4 Oregon Coast Towns Where Plenty Stays Open After Summer Ends

Once summer ends, it’s easy to assume the Oregon coast shuts down with it.

It doesn’t, and Oregonians willing to pack a jacket can still find plenty to do.

Here are the coastal towns worth the drive when the busy season winds down.

1. Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach’s Stormy Weather Arts Festival begins on November 6 and runs through November 8, 2026, according to the chamber.

You can choose from more than 50 events, including artist demonstrations, hands-on workshops, artist receptions, a concert and buskers around town.

You can also stop by the library, which is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

The History Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is by donation.

From November through May, Friends of Haystack Rock hosts a free lecture series at the library on the second Wednesday evening of each month.

Oregon State Parks closed the west section of Ecola State Park’s Clatsop Loop Trail until further notice because of an active landslide, effective April 17, 2026.

Cannon Beach in Lights, a display of decorations around town, runs from December 1 through 31.

On December 5 at 4 p.m., you can join the free lamp lighting in Sandpiper Square, which includes performances, songs and a visit from Santa.

2. Manzanita

Manzanita sits just to the north of Nehalem Bay State Park, according to the Tillamook Coast visitors association.

Oregon State Parks says the park’s campground is open year-round and accepts reservations up to six months ahead.

The park sits on a four-mile sand spit, and its campground has 265 electrical sites with water.

Nine of the park’s 16 yurts are pet-friendly.

Activities there include kayaking, crabbing, clamming and horseback rides.

You can also ride a 1.8-mile forested bike path with views of the bay.

The Hoffman Center for the Arts, at 594 Laneda Avenue, is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., except the last Sunday of every month.

If you’d rather make something, the center’s events page lists a collage workshop on October 17 for $175.

You can also hear authors Rene Denfeld and Dan DeWeese in a free conversation on October 24.

3. Yachats

Yachats’ Celtic Music Festival runs November 13 through 15, 2026, according to the festival’s site.

It’s the 25th annual festival, with stages at the Yachats Commons and the Historic Little Log Church, among other venues.

You can pick from three days of free and ticketed activities, including workshops, jam sessions and dancing.

The Yachats chamber says its Visitors Center is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 241 Highway 101 North.

Oregon State Parks says Yachats State Recreation Area is open for day use year-round, and you can walk there from central Yachats down Ocean View Road.

Smelt Sands sits at the north end of town.

It’s open for day use year-round.

South of Yachats on Highway 101, Cape Perpetua has trails and viewpoints that the Forest Service says remain open from dawn to dusk.

The area has 26 miles of interconnected hiking trails.

4. Bandon

Bandon’s Bullards Beach State Park sits two miles north of town.

Day use runs from 7 a.m. to dusk year-round, according to Oregon State Parks.

You can walk Pearl’s Trail, a three-quarter-mile route through the dunes, or the paved beach trail, which runs just over a mile through fields and forest.

The park also has 11 miles of equestrian trails and 4.5 miles of beach at the end of Bullards Beach Road.

Bandon’s Alive After Five art walk runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 16.

You can catch the Boardwalk Art Show at the Port of Bandon through October 20.

The Bandon Playhouse stages Frankenstein from October 23 through November 1.

Oregon State Parks says Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint, formerly the Bandon Ocean Wayside, requires a day-use parking permit.

You can buy a one-day permit on site.

Bullards Beach has seasonal closures for the B Loop from October 19 and the A Loop from November 2.

The C Loop’s campsites and yurts are open and reservable year-round.

Whale Watch Weeks

Oregon State Parks schedules its Whale Watch Weeks for late December and late March, and you can plan a coast trip around either one.

The agency calls the central coast a hot-spot for whales from June to mid-November.

The southbound winter migration runs mid-December through mid-January.

Spring watching starts in late March as the gray whales travel north and continues until June.