12 Top Things to Do in Coos Bay, OR

Coos Bay is on the Southern Oregon Coast. With its neighboring city of North Bend, it's the largest population center on the coast. Affectionately known as Oregon's Bay Area, this thriving southern coastal destination is a hot spot for travel and things to do.

Though the biggest city on the coast, Coos Bay retains much of its local flavor steeped in history. From garden bluffs overlooking the ocean to a unique Egyptian-style theater, the city's legacy intertwines with its top tourist attractions. Other ways to experience Coos Bay include local candy factory tours and driving across the Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge.

"Oregon's Adventure Coast" is also readily on display from Coos Bay. Lighthouses and scenic corridors are a short drive from the city. These enchanting environments lend to activities like tide pooling, whale watching, and sunset admiring. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area also extends 40 miles north from Coos Bay, offering all sorts of sandy travel and adventure.

Discover one of Oregon's best cities with our list of the top things to do in Coos Bay.

Hop on the Cape Arago Highway

One of the best ways to explore Oregon's Adventure Coast is by hopping on the Cape Arago Highway from Coos Bay. This 11-mile road diverges from Newmark Avenue in Coos Bay and navigates toward the ocean. Several scenic pitstops line the entire route.

The highway connects three prominent state parks along the coast: Sunset Bay, Shore Acres, and Cape Arago State Parks. Each of these locations has enough activity to fill the day, making an early start recommended when sightseeing the highway. Many visitors extend their travels by camping at Sunset Bay State Park, one of the best campgrounds on the Oregon coast.

Alongside scenic state parks, other roadside attractions include Simpson Reef and Shell Island. These two marine habitats entice visitors with abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. Specifically, hundreds of seals and sea lions find refuge in these oceanic locales. Seafood restaurants, marine life centers, and sweets shops are some more popular places to visit.

For a real adventure, hikers follow a four-mile hiking trail from Sunset Bay to Cape Arago State Park paralleling the highway. This scenic route is part of the state-spanning Oregon Coast Trail. Alongside better views of the dramatic ocean environment, the hiking trail also encourages a more leisurely pace.

See What's in Bloom at Shore Acres State Park

Situated off the Cape Arago Highway, approximately 13 miles from Coos Bay, Shore Acres is a unique state park perched atop an ocean cliff. Before becoming a public park in the 1940s, this stunning property belonged to Louis Simpson, a prominent timber baron and a vital figure of the region's development.

Alongside a mansion, which burnt down in 1921, Louis Simpson installed a fantastic array of gardens and landscaping. This botanical display remains today as a magnet for anyone that enjoys cultivated coastal beauty. Something is always in bloom within the property's collection, including a Japanese Garden and All-American Rose Garden.

Shore Acres is also home to a favorite holiday tradition in the area. The gardens are ablaze with holiday lights and decorations between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. This seasonal light display adds a colorful attraction to the early evenings this time of year.

It's not all gardens at Shore Acres; the property also offers fantastic views of the dramatic ocean. An enclosed observation center now sits where Simpson's mansion once presided, offering a beautiful view protected from the elements. The waves against the sea cliff are mesmerizing in their size and dramatic impact.

Official site: https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=68

Explore the Coves at Cape Arago State Park

At the southern end of the Cape Arago Highway, Cape Arago State Park offers a range of oceanic activities. The park is divided between a north and south section accessible from a paved parking area.

To the south, a moderately steep hiking trail navigates Drake Point and accesses the sandy South Cove. Here, activities like sandcastle building and tide pooling are popular. Every activity in the South Cove comes with distant views of Coquille Point and Cape Blanco.

Fishing and beachcombing are more prevalent in Cape Arago's North Cove. This area also includes views of the offshore Shell Island, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are heard barking above the surf.

Cape Arago also provides picnic tables and flushing restrooms near the parking area between the North and South Coves. Migrating whales tend to pass by in view from this picnic area, which faces the ocean.

Indulge at Cranberry Sweets & More

For over 50 years, Cranberry Sweets & More has taken advantage of the fact that the nearby Bandon is "Oregon's Cranberry Capital." And the several bogs in the neighboring city go to good use, providing the key ingredient to this candy company's best-selling products.

Today, the list of confections from this family-owned facility includes jellied candies, chocolate assortments, and cookies, among many others. A signature item, Pates de Fruits, are jellied fruit cubes flecked with sugar.

Cranberry Sweets & More operates a factory store in Coos Bay where the public can shop for sweets and watch the candy-making process. House-made products and free samples line the sweet-smelling gift shop, and large windows at the back of the store lend a view into a real-life candy factory.

Cranberry Sweets & More also runs a flagship store in Bandon. This popular pitstop on the 101 features shelves upon shelves of sugary treats.

Address: 1005 Newmark Avenue, Coos Bay, Oregon

Official site: https://cranberrysweets.com/

Visit the Coos History Museum & Maritime Collection

Established in 1891, the Coos County Historical Society is the second oldest historical society in Oregon. In 2015, the organization opened the two-story Coos History Museum & Maritime Collection on the waterfront.

Today, the museum houses a collection of more than 50,000 objects and a quarter-million images. This impressive assemblage paints a picture of Coos County's history and the development of the southern coast.

Permanent exhibits on the first-floor range from the logging and lumber industry to shipbuilding and the evolution of overland travel. The second-floor mezzanine at the museum features rotating exhibits throughout the year.

The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, excluding major holidays. The facility also hosts several events, including a monthly lecture series on the first Tuesday of every month. The museum offers free admission every second Saturday of the month.

Address: 1210 N Front Street, Coos Bay, Oregon

Official site: https://cooshistory.org/

Catch a Show at the Egyptian Theatre

In downtown Coos Bay, the Egyptian Theatre is a landmark building in the city. It's also one of the last remaining "Egyptian Revival" style theaters in the country. The theatre opened as a vaudeville theater in 1925, and like most iconic movie houses across the country, the Egyptian went through its ups and downs over the years.

Today, the city owns the theater and has provided modern restorations. The Egyptian interior has remained much the same, though. Don't expect the latest blockbusters at the Egyptian. Instead, this local theater screens cult classics and a variety of independent movies and film festivals. Live performances like standup comedy also take the stage.

And it's not just the scheduled showings that make the theater a cinema treasure. It's the intact 1920s Egyptian Revival architecture that makes every screening memorable. Details like pharaoh statues, hieroglyphics, and Egyptian temple adornments cover every inch of the theater, including the grand staircase lobby and a 770-seat auditorium.

A still-operating Wurlitzer theater organ sits below the stage at the Egyptian Theatre. This mighty music machine has offered a soundtrack for shows for over 85 years. The Egyptian is the last theater in Oregon with its original Wurlitzer still in use.

Address: 229 S Broadway, Coos Bay, Oregon

Official site: https://egyptiantheatreoregon.com/

Enjoy the Rotating Exhibits at Coos Art Museum

In a historic and remodeled Art Deco post office building, the Coos Art Museum is a central hub for visual arts on the southern Oregon coast. This two-story museum features five galleries and an atrium that highlights artists from the Pacific Northwest.

The museum's permanent collection features over 600 works. Many of these pieces are displayed on the first floor, ranging from contemporary fine art to multi-media compilations. A large painting of long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine also hangs in the lobby of the museum, and a second-floor room is devoted to this Coos Bay-native and international track legend.

However, the bulk of art to appreciate at the Coos Art Museum comes from the facility's frequently rotating exhibits.

The museum also provides several art education opportunities. Classes and workshops are generally tailored to broad age groups and cover a variety of topics. Favorite classes in years past include pinhole photography, oil painting, and woodblock printing.

Address: 235 Anderson Avenue, Coos Bay, Oregon

Official site: https://www.coosart.org/

Pack a Picnic for Mingus Park

Mingus Park is a beautiful public space near the downtown district. It's nearly 100-years-old, situated on land first acquired by the city in 1925. The park has only blossomed since its humble beginnings, now with amenities like an arboretum, skate park, and baseball field.

The centerpiece attraction of the park is a tranquil lake complete with a red Japanese Bridge. A trail circumnavigates the lake for a short hike with almost guaranteed avian sightings, including ducks and geese. This route also passes through the scenic Choshi Gardens, with several colors on display.

Additional hiking trails extend north of the lake into a lush Oregon coastal atmosphere. Spread throughout this area are several sitting benches and picnic tables, offering countless good views to enjoy a meal outside.

Up the hill from the lake, the year-round Mingus Park Pool also draws a lot of attention.

Drive across the Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge

Whether a fan of architecture or not, there's little denying that the Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge catches the eye. The bridge is part of Highway 101 and spans over 1,700 feet across Coos Bay. The bridge was completed in 1936 and renamed eleven years later for the lead engineer on the project: Conde B. McCullough.

Including this bridge spanning Coos Bay, Conde B. McCullough left a long-spanning legacy on the Oregon Coast. McCullough was a South Dakota native and came to work for the Oregon Department of Transportation. He designed several of those most scenic Oregon Coast bridges still in operation today. A few of his other notable works include the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport and the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge in Gold Beach.

Even without this history lesson, the McCullough Memorial Bridge tends to be a memorable part of any visit. Driving across the bridge lends a better view of the intricate detail along the trusses. It also offers a ceremonious way to enter the city. Photographers with a zoom lens can capture the aesthetics from places like Jordan Point or Glasgow on the bridge's north side.

Meander along the Coos Bay Boardwalk

If you're ever in the rare moment of feeling bored in Coos Bay, head to the downtown Coos Bay Boardwalk at the end of Anderson Avenue. Here, alongside great views of the bay, this half-mile boardwalk features fun learning opportunities and a fish market.

Three pavilions along the boardwalk contain interpretive information relating to the town's founding. The historic and retired Koos #2 tugboat is on display beneath one of these pavilions. The boardwalk also features several picnic tables that are perfect for lunch by the water.

After exploring the boardwalk, take a leisurely walk downtown for some afternoon entertainment. Several local eateries are within easy walking distance from the Boardwalk, as well as local boutiques and specialty stores.

Explore Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

Coos Bay is the southern terminus of the 42-mile-long Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. This popular place to explore encompasses the largest span of temperate dunes in the world - some over 500 feet tall. Hiking is one common way to navigate the dunes. However, the more popular transportation method is all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-highway vehicles (OHVs).

Several access points line the Oregon Dunes between Coos Bay and Florence up north. The city's closest dunes are across the bay, with areas like Bluebill Campground and Bull Run Staging Area providing instant access.

North along the dunes, other popular access points include the John Dellenback Trail near Lakeside and Umpqua Dunes in Winchester Bay. The John Dellenback Trail is a popular outing for those without motorized vehicles, and this hiking-only destination delivers visitors to ginormous dunes.

Farther north, the city of Reedsport is home to the Oregon Dunes Visitor Information Center. This interpretive facility is an excellent resource for planning a dunes adventure and learning about seasonal western snowy plover restrictions.

To leave the planning to a professional, Spinreel Dune Buggy and ATV Rental, in North Bend, offers guided rides with a variety of sand-specific vehicles. The company provides both passenger-seat rides and the preferred "You Drive, Follow Me" tours, where visitors have their hands on the wheel.

Soak in the Sun at Bastendorff Beach

Bastendorff is a beautiful beach easily accessible from Coos Bay and the Cape Arago Highway. It's operated by the Bureau of Land Management and is located north of Sunset Bay and the collection of state parks at the highway's terminus. It's approximately a 20-minute drive to Bastendorff Beach from downtown Coos Bay.

The beach is popular for several reasons, including day-use and overnight adventures. The campground at Bastendorff has nearly 100 campsites, including 74 sites accommodating RVs with electric hookups. Twenty-five campsites are non-electric and cater best to tent camping. Reservations are available up to nine months in advance.

The beach has many reasons to visit outside of camping. Day-use amenities include a playground area, picnic sites, and sports facilities like a basketball court and large grassy fields. The park also lends access to the mile-long beach, perfect for beachcombing and ocean viewing.

Map of Things to Do in Coos Bay, OR

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