Exploring Scenic Cannon Beach, Oregon
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The scenic coastal town of Cannon Beach, Oregon is home to a vibrant arts scene, the iconic Haystack Rock (The Goonies), and some of the best tide pools on the Oregon coast. Only a 90-minute drive outside of Portland, it’s no surprise Cannon Beach is a major local attraction. We recently spent the day roaming around this quaint town for a team-building outing and wanted to share some of our favorite finds.
Sea Level Bakery + Coffee
Sea Level Bakery + Coffee was our first stop early in the morning, it’s a cute and cozy cafe located at the far south end of town. Besides the obvious need to get caffeinated, their freshly baked goods with vegan and gluten-free options were one of the main reasons we stopped here.
Turns out this was quite the hot spot and we’re not surprised —the coffee, tea, and pastries were absolutely delicious.
Art Galleries
Named one of the 100 best art towns in America, Cannon Beach has 11 art galleries all within walking distance in its picture-perfect village.
We didn’t have the time to visit them all but we did stop by these top 3 rated galleries on Yelp:
- DragonFire Gallery —Pacific Northwest painting, ceramics, and metal art.
- Bronze Coast Gallery —Contemporary artwork and classic bronze sculptures.
- Northwest By Northwest Gallery —Fine art by Pacific Northwest artists.
Haystack Rock
Haystack Rock is one of Oregon’s most recognizable landmarks —this is also the spot where the truck rally sequence in The Goonies was filmed. It rises 235 feet from the edge of the shoreline and at low tide, you can walk right up to it. Sadly, we were not there during low tide, but we did enjoy the beautiful view and long walk along the beach.
Sweet Basil’s Cafe
Sweet Basil’s Cafe is a funky little cafe that satisfied all our food allergies with a menu full of healthy vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The lunch menu is scaled down with soup, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and paninis. The food was simple, yet tasty.
Bruce’s Candy Kitchen
Open since 1963, Bruce’s Candy Kitchen is an iconic family-owned candy shop —transporting you back to the old days of candy stores in the 1950s and ’60s.
The variety of candy was incredible —however, we were here to sample some of their award-winning saltwater taffy. We recommend bringing your own container and skipping the plastic bag.
The Wine Shack
The Wine Shack is an impressive little wine shop with a large selection of Pacific Northwest wines —that also offers tastings and wine by the glass.
A tasting of the Puffin wines seemed like the perfect ending to a wonderful day. We enjoyed the wine so much, that we also purchased a couple of bottles to bring home.
Don’t forget to stop by the Visitor Center.