12 Stress-Free Pacific Coast Towns For A Weekend Retreat
From Seattle to San Diego, a wide variety of attractions draws visitors to the Pacific Coast. Yet, this part of the United States also has some great small towns with excellent attributes. From picturesque towns in the Golden State, to charming towns in the Beaver State, to quaint towns in the Evergreen State, here are a dozen stress-free small towns along the coast of the Pacific Ocean that are ideal for a weekend retreat.
Avalon, California
Located on Catalina Island, just off the mainland of California, the quaint town of Avalon is home to some awesome natural attributes, like Descanso Beach and Cottonwood Beach. It is also home to Wrigley’s Memorial & Botanical Garden. This fantastic attraction honors legendary William Wrigley Jr, and features a variety of plants found only on Santa Catalina Island.
Downtown Avalon is also home to the Avalon Hotel. Offering guests spectacular amenities, such as an extended continental breakfast and a fabulous 360-degree view from the rooftop, the Avalon Hotel is beyond exceptional. It is also only steps away from Bluewater Avalon, serving some of the freshest seafood and steak in the vicinity.
Brookings, Oregon
Home to Harris Beach State Park, the charming town of Brookings has a plethora of awesome natural attractions. Along with Harris Beach, which offers kayaking, exploring scenic nature trails, and even camping overnight, Brookings is home to the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, which features Arch Rock, as well as several other pristine beaches, including Secret Beach.
Downtown Brookings also has some awesome attributes, including Azalea Park and Easy Manor Park. These two small parks are also in close proximity to Brookings Inn Resort, which offers some great amenities, including free parking, free wi-fi, and an indoor heated pool. Mermaid’s Muse Bed & Breakfast, only minutes away, offers phenomenal service, great views, and a delicious breakfast.
Pismo Beach, California
The picturesque town of Pismo Beach is thriving while still possessing a stress-free environment. Whether it is the Pismo State Beach, Pier, & Promenade, with sixty acres of recreational activities, or the phenomenal Monarch Butterfly Grove, with over ten thousand butterflies annually, guests find themselves returning to this small coastal town over and over.
Pismo Beach is home to several parks as well, including Dinosaur Caves Park, which offers a phenomenal wedding venue overlooking the majestic Pacific Ocean, and Eldwaylen Ocean Park. Plus, for those who wish to stay for the weekend, several fantastic lodging choices call Pismo Beach home, including Inn at the Pier. As discerned from the name, Inn at the Pier is situated only steps away from beautiful Pismo Beach.
Westport, Washington
The quaint town of Westport, located across Grays Harbor from the town of Aberdeen, is home to Twin Harbors State Park. With phenomenal attributes, like hiking along the Shifting Sands Nature Trail, exploring the beach, and camping overnight, peace and tranquility can easily be found within this small, coastal town.
The town of Westport is also home to several attractions situated in the downtown area, including the Westport Aquarium and the Westport Maritime Museum. While the museum provides an opportunity to explore the Grays Harbor Light, the tallest lighthouse in the state, the aquarium has offered families excitement through the exploration of marine life since the 1950s. The aquarium is also quite near the Westport Inn, offering great service and comfortable lodging.
Capitola, California
A magnificent town off Monterey Bay, the picturesque town of Capitola is home to Capitola Beach and New Brighton State Beach, providing a calm sense of peaceful tranquility. While Capitola Beach has fishing, swimming, and surfing opportunities, New Brighton offers all these and more. They even offer camping at one of over a hundred sites and hiking several scenic coastal trails, like the New Brighton Loop.
There are also several great lodging choices in Capitola for those who wish to spend the weekend. Monarch Cove Inn is quite close to New Brighton State Beach, offering awe-inspiring views of Monterey Bay, as well as a beautiful butterfly habitat. Monarch Cove Inn is also only a few blocks away from Zelda’s on the Beach, which serves delicious seafood cuisine daily.
Depoe Bay, Oregon
The town of Depoe Bay is situated only 70 miles west of the city of Salem. It is home to Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, a rugged basalt-rimmed bay that offers spectacular vistas of the Pacific Ocean. The Devil’s Punch Bowl is another great natural attraction in the vicinity. The Devil’s Punch Bowl was created by the collapse of two sea caves, creating a geological formation that awes the senses.
Depoe Bay is also home to some other fantastic natural attractions, like Fogarty Creek State Park, situated to the north of town, and Otter Crest Loop, which provides excellent photographic opportunities of the Pacific coast. Otter Crest Loop is also conveniently located near Whale Cove Inn, an exquisite boutique inn offering excellent amenities, including a spa, hot tub, and complimentary breakfast in the morning.
Sausalito, California
Home to the famous Sausalito Boardwalk, which is actually split into three sections — Tiffany Beach, Yacht Harbor, and Schoonmaker Point Marina — Sausalito has a variety of excellent dining options, like the Trident and Lighthouse Cafe. There are also several great lodging choices in this region of the Pacific Coast, including the Inn Above Tide, which offers luxury and private decks overlooking the ocean.
Downtown Sausalito has a rich history of its own. From the Bay Area Discovery Museum, which has several discovery zones, including Discovery Beach and Gumnut Grove, to the Sausalito Ice House Museum, which began its life as an old railway “ice car,” there is something for every age in Sausalito. The Marine Mammal Center is also in Sausalito, rescuing and rehabilitating distressed marine mammals.
Ocean Shores, Washington
Another great small town along the coast of Washington, along the northern end of Grays Harbor, the town of Ocean Shores has several attractions that offer excitement for the entire family. Playtime Family Fun and Pacific Paradise are both downtown. Playtime Family Fun has go-carts, bumper cars, and even an eye-rolling roller coaster, while Pacific Paradise offers mini-golf, bumper boats, and a great arcade.
Also, within easy traveling distance, the Quinault Beach Resort offers an excellent casino, with over 500 slot machines, great dining options, like Emily’s Oceanfront Restaurant, and comfortable rooms for the weekend, some with phenomenal views of the coastline and the Pacific Ocean. They also offer excellent amenities, including a spa, indoor pool, and fitness center.
Fort Bragg, California
The town of Fort Bragg, situated just south of Laguna Point, which is a part of MacKerricher State Park, is home to some great attributes, like Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. This fabulous attraction features a plethora of gardens, including the Heritage Rose Garden and the Mediterranean Garden. It also features special events, like the Festival of Lights, which takes place throughout most of December.
Downtown Fort Bragg is also home to several attractions, like the Sea Glass Museum and the Triangle Tattoo & Museum. The Sea Glass Museum showcases the highest concentration of sea glass in the world, while the Triangle Tattoo & Museum honors the tattoo in the best way possible. It is also quite close to the Weller House Inn, offering everything from a botanical garden to an observation deck inside the environs of an 1886 historic inn.
Bandon, Oregon
The quaint town of Bandon, situated on the mouth of the Coquille River in Oregon, is home to a plethora of natural attractions, including Bandon State Park and Bullards Beach State Park. While both state parks offer opportunities to swim, photograph, and hike, like the Coquille River Lighthouse Trail in Bullards Beach and the China Creek to Bradley Lake Trail in Bandon, Bullards Beach also offers camping overnight.
Bandon also offers several attractions downtown, including several phenomenal art galleries, such as Washed Ashore Gallery and Second Street Gallery. These fabulous displays of art are also in close proximity to several great lodging choices, including Lighthouse River Inn, which has some extravagant amenities, such as five spacious bedrooms and a fantastic outdoor patio deck.
Ferndale, California
Home to the Victorian Village of Ferndale, consisting of several houses within the historic district, including 1854 Shaw House and 1875 Ivanhoe Hotel, the town of Ferndale is thriving. While the Ivanhoe Hotel, located on Main Street, is no longer a hotel, the Shaw House, also located on Main Street, is a bed & breakfast inn, offering suites and rooms, as well as a farm-inspired breakfast the next morning.
Ferndale is also home to several other attractions, including Shirley’s Pocket Park and Centerville Beach County Park, the latter of these offering nine miles of secluded beach with awe-inspiring sandstone cliffs. Plus, as this particular park is only five miles west of the Victorian Village of Ferndale, it is also in close proximity to Lost Coast Headlands, which are fabulous in their own right.
Forks, Washington
Known best for the famous vampire trilogy, the picturesque town of Forks, on the outside edge of Olympic National Park, has its own share of attributes. Some of these include the Tree Root Cave, which is only steps from Kalaloch Campground, and Tillicum Park. While Tillicum Park offers a truly marvelous exhibit of an old steam locomotive, the Tree Root Cave, often called the Tree of Life, defies nature by continuing to thrive despite its roots not actually being in the ground.
Forks is also home to Bogachiel State Park, situated south of downtown, offering some great activities, like hiking to Rialto Beach, fishing, and camping overnight. If you prefer to stay for the weekend with the family, enjoying amenities like room service, the Rainforest Retreat and Mill Creek Inn are both on Forks Avenue. They are also near some phenomenal dining choices, including Blakeslees Bar & Grill, also located on Forks Avenue.
Coastal Towns Worth Your Weekend Escape
Whether you find yourself traveling to the coast of southern California, northern California, Oregon, or Washington, the twelve towns listed above have their own unique establishments, from galleries to restaurants to bed & breakfast inns. They also possess some of the most phenomenal natural and historic attractions. From Avalon, California, to Forks, Washington, these twelve towns are some of the most stress-free towns to visit for that ideal weekend retreat to the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
