For me, Seaside is more of a 2.5 star rating, but for the average visitor,I can see it being a low 3. Seaside is a very popular tourist destination. It is essentially the first "larger" beach town that one enters when coming from Portland via Hwy 26, hence the big draw. It has a large and popular convention centre that houses many trade shows and events throughout the year. It hosts one of the largest beach volleyball tournaments on the west coast. It is the final destination of the Hood to Coast footrace. So as you can see, Seaside is a popular spot for entertainment. You really come to Seaside to enjoy the events first, and the city itself, second.
It reminds me of a smaller, dated Atlantic City vibe, sans casinos and mega hotels. In the off-season, things are very slow and quiet for the most part. Many businesses are only open on limited days and shortened hours. The vast majority of merchants offer kitschy items, touristy souvenirs, and beach toys and gear for the wee ones. The outlet mall is modest, but does have a variety of places to meet your shopping needs. I am not a big fan of outlet shopping, as the deals really never seem that great. This seems to be an inherent thing about outlets in general and not specific to the Seaside Outlet Mall. I think they assume that if they call it an outlet, slash prices from ridiculously high MSRP tags then people will eagerly pay any price for the goods and think that they are getting an amazing deal.
Dining options range from over priced, attempts at being high end restaurants, all flash...no bang to uninspired attempts to make a quick buck. There are a few gems here and there, but the pickings can be quite slim, especially if you are used to a larger beach town.
The summer crowds can bring traffic to a standstill on Hwy 101, and the rental bikes and surreys may be fun to ride, but really have no place in the flow of traffic. Use extreme caution for pedestrians and surreys when navigating around Seaside.
The beach itself is wide open and pretty clean. It can get very windy here, no matter the season. Our mild summers can also ensure unpredictable conditions, with a gorgeous sunny morning followed by a foggy, chilly afternoon. If you don't like the weather on the Oregon Coast...wait a few minutes. It can also be sunny and clear in Seaside, but completely socked in just up or down the highway at another beach location like Cannon Beach or Gearhart. Dress in layers is a wise mantra....
For the north coast, Seaside is one of the more family friendly spots. Arcades, many candy shops, ice cream, a fairly safe downtown to walk around in, an aquarium, and activities aimed at the younger set give more options for younger ones than say Cannon Beach, Manzanita, or Astoria. Sidewalks tend to roll up pretty early here in Oregon, so it is good to bring some games or other in-room activities to occupy bored and restless young ones.
A nice spot to get away from the majority of the tourist crowd is The Cove, at the south end of Seaside. Bald Eagles, a park, and plenty of surfing to watch make it a cool beach getaway. Seaside is really what you make of it.
As a visitor, just be respectful of the locals and the environment. Don't litter, don't drag race up and down Broadway with your speakers booming. We love the fact that rap music is your vice, but really don't need to feel the "beatz" to get the message. Cars work the same way here as they do back where you live. No need to step out of your mind while driving and cause accidents by driving the wrong way on a one way street. It happens on an almost daily basis here in Seaside. We even hung signs marking the one way street!!! They are pretty cool if I say so myself.
Yes, we have a beach here, and some people like to wear beach attire around town. We do provide mirrors in all of the motels and hotels, so please feel free to use them. As a rule, it is just images from the internet that burn into our minds forever, but these images are supplemented by some of the outfits that our visitors like to walk around town in. There aren't a lot of therapists available for us locals, so please consider some discretion when getting dressed and hitting the streets of Seaside for your vacation.
We love dogs too. We don't love getting into a weird bondage thing because you can't control and keep your dog on a short lead. As much as we like organic, we don't like doggie land mines, so remember to pick up after your fuzzy best friend. We love children. I personally think they are great deep fried with catchup. We don't like unsupervised children who run wild on the streets, or scream and yell while running around in a restaurant. Many have never seen the deep frier for the bad children, but just remember.....it is one of the few things that is open 24 hours a day in Seaside. CRUNCH!! Smile. read more