Newport

Newport, established in 1882, and today a bustling coastal community of over 9,000 people. Its heart is a working waterfront on Yaquina Bay, where fishing fleets and fresh seafood markets share space with galleries, shops, and restaurants. You’ll want to visit Newport’s first-class Oregon Coast Aquarium, where five impressive indoor exhibits offer intimate views of life on the Oregon shoreline and out in the open sea. The Passages of the Deep exhibit is really something: you’ll feel like an underwater explorer as you come face to face with sharks, rockfish, and sting rays from an underwater tunnel. Be sure to see the Enchanted Seas exhibit, which takes you on a journey into the mystical world of seahorses, sea dragons, and other magical sea creatures. Six acres of outdoor exhibits add to this comprehensive sea museum, including your chance to get up-close peeks at sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, tufted puffins, a giant Pacific octopus, and a walk-through seabird aviary. (2820 SE Ferry Slip Road; open daily Memorial Day to Labor Day, from 9 am to 6 pm, and after Labor Day, from 10 am to 5 pm; 541-867-3474; www.aquarium.org.)