Mounted along the magnificent Oregon coast, Cannon Beach is a top tourist destination in the United States, offering travelers a blend of incredible adventure and relaxation. The spot offers many wild adventure opportunities it presents, including several hiking trails, fantastic beach access, and numerous wild animals to see. Looking for a romantic gateway? Cannon Beach has everything for all types of travelers. The stunning art galleries, lavish hotels, and restaurants will definitely attract lovebirds. Even travelers visiting this town as families will have fun exploring the gorgeous sandy beaches, colorful shops, and picnic areas. Here are the top fun things not to miss at Oregon's Cannon Beach.

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10 Visit The Haystack Rock

Created millions of years ago, Haystack Rock is a monolith standing 235 feet and one of the most famous icons in Oregon. The rock and its sea area are home to an incredible wealth of marine life and wild animals, including seabirds, crabs, invertebrates, and puffins. Puffins are known to exist more in places like Iceland or Alaska, and seeing some here is something every traveler is going to remember. Combined with beautiful sand, the sea, and the sky, Haystack Rock is one of the most specular photo-worthy spots, making it a great destination for travelers to photogenic sceneries.

9 Stroll Around Ecola State Park

Ecola State Park has something fun in store for almost everyone. From magnificent hiking trails to several picnic areas to camping opportunities and breathtaking coastal views, this is a place to behold. Home to two stunning sandy beaches, Ecola is a perfect spot for history lovers who are bound to be happy walking in Lewis and Clark’s footsteps. These two visited one of the state park's popular beaches, Indian Beach during the Fort Clatsop winter trip to discover the remnants of a beached whale. Travelers lucky to be in Indian Beach will be excited watching the Oregon Coast surfers, as this is where they usually go surfing.

8 Explore Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

Built in 1881, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was a government project designed to guide ships around Tillamook Head. Nestled just about a mile off Oregon’s coast, this beautiful lighthouse towers above a large piece of basalt rock. The lighthouse has many stories in its history, including dangerous stormy seas that came around during bad weather, killing some keepers and suppliers. This is why the locals nicknamed the lighthouse, ''Terrible Tilly.'' Now one of the National Register of Historic Places, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is a major tourist attraction in Cannon Beach and is worth exploring.

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7 Wander Around Oswald West State Park

Oswald West State Park is home to incredibly towering cliffs that dramatically drop to the sea. The park features breathtaking natural landscapes, gorgeous sandy beaches, and beautiful hiking trails passing through flourishing rainforests, picture-perfect waterfalls, and several grassy meadows. The beaches in this beautiful park offer endless opportunities, including swimming, picnicking, hiking, and sunbathing. The park is brimming with spectacular attractions for lovers of wild adventures, including Neahkahnie Mountain, which guarantees breathtaking views.

6 Explore The Cannon Beach’s Art Galleries

Cannon Beach has an incredible collection of arts and crafts, most from local craftsmen and artists. The galleries are arranged beautifully, and travelers who love arts can spend several hours exploring them one by one until they are satisfied. Some of the galleries include:

  • Bronze Coast Gallery: One of Oregon’s most iconic art galleries and has been in operation for more than twenty-five years. The gallery contains several magnificent paintings and classic bronze sculptures.
  • Dragon Fire Studio & Gallery: In this gallery, vacationers will have original art, mainly from Pacific Northwest, including metal, ceramic, and paint glass.
  • Northwest by Northwest Gallery: This gallery focuses on American Masters & Regional Artists.

5 Go Shopping

Spruce and Hemlock Beach has several colorful shops worth exploring after spending some time enjoying the beach. The shops are exciting and offer unique and impressive goods, including gift items, candies, all kinds of toys, and pet-related staff. Some of the places not to miss are Geppetto's Toy Shoppe, Puppy Love by the Sea, Bruce's Candy Kitchen, and Yuletides Christmas Shop, selling everything one can need for Christmas, including décor and gifts.

4 Learn Some History At Cannon Beach History Center & Museum

The Cannon Beach History & Museum was created to preserve this town's history by seeking, collecting, and protecting oral histories and making them available to the public. In this small museum, travelers will be thrilled to learn about the local history and go on the special exhibition educating them on various subjects. The museum houses an incredible collection of old pictures, mostly displaying the residents and visitors interacting with each other.

3 Enjoy Watching A Play At Coaster Theatre

There are several performances and plays that travelers and locals of all ages and interests can have fun watching. The theater is a non-profit community property seated on a historic site that was constructed in the 1920s and was once a gathering spot for the locals until the 1950s. In 1972, Maurie Clark, the Portland patron of the arts, founded the Coaster Theater, which has been offering special performances and several plays.

2 Check The Cannon Beach’s Brewery Scene

Cannon Beach is a mall town, yet it is bursting with two incredible breweries to explore. Pelican is the most popular, as most visitors like to make a stop at the brewery. Offering the classics, such as IPAs, lagers, and stouts. They also provide fantastic lunch and dinner menus, making a must-stop after a long day of staying at the beach. Note that Pelican Brewing is always packed with people, and unless one is prepared to wait for tables, getting there early, just it is open, is important.

1 Go Whale Watching

Whale watching is one of the most fun things to do at Oregon’s Cannon Beach and suits an entire family. Visitors are more likely to spot the gray whales, and they have incredible chances of seeing some orcas and humpbacks on this side of the Oregon coast. Whale watching is a very common activity, especially in the summer. But then these creatures migrate towards Baja California from Alaska during winter and spring, making these periods the best to spot whales in plenty, perhaps more than thirty in an hour! Ecola State Park is one of the best Cannon Beach spots to have a glimpse of these creatures.