Easy access from Portland via I-5 and then Hwy. 18 or Hwy 22 through the Coast Range gives the Central Coast a leg-up in popularity. Lincoln City is one of the coast’s most-visited and family-friendly destinations, and Newport, home the excellent Oregon Coast Aquarium, two lighthouses, and the historic neighborhood of Nye Beach, is the most interesting town along this part of the coast. Whale-watching expeditions leave from the tiny harbor at Depoe Bay, and the old town of Florence, along the Siuslaw River, has some real historic character. Yachats, with its exceptionally beautiful beach, is one of the more affluent communities along the Central Coast.
