What a weekend get-a-way this was. We couldn't have loved this little town more and felt like it was the secret gem of Oregon! We will be back, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland, perfect.
Where we stayed:
Perfectly priced and very large AirBnB, great location, host is super friendly. This place is a steal!
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20327111?bev_ref=&eal_exp=1530331197&eal_sig=0e0ac442953f09633ab58d3d8130ecc3761cc41126359e2d9af4c5d644fcd7ee&eal_uid=6147510&euid=472b5364-95a1-3bb8-b68b-8cd7b4f66c31&photo=&s=&user_id=
Where we ate:
Clearwater- You can make reservations online and request a table outside in the comments section. You will dine over the water with sea lions singing sweet songs to you the whole meal. It is an absolute fun time to just watch them sunbathe and fight with each other. If noise bothers you then this is not your jam, eat inside. The food is really good, all fresh and locally caught seafood. If they are offering anything Dungeness crab, for sure get that. It is all native to Newport and so good!
Rouge Brewery-Huge brewery on the water, with the actual brewpub dating back a long time. They serve food and loads of beers in the pub. Worth the trip for the scenery and beers!
Local Oceans-When making a reservation, if the counter option is available, this is actually the chef's table and such a fun way to do dinner. You can watch and smell all the action of the kitchen while cocktailing. All the food is fresh, fresh, fresh and you can see fisherman bringing in whatever they caught during the day. Highly recommend getting the fisherman stew, which is anything freshly caught that day in a killer light tomato sauce. It is huge, so maybe split it with someone. Also, whatever deviled egg they have that day get that. And also don't skip out on the best Dungeness crab cake you have had in your life. We got the appetizer just to share and it was outstanding.
La Maison Café-If you love benedicts this is your place. Super cute french cafe that serves up the best Benedict on a homemade english muffin. I got the dungeness crab Benedict and it was out of this world (pretty sure you are seeing a pattern with the crab, if it is on the menu, get it!). Also their fresh squeezed OJ is heaven.
What we did:
Newport's Historic Bayfront- Once you eat at Clearwater, stroll the downtown street. It is a bit touristy but worth walking around to see the cute shops and locals
Yaquina Head Lighthouse- WOW. A must. MUST. You pay $7 to get into the park and it is worth every penny. Check out the lighthouse, take some pics, see the penguins making their home on massive rocks... then walk down 137 steps to the black stone beach. We were in awe, it is amazing, truly unreal. The sound of the waves going back and forth on the rocks is a sound I have never heard. We laid on the beach for about and hour and just took it all in. You can go at low tide and see some pretty remarkable sea life too! Plan to spend 1-2 hours just wandering and enjoying and taking it all in.
