Oceanside vs Rockaway Beach

greetings folks,

I%26#39;ll be heading down to the Oregon Coast for a week at the end of Aug. I%26#39;m trying to decide between Oceanside, and Rockaway Beach as a place to stay. Any oppinions on the charm factor between to two towns, local food, and better beach??

Thanks for your thoughts.

Oceanside vs Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach has a good beach (a nice, flat, ';endless'; beach) , close to zero charm and a poor selection of dining choices.

Oceanside has a good beach, with some interesting rocks and a tunnel (if I%26#39;m remembering correctly) , is pretty in a vaguely New Englandy-way. Not sure about dining.

Oceanside vs Rockaway Beach

The only restaurant I can think of in Oceanside is Roseanna%26#39;s, so it may be even more limited than Rockaway. Roseanna%26#39;s food is good, not great; typical of an Oregon coast diner/restaurant in almost every way. Except for the view, which is better than any other north coast restaurant%26#39;s.

In spite of the limited dining options, I%26#39;d still pick Oceanside. Not only for the charm of the town and surrounding beauty, but because it%26#39;s along the Three Capes Scenic Loop, so you%26#39;ll have other great sightseeing/hiking options nearby. One of those would be Cape Kiwanda, at the foot of which you%26#39;ll find Pelican Pub %26amp; Brewery.

Oh, and I agree completely with half-Brit%26#39;s comments about Rockaway.

a few thoughts on Oceanside (don%26#39;t know too much about R%26#39;way)

The town is small - no general store and only a coffee shop and a restaurant in terms of services. The good news is that both are excellent. The restaurant, Roseanna%26#39;s, is a bit on the pricey side (though, in my experience, most worthwhile restaurants on the coast coax a premium.) The coffee shop also serves great pastries and lunch stuff and has room to sit.

Down the road a bit, in Netarts, you get access to a couple general stores and a few more restaurants including my favorite - the Schooner.

The beach right at Oceanside is very nice, and wide, except at the highest high tides. The geography actually changes dramatically depending on storms. There is always lots of sand south of Oceanside, but north there can be lots of rocks and tide pools. The Happy Camp beach, a little further south is on Netarts Bay and can be reached walking from Oceanside. Calm water and a good place for kids to splash around in the water.

A good low tide is a treat with varied sea life clinging to the exposed rocks. Just a short car ride north there are stairs down to 100 step beach which has even more interesting geology. All the beaches are famous for agate hunting and at low tide you can find dozens of people combing the beach in similar hunched-over postures.

As with any Oregon beach, the wind is your main enemy. My absolute favorite beach in that area is Sand Beach, just south of Cape Lookout. You have to hike in and out starting at the Cape Lookout trailhead and the hike is pretty much 2 miles of switchbacks straight up and down, but the beach is incredible and often the cape protects you from the wind.

I consider Oceanside to be pretty charming - if you squint your eyes and look at it you can picture one of those mediterranean villages built into the side of hill that meets the sea.

All of these areas are very pretty, Oceanside is a very nice coastal town, we also thought Netarts was very charming when we explored this area last summer on a day trip from Seaside. Have fun! :)

I think that jasone summed up Oceanside quite well.

I am yet another vote for Oceanside. If you are looking for relative quiet. Both of my kids put their feet in ocean sand there for the first time. Go figure.