Whether you’re here for a day or a week. . . Lincoln City is “A great place to try new things!”
Lincoln City is home to multiple facilities where you can create your own piece of original artwork, three surf shops offering a variety of lessons on the great Pacific and even on Devils Lake, glass blowing shops (yes, ‘shops’ plural) and a state-of-the-art Culinary Center, we’re sure you will have a noteworthy experience should you choose to accept the challenge.
Hands-On Art Classes
Head home from your vacation with a piece as original as you are! The Lincoln City Cultural Center, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and The Artists’ Studio Association offer classes in photography, ceramics, watercolors, block printing, acrylics, drawing and mosaics. Bring the kids too!
Glass Art in the Making
JENNIFER L. SEARS GLASS ART STUDIO
SW 48th and Hwy 101 • 541-996-2569 • www.jennifersearsglassart.com
At this studio you will have the opportunity not only to see glassblowing in progress, but also to blow your own creation. The studio opened in February 2005 and offers glassblowing demonstrations free to the public, Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., exclusive of a few major holidays. For a modest fee, the artists will also teach you how to blow your own glass float or make your own paperweight, bowl or sea creature. Reserve your spot by calling 541-996-2569!
MORART GLASS FUSING STUDIO
4933 SW Hwy 101• 541-994-2427 • www.morart.com
Create a unique piece of fused glass in just one day. Classes offered to suit your schedule, multiple students welcome! Call for information on their monthly specials. Many classes geared toward creating glass as gifts for holidays and special occasions. Even make a flag for the fourth of July! For more information, check out their website!
Learn to Surf
When ocean’s swells hit the rocky reefs offshore, monster waves crash on to the beaches. Riding those waves is a thrill without measure.
Add a sail or a kite for great windsurfing and kitesurfing opportunities on the Ocean and Devil’s Lake, so if traditional ocean surfing is not your style, you can still hit the water on a board!
Looking for a place to start? Lessons and rentals are available at the following locations in Lincoln City:
Oregon Surf Shop, 3001 SW Hwy 101, 541-996-3957
Lincoln City Surf Shop, 4792 SE Hwy 101, 541-996-7433
Safari Town Surf Shop, 3026 NE Hwy 101, 541-996-6335
Culinary Center
The Culinary Center in Lincoln City focuses on the abundant foods of the Pacific Northwest. It features locally grown and raised foods…from organic vegetables to grass-fed natural meats, prairie-raised chickens, and, of course, a vast array of fresh seafood and shellfish. The Culinary Center offers a wide array of classes to fit a variety of comfort levels. In demonstration classes it’s your job to sit back, relax, and enjoy the wonderful food and wine while you learn from a pro. Or dive right in to a hands-on class. Check out our class schedule here!
Tide Pooling and Seafood Harvesting
The tide gradually recedes, leaving behind exposed rocks with many little pools of still salt water. In those pools many colorful, exotic creatures make their homes – starfish, sea anemones and urchins, and tiny fish. Children and adults alike can gaze in wonder at the tidepools, ocean habitats in miniature. There are several good areas to explore tidepools in the Lincoln City area. One of the best is near the Roads End Wayside, a corner of the coast which offers intertidal life that rivals Yaquina Head and Seal Rock. Starfish live side-by-side with sea anemones and sea urchins. The starfish are red, orange and pink; the sea anemones are a rich purple and green; and the sea urchins a rich, dark purple. Tiny fish dart among the shallows. Hermit crabs dart, much more quickly than the snails they resemble, from one shelter to another. Rocky residents like mussels and barnacles thrive in the intertidal zone. Mussels have a long, tapered dark blue to black shell. The vivid, orange flesh of the mussel is edible and a prized delicacy in many parts of the world. You’re allowed to harvest mussels but only with a license. Barnacles are small, and usually white, and cluster on rocks and pilings.
These are but a few of the many creatures that live in the tidepools. You can also enjoy the activity of the sea birds as they feed on the exposed bowls of wildlife. As always, take care when walking or climbing on the rocks. The sea growth on the rocks makes them very slippery, and a fall can be very serious. Also, check the tide tables so that you know you are exploring in a safe time. Many tidepoolers have become trapped on the rocks when high tide starts coming in – a particular danger if you’re heading north from the Roads End Wayside. Another reason to be cautious when you’re searching for wildlife is that it’s their home too. Anemones, starfish and mussels all live in a delicate environment that is easily damaged; too much handling and destruction of barnacle growth can disturb their habitat.
CRABBING ON THE BAY ON SW 51ST
Crabbing and clamming are great ocean activities for any group. Although crabbing is done commercially in the ocean, primarily during the winter, those seeking only a few can pursue them at any time of the year—and you do not have to get on the ocean to do it. Siletz Bay and Siletz River at the south edge of Lincoln City are prime spots for crabbing. The best time of day is an hour or two before or after low tide when the creatures are active and water currents disturb the crab gear least. All you need is a crab ring net, bait, license, and a measuring gauge, all of which can be obtained from Eleanor’s Undertow or Tiki’s, both on SW 51st. On the Taft Dock on SW 51st, next to Mo’s, the regulations for crabbing are posted.
CLAMMING ANYWHERE ON THE BEACH OR IN THE BAY
Clamming is as simple as crabbing and equally satisfying. Most of the clams found in this area are either the smaller butter clams or larger razor clams. One way to find them is to look for dimples or holes in the sand, then place your shovel a few inches farther than the hole, in the direction of the ocean, and pull back, scooping the sand away to expose the clam. Other folks have found more success by waiting until low tide and seeking out pockets near rocky outcroppings. Those pockets frequently contain a number of clams, all of which can be harvested in a shovel scoop or two. Each person is allowed to harvest 20 butter clams and 15 razor clams per day, and a license is required. It may be advisable to check with local authorities to determine if red tide conditions exist that make harvesting unwise. Enjoy the beautiful creatures, but, aside from mussels and clams, take nothing live from the beach – it’s against the law. Be careful, and enjoy safe tidepool exploring.