plush. Smaller males circle the floating platforms, looking for a space to claim. It can be tense, and noisy as some bulls value their personal space, while others form huddles of furry duvets. Across the way, other sea lions haul out on the rocks below navigation markers. A marker notes that female sealions do not come north of California, only males.