Things To Do In The Oregon Central Coast With Kids ⋆ Bright Dais Ahead

We recently explored the Oregon Central Coast and the jewel of the area, the town of Florence. This area boasts so much to do, and in this blog, we share a few ideas of fun things to do as a whole family while visiting the Oregon Central Coast.

If you are not familiar with our blog, we focus on family adventures geared to smaller children’s interests, capabilities and are value priced for the benefit of kiddos and parents. We don’t hit every attraction in an area, as our 4-year-olds don’t have the stamina or attention span, yet as parents, we want to be entertained too. We hope our list helps give you ideas of things to do with kids in Florence and the Oregon Central Coast.

Things to do around Florence and the Oregon Central Coast:

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is a special place known as the most extensive coastal dunes in the world. What makes these mysterious mist-shrouded dunes so spectacular is the proximity of forests and the ocean with hauntingly beautiful views every which way you look. The dunes stretch for 45 miles to Coos Bay, but Florence, OR, is the perfect headquarters to experience all the dunes have to offer.

The dunes are a playground for Off-Road Vehicles and ATVs. But, there is also plenty to experience if you don’t have a dune buggy. You can hike, kayak, wildlife viewing, camp, picnic, or sandboard. To get a little taste of the dunes, we did a dune buggy bus from Sandland Adventures.

Sandland Adventures

We choose Sandland Adventures as it was literally right around the corner from our campground. Located right on HWY 101 and a mile south of Florence, Sandland Adventures offers a lot of variety of family fun.

We couldn’t book a more exhilarating dune ride because of our kids’ ages and height requirements. So instead, we booked the more relaxing tour on Giant Dune Buggy buses. This tour gives you a professional driver who showed us a great time with a few thrills and squeals of delight. The one-hour dune tour includes traveling down the Pacific Ocean beach sand highway. We were able to see and experience views of the endless shifting sand, unique tree islands, various wildlife, and the spectacular Siuslaw River.

After your dune ride, you can have fun bumping and splashing on the Bumper Boats, race on the Grand Prix style Go-Kart track, or play Miniature Golf Course. We even got a quick lunch from the food truck located on the property, complete with homemade organic ice cream.

Sandland Adventures Giant Dune Buggy Tour

South Jetty State Park

To get to the actual South Jetty, you drive through the main body of the state park, about seven miles. But if you drive the whole route to the very end, you can bypass the $5 fee and park in the free area. Depending on the dune you pick, it can be short or challenging to hike over the dunes to the beach. Bring a jacket as it gets super windy in this area, which is why it is known as a windsurfers paradise.

This beach gave you a little of everything the Oregon Central Coast offers and kept our kids super engaged. First, there are the dunes to hike, which had little trail cut through the grass. Then you come to a vast beach rarely crowded to view windsurfers, birds, or spot a seal or two. Treasures can be found in abundance and vary according to where and when you go. We found driftwood forts, starfish, shells, and sand dollars.

Sea Lion Caves

We have been to a lot of zoos during our time as RVers, but we love the opportunity to see any marine life. A short drive directly on HWY 101, high bluff high above the ocean, lies the Sea Lion Caves.

You enter into the gift shop and pay for your ticket, and you’re on your way. They have several vista lookouts at the ocean and seals swimming in the open ocean. Bring your binoculars if you have them. You then proceed down the paved trail and board the elevator that takes you down about 120 ft.

Once you arrive in the cave, it’s kind of like the “Bat Cave.” It’s all paved and well-lit but a little dark as you get to the viewing area to see the seals inside the cave. The girls immediately noticed a strong fishy smell in the cave. The ocean tide crashes in the seals’ lair, and you can see lots of seals, young and old. There are also many informative placards about the seals and the history of the caves. Remember, the Sea Lion Cave isn’t a zoo, and animals come and go. The best chance of seeing the seals is in wintertime, but we had about 200 animals present for our visit. In all, it’s about an hour or so visit and definitely worth a stop.

Heceta Lighthouse

Driving further north on Highway 101, the Heceta Lighthouse, known as the most photographed lighthouse, is worth a stop. Directly after going through a tunnel, you can turn into the Heceta Lighthouse parking on your left. A small parking lot at the bottom of the hill with extra parking around the corner, great for RV’s or more oversized vehicles. We didn’t have trouble parking, but it did fill up while we were there, so it seems to get busy sometimes. From the parking area, you can “hike” up the trail to the lighthouse. The hike up to the lighthouse is easy, but the trail becomes more moderate if you venture further up the path past the lighthouse.

The interior of the lighthouse is currently closed due to a restoration of the staircase. But many state rangers are milling about the grounds and are happy to explain the lighthouse’s history. While we were there, we saw a grey whale and calf in the bay area. Our kids had fun playing in front of the building and trying to watch the birds and animals in the ocean.

After visiting the lighthouse, we took some time to walk in the ocean on the beach below the site. Some small caves (tiny but still fun) along the shoreline and lots of shell bits that you could explore and collect (fun for our kids). A small river also meets up with the water in the cove and offers a fun place to wade and explore. In addition, the lovely bridge from the tunnel is a great photo opportunity. Heceta Lighthouse was just a really great stop for our family.

Hobbit Trail

Long hikes and little kids don’t always mix. However, if you are looking for a short, beautiful, fun hike, look no further than The Hobbit Beach Trail. The Hobbit Beach Trail runs from Hwy 101 down to the beach through a mysterious forest. It’s about half a mile, so even small children will be able to make it, especially if they are told that a beautiful beach awaits them at the end. Note that the trailhead is on the southbound side of 101, so be careful crossing if you’ve parked on the northbound side.

If you still want to do a little more hiking, you have two choices from the same parking area: The China Creek trail (same side of the road as parking area about 1 mile total) or continue on the Hobbit trail (1.5 miles one way). The Hobbit trail leads to the Heceta Lighthouse and is pretty hilly. The trail runs through a beautiful coastal forested area lined with tall Sitka spruce and rhododendrons. You actually expect to see a hobbit jump out somewhere. There are occasional ocean views, notably of Hobbit Beach.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site

While we saw the sign, we didn’t make a stop at Darlingtonia State Natural Site. Only after we left did we learn this Oregon Central Coast State Park is dedicated to protecting a single plant species, the cobra lily. What makes this plant so incredible is it is the only cool weather carnivorous flora plant. What kid wouldn’t want to see a plant eat an insect!

This 18-acre botanical park provides parking and a boardwalk trail out into a wonder of fauna home to Darlingtonia californica. Also called a cobra lily, the rare, strangely-shaped plant is the only member of Oregon’s pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceaen.

A stop at Darlingtonia State Natural Site could easily be combined with one of the other suggested stops along the Oregon Central Coast. An excellent visit for the kids; Darlingtonia has a short boardwalk, beautiful green plants, and a little botanical lesson.

Stay at South Jetty Thousand Trails

Location, location, location. We will tell you we do not rave about Thousand Trail parks, but this park is just so convenient. Just a mile south of Florence and steps away from the dunes (you can actually hear all the ATVs from the park). This Oregon Central Coast RV campground lets you enjoy the best of the outdoors, being the most “forested” campground we have visited.

And for once, I can tell Thousand Trails is putting in investment and improving this campground. The campground features a year-round heated (truly heated to 85°) swimming pool and hot tub. They just put in a brand new pickleball court. The Activity Lodges has all new bathrooms and furniture. A new playground is imminent this fall. Event he older north lodge has shuffleboard, game room and TV where we saw several teenagers play.

But, check your expectations at the door for a full hook-up site as sewer sites are rare to come by, with about 20% of the park having sewer. In the D section where we camped, we found this area most suitable for big rigs. The D section has all new water and 50 amp, sadly no sewer. So come prepared with a honey pot or big to borrow a neighbor’s if you need to stay longer than your tanks allow.

Things To Do In Florence and Oregon Central Coast With Kids

We were surprised and delighted with how much there was to do within a short drive from our campground and around Florence for the whole family! Our kids loved discovering the different type of beach with tide pools and little caves. They learned about light houses, sand dunes and sea lions. And we all enjoyed the cool air and a chance to wear jackets after weeks of hot temperatures. While there is so much to explore in and around the Florence area, the things we did, were perfect for our kids.

We hope we have provided you ideas of ways to enjoy Oregon and the BRIGHT DAIS AHEAD!

Bright Dais Ahead

Live. Life. Differently.

Things To Do In The Oregon Central Coast With Kids