Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
In a state already full of quirky roadside attractions, there is perhaps no stretch of highway with more to offer than U.S. 101 (also known as the Oregon Coast Highway), which stretches the length of our scenic coastline.
There are sea lions, dinosaurs and wax figures among the attractions, found for free at state parks and at pricier tourist traps. They’re both natural and human-made, beautiful and grotesque. You might feel unsettled and occasionally unsatisfied, but such is the nature of the roadside attraction.
See our full list of Oregon's 40 best roadside attractions, then hit the road this summer to see some of the quirkiest, strangest and most beautiful pit stops our state has to offer.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
12. Octopus Tree
With no central trunk and several thick limbs that stick straight up into the air, the so-called "Octopus Tree" at Cape Meares State Park is a mystery of nature. The old Sitka spruce is about 105 feet tall and more than 46 feet in circumference, estimated to be between 250 and 300 years old. Nobody seems to know how or why the tree grew up that way, so feel free to use your imagination.
Find it at Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint; open dawn to dusk daily; 3500 Cape Meares Loop, Tillamook; 503-842-3182; parking is free.
Samantha Swindler/The Oregonian
11. The Original Pronto Pup
The Original Pronto Pup in Rockaway Beach is the corn dog capital of the Pacific Northwest, with a menu full of corn dogs, a giant corn dog on the roof and rideable corn dog outside. Pronto Pup claims to have invented the corn dog in the late 1930s, and while it's certainly a dubious claim, they certainly helped popularize the wiener-on-a-stick.
Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (hours change seasonally); 602 South Highway 101, Rockaway Beach; 971-306-1164.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
10. Shore Acres
One of the most unique state parks in Oregon, Shore Acres isn't a quirky pit stop so much as a beautiful and historically fascinating attraction. The park was once the site of a palatial estate built on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, and now is home to a formal English garden and gorgeous little beach. During the holiday season, the park also hosts one of the best light displays in Oregon.
Open 8 a.m. to dusk daily; 89526 Cape Arago Highway, Coos Bay; 541-888-2472; parking $5 per vehicle.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
9. Yaquina Head
All of Oregon's lighthouses deserve a visit, but the beacon at Yaquina Head in Newport comes with a few additional attractions that make a stop there especially worthwhile. Officially designated as an Outstanding Natural Area, the park site at Yaquina Head has the lighthouse (which is open to tours), an excellent museum, several hikes and a cobblestone beach. It's also home to bald eagles and harbor seals, which are known to lounge on the rocks at Quarry Cove.
Open 7 a.m. to dusk daily, July through Sept. 15, 8 a.m. to dusk daily rest of the year; 750 Northwest Lighthouse Drive, Newport; 541-574-3100; parking $7 per vehicle.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
8. Seaside Aquarium
It's nowhere near as big as the impressive Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, but its small stature only makes the Seaside Aquarium more endearing, and perfect for a pit stop along U.S. 101. Known for its whimsical bob of seals (to which visitors can toss fish), and tanks full of smaller sea life, the 1930s-era aquarium is a classic coastal attraction.
Open 9 a.m to 7 p.m. daily (closing time changes seasonally); 200 North Prom, Seaside; 503-738-6211; admission is $8.50 for adults, $4.25 for kids and $7.25 for seniors.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
7. Wreck of the Peter Iredale
The mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, after more than a century of shipwrecks in the area. The best-known wreckage belongs to the Peter Iredale, a steel-hulled sailing ship that ran aground in 1906. The remains of the hull still sit, rusting, on the beach at Fort Stevens State Park, where visitors and photographers flock year-round.
Find it at Fort Stevens State Park; open dawn to dusk daily; 100 Peter Iredale Road, Hammond; 503-861-3170; parking is $5 per vehicle.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
6. The Wax Works
The Wax Works in Newport is a fascinating and creepy attraction, filled with life-size wax sculptures of celebrities, fictional characters and historical figures. Wander the dark corridors and stumble upon likenesses of Batman, Bigfoot, Marilyn Monroe, Yoda and plenty of others. The wax figures are just realistic enough to come across as mildly disturbing. If you're looking for more creepiness, head next door to Ripley's Believe it or Not!.
Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; 250 Southwest Bay Blvd., Newport; 541-265-2206; admission $14.99 for adults, $7.99 for kids
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
5. Thor’s Well
Called everything from a "gaping sinkhole" to a "gate to hell," Thor's Well has certainly attracted some attention over the years. In reality, the well is a bowl-shaped hole carved out of the rough basalt shoreline, allowing the ocean to "fill" and "empty" it with every wave. It can be a dangerous site to visit – especially at high tide – but visitors can find it fairly easily from a pull-out along U.S. 101 at the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area.
Find it at a pull-out on U.S. 101, .2 miles south of the turnoff to the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center; open dawn to dusk daily; 541-547-3289; parking is free at the pull-out, $5 per vehicle at the visitor center.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
4. Tillamook Creamery
If you visit the Oregon coast and don't stop at Tillamook, did you really visit the Oregon coast at all? One of the biggest and most beloved attractions in Oregon, the Tillamook Creamery (née the Tillamook Cheese Factory) is hard to classify as simply a "roadside" attraction. Still, the newly redesigned dairy Valhalla is a compulsory stop whenever you're driving down the coast.
Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (closing time changes seasonally); 4165 Highway 101 North, Tillamook; 503-815-1300; free.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
3. Astoria Column
Boasting one of the best views on the coast, the Astoria Column is one of the most notable landmarks in Oregon, standing 125 feet tall on a hill above the city. Climb the 164-step staircase to the top, and you'll be treated to a view of the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, Cascade Mountains and Coast Range. A mural painted on the outside of the column details the history of white settlement in the area.
Open dawn to dusk daily; 1 Coxcomb Drive, Astoria; 503-325-2963; parking is $5 per vehicle.
John M. Vincent/The Oregonian
2. Sea Lion Caves
A natural wonder turned into a classic Oregon roadside attraction, the Sea Lion Caves is actually one massive sea cave, home to a rookery of sea lions who breed there in winter. The privately owned cave first opened to the public in 1932 and has drawn millions of visitors ever since. While it has a reputation for being particularly smelly (sea lions live there after all), the cave is truly one of the most remarkable attractions in Oregon.
Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; 91560 Highway 101, Florence; 541-547-3111; admission is $14 for adults, $8 for kids, $13 for seniors.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
1. Prehistoric Gardens
With a perfect combination of natural beauty, fascinating history and sheer quirkiness, Prehistoric Gardens is the best roadside attraction on the Oregon coast. Nearly two dozen life-size dinosaurs fill a quiet forest on the side of U.S. 101, all built by Ernie Nelson, who gave up a successful logging supply business in 1952 to work full-time on the concrete statues. Nelson died in 1999, but his family has run the site ever since, inviting visitors to walk dirt paths past the towering Brachiosaurus, fearsome Elasmosaurus and more. And lest you think it's all for show, the trail also features facts about prehistoric evolution.
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in summer (hours change seasonally); 36848 Highway 101, Port Orford; 541-332-4463; admission is $12 for adults, $8 for kids, $10 for seniors.
--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB
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