Introduction to Newport, OR

Thirty miles south of Lincoln City, NEWPORT is one of several Oregon ports laboring to turn itself into a resort – more successfully than most, perhaps. The place has an artsy feel, manifest in a pair of arts centers – one performing, the other visual (more information at www.coastarts.org) – on uncrowded Nye Beach, a quiet oceanside gem. A more traditional attraction is the impressive Oregon Coast Aquarium, across the bridge at 2820 SE Ferry Slip Rd (summer daily 9am–6pm; rest of year daily 10am–5pm; $10.50; www.aquarium.org), home to sea otters, seals, the tufted puffin, and all sorts of aquatic species. The aquarium's latest attraction, Passages of the Deep (a shark-oriented underwater tunnel), replaces its former big draw, Keiko the Killer Whale – the star of the movie Free Willy, now shipped off to an Icelandic cove. Just north of town, Newport's other top attraction is Yaquina Head (daily dawn–dusk; $5), home to a marine-science center (free with the $5 admission), striking cape lighthouse, and manmade tidepools constructed from the remains of a quarry.

The Greyhound station is just off US-101 on SW Bayley Street, and the chamber of commerce is at 555 SW Coast Hwy (tel 541/265-8801 or 1-800/262-7844, www.newportchamber.org). The most prominent place to stay is the Sylvia Beach Hotel, on Nye Beach at 267 NW Cliff St (tel 541/265-5428, www.sylviabeachhotel.com; $75–160), whose twenty rooms bear the name of a famous writer (it also has dorm beds; up to $35). Every evening, mulled wine is served in the upstairs library. Less pretentious is the neighboring Nye Beach Hotel (tel 541/265-3334, www.nyebeach.com; $100–130), with six great oceanfront rooms featuring stove heating, balconies and hot tubs. Cheap lodgings include the Penny Saver Motel, 710 N Coast Hwy (tel 541/265-6631; $50–75), among countless other motels near US-101.

There's a cluster of first-rate cafés and restaurants in the Historic Bayfront on Bay Boulevard. The Whale's Tale (tel 541/265-8660) has a good seafood menu and isn't quite as crowded as Mo's Original (tel 541/265-2979) or Mo's Annex (tel 541/265-7512), two decent chain seafood restaurants that are always thick with tourists. Rogue Ales House (tel 541/265-3188) is the liveliest spot for food and beer, and on Nye Beach, April's, 749 NW 3rd St (tel 541/265-6855), offers fine Italian cuisine – the town's best restaurant by default.

Information by Rough Guides

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