Exploring Oregon's Central Coast| A Visit To Florence

My family and I recently returned from a trip to Florence, Oregon. Florence is located in what is referred to as the Central Coast because it's located in the middle of the Oregon Coast. Our family has spent a lot of time on the North Coast in Cannon Beach and Seaside. I love the Oregon Coast and I'm grateful for all the visits I've had over the years. 

Florence is a city that my parents, my brother and I had seen driving by on highway 101. But for some reason, we never stopped in this charming coastal town. I do remember seeing the Heceda Head Lighthouse, which we visited on this trip and I'll share about in another post. The lighthouse looks like a toy, propped on the bluff above the sea. 

Florence is full of many beaches, and we got to check out three this trip. We even caught the very, very last of a sunset one evening. I was surprised by how many sand dunes this area has. Outdoor recreation is very popular. Horseback riding along the beach, fishing, hiking, and dune buggy riding are what bring visitors from afar. Florence has a huge area for riding sand buggies, named Sand Master Park, riders go up and down the dunes in their sand buggies. Looks a little too adventurous for our family, but it was fun to watch! It was difficult to walk up the steep dunes to reach the beach at some parks. The sand felt a little like quick sand. But once we reached the top, the views blew us away!

If you've never visited Florence, OR, go check it out if you get a chance. They also have a lot of notable and delicious spots to eat! I can't wait to blog about some of the places we dined in town! 

 The road to Florence was quite curvy and almost felt like a rollercoaster. With the sun in our eyes, we took each curve slowly and looked forward to arriving in town. 

This beach is located at Heceda Head State Park. From here you can also access the trail to the Heceda Head Lighthouse. The trail is 1/2 mile to the lighthouse. Parking is $5 at this beach. 

The first time we drove up to the lighthouse, it was super foggy. So we decided to come back another day. On the drive back down into town, we stopped at an overlook for some pictures. 

This is the charming and cute Old Town area of Florence. Here is where you'll find some great dining and shops. 

The Siuslaw River runs through town the this bridge is quite scenic, especially during sunset.

This beach is called South Jetty Beach. There's lots of sand dunes! But so pretty at sunset! 

We checked out Darlingtonia State Natural Site, a small nature preserve. It was a really short trail. This was only a 15 minute attraction, but the trees and nature were so gorgeous! 

When in Oregon, I always have to get some good old Dairy Queen. There's one in every town it seems. I'm a sucker for their ice cream! This time we also tried some Cheese Curds. 

On the way home, the weather started to get really stormy with a dark sky. This rainbow appeared and it was stunning! 

I hope you enjoyed my first Florence blog post. Stay tuned for some more travel and food posts from our trip!