Pacific City, A Quaint Drinking Village with a Fishing Problem

Pacific City, Oregon is minute in size (population around 1000) and yet it is one of the most popular destinations on the Oregon coast.  This quaint little drinking village has some spectacular monoliths to gaze at (best done with a brew in hand), beautiful beaches to play on, or drive on, and definitely has plenty of fishing.

We spent almost a week meandering about Pacific City and found more than a few things to write home about, but here is our “short list”.

Cape Kiwanda is part of the Three Capes Scenic Route (and scenic it is!).  We spent a few too many hours here watching the fog and the waves compete for beauty.

Kiwanda is the smallest of the three, but it boasts the biggest waves, the famous monolith known as Haystack Rock and is the home of the Pacific Dory Fleet (a Dory is a traditional fishing boat with a flat-bottom and high flaring sides).

Ok, honestly I didn’t even know what a dory was until we got here.  But, after watching a Dory launch directly into the surf, take on the waves and then return by gunning it up and onto the sand, I almost considered becoming a fisherman!  It looked like an amusement park ride!

And just on the other side of Kiwanda is more of the lovely and endless Oregon beaches…

You know us, after days of hikes and beaching it, we had to find the local watering holes!  And, while the scenery from the patio at the Pelican Brewery can’t be beat and the brews are mighty tasty, we were disappointed that we couldn’t find any local seafood on the menu.  It was hard to believe considering the dorymen are literally dragging up their catches just outside the back door!  Despite our disappointment, we ordered the previously frozen rockfish and salmon tacos.  While it wasn’t quite the meal their website raves about, it was still pretty tasty.

Oh, and they let us take our beer to go so we could enjoy sunset on the beach…so they got extra brownie points for that.

The Sportsman’s Pub-N-Grub is the local’s hangout (and where the dorymen like to go)!  It’s about as hole in the wall as you can get and the fish and chips don’t come any fresher, better or cheaper than here.  They serve whatever the dorymen bring them and for us that was lingcod (which isn’t a ling or a cod but none the less, it’s white, flaky and tasty).  And should you be a gambling fool, you can even throw some quarters in the slots while you wait.  Our server was friendly (the online reviews said they wouldn’t be) and they had ice cold regional brews on tap for $3.50!

And finally there’s our campground; perched on top of a hill, surrounded by trees and peppered with the cutest bunnies in every direction!

It was as if we were in a bunny sanctuary…even the squirrels had to take a backseat to these big eared cuties!

As you may have gathered, we’ve taken a liking to the Oregon coast…but can you blame us?

Have you been to Pacific City?  What was your favorite spot?  Tell us about it in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

Disclaimer: While we were compensated to film the campground (thanks Thousand Trails!)…all of our experiences and opinions are NOT purchased and are still our own.