Driving the Oregon Coast

Day 3: Arch Cape to Lincoln City

Lincoln City is a straight 79-mile shot down the 101, past open stretches of sand with more clumps of beach grass than sunbathers. Along the way: Laneda Avenue, in Manzanita, is a charming shopping strip; the Picnic Basket, in Rockaway Beach, has 97 flavors of salt-water taffy; Garibaldi Marina will hook you up for crab hunting and clam digging; and the Hawk Creek Café, in Neskowin, serves fresh seafood and a popular wood-fired pizza. Tillamook is the home of the famous cheddar, as well as ice creams made from local berries. Past Lincoln City, in Newport, is a worthwhile detour: the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, dating from 1871.

The beachfront at Lincoln City is stacked with condo-by-the-sea complexes—which makes the recent renovation of the 141-room Surftides (doubles from $134) that much more welcome. Under the new management of the owners of the hip Farmer’s Daughter hotel, in Los Angeles, the Surftides—first opened in 1936—is now decorated with cork bulletin-board walls and jazzy striped daybeds. The balconied guest rooms reference Midcentury Modern design with sleek built-ins and bold orange accents. You’d swear you were sleeping in an urban boutique hotel, except the roar outside your door is waves, not traffic.