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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
) - 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;
), 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,
). The most prominent place to
stay
is the
Sylvia Beach Hotel
, on Nye Beach at 267 NW Cliff St (tel 541/265-5428,
; $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,
; $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
cafes
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.
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