Pacific Coast : Newport Oregon

Newport has two historic lighthouses: Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and Yaquina Head Lighthouse (pictured).

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the oldest building in Newport, built in 1871.  It is unusual in that the lighthouse and the keepers house are all one structure.  No longer in use, it is now a museum.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, first illuminated in 1873, is the tallest along the Oregon coast. It took more than 370,000 bricks to build it. There is an interpretive center on site where we watched a film and read displays about the history of the lighthouse.  Tours of this active lighthouse are also available.

Newport's Bayfront & Harbor district are home to the US Coast Guard and one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in Oregon.  We had lunch at a bayside restaurant, then visited a fish market, and watched fish and crabs being unloaded from a fishing boat.    Other attractions include the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Marine Discovery Tours, and the Pacific Maritime & Heritage Center.

Newport also marks the start (or end, depending on which direction you are traveling!) of Hwy 20, an east-west cross-country route that goes all the way to Boston, and may be the longest continuous highway in the US.