When you think of beach towns you might be picturing tiki bars, sand volleyball, and a bathwater temperature ocean, but the beaches of Washington are, well, a little different. They are a bit more rugged, much colder, with fewer foam parties and spring breakers. They are wonderful and charming, though, and definitely deserve a visit (of course, if you want to order a pina colada at one of the restaurants and pretend like you are on a topical beach, by all means). We headed to Long Beach, WA for a little getaway and had such a good time in this quaint little town. It’s small and easy to get around and can definitely be handled in a long weekend. Below is our guide highlighting our favorite spots.
Where to stay:
Adrift Hotel – We love this eco-friendly lodge that sits right on the beach and the boardwalk. They rent bicycles to guests for free, have a cute restaurant with live music most nights, a game room with shuffle board and ping pong, and loads of board games and DVDs for your use. Also, it's dog friendly!
What to do:
Visit the beach – Long Beach has an 8 mile boardwalk that lines the beach. It is perfect for walking or biking and there are a few geocaches hidden along the way. It’s peaceful and pretty. You can also drive your car straight on the beach, which is great because you can easily bring all your beach supplies with you (beer! frisbee!). Long Beach is actually the world’s longest beach, so you have miles and miles to explore.
Cape Disappointment State Park - There are a lot of trails of different lengths throughout this park. We chose the Cape Disappointment trail, which is easy and around 4 miles long. It takes you to the lighthouse at the mouth of the Columbia River and past Fort Canby that you can explore. It's set up to give you history about the fort, and the mouth of Columbia is crazy and insane!
Marsh’s Free Museum – This wacky shop is filled with all sorts of bizarre knick knacks, tourist gifts, antique coin operated machines, a two headed calf, and Jake the alligator man. If anything, it’s good for a laugh.
What to eat:
Cottage Bakery & Delicatessen - THE BEST DONUTS ON THE PLANET. They are so good that we may or may not have stopped here twice. They are handmade, fluffy and out of this world.
Captain Bob's Chowder - get the smoked salmon chowder because, duh.
Laurie's Homestead Breakfast House – We love this little diner. It feels like the perfect place for breakfast when visiting a beach town…huge portions, delicious food and a lot of character. Insider tip: borrow bikes from Adrift Hotel and ride the boardwalk all the way down to the restaurant!
