Locale Seaview Grotto is located at the southern edge of Gold Beach in Sebastian Shores, the last private 'on-the-beach' residential colony on the Pacific coast of the United States. Although the wide and sandy beach is public, it is used almost exclusively by homeowners and guests of the Sebastian Shores colony, making it safe and comfortable for notables who want to be left alone. Pass your day on the beach building driftwood art, bird watching, kite flying, reading or napping, and shell collecting. Walk north on the beach 100 yards to the Gold Beach Visitor Center and ask the friendly docents to help you plan your stay, then continue 1.5 miles along the beach to the Rogue River as it enters the Pacific Ocean. South from Sebastian Shores, wade through or leap across Hunter Creek and stop at Kissing Rock, a beautiful example of the Oregon Coast's ancient volcanic origin. If you're with someone you love, help the rock keep its reputation. The low tide pools are exciting to explore. Walk, run or ride your beach cruiser bicycle through Buena Vista Ocean Wayside State Park to Cape Sebastian, 3 miles further south. Wind Surfing and Paddle Boarding World-class ocean windsurfing and paddle boarding at Pistol River and freshwater windsurfing (and lessons) at Floras Lake are major attractions. Family Activities Free berry picking along every back road is popular with families in July, August, and September. Spectacular hiking abounds for people at all levels of ability on well-maintained trails. A campfire on the beach (away from the sea grass dunes) is a wonderful evening activity. Shopping & Dining The town of Gold Beach boasts the best bookstore and art gallery in southern Oregon with baristas and a pastry chef famous known for her creative use of local fruits and berries. The Gold Rush Center is home to wonderful local artists and craftspersons. Two supermarkets and a fish market have all the provisions for wonderful home-cooked meals at Seaview Grotto, but Gold Beach has several excellent restaurants within walking distance and the elegant Tu Tu Tun Lodge and Spa with its exquisite riverside dining room seven miles up the north shore road of the Rogue River. The cliffs at Otter Point and Nesika Beach can be carefully explored a few miles north of town. Golf Two intimate and fun (and inexpensive) public golf courses are nestled in banana belts within 30 minutes. The fantastic Bandon Dunes golf complex is less than 1-hour north, with 5 spectacular courses. Golf Odyssey reports, “on this remote stretch of the wildly stunning Oregon coast, where the finest golf courses in the whole world quietly await you.” Wild and Scenic Rogue River Two miles from the house, the Rogue River enters the Pacific Ocean from its origins 215 miles east in Crater Lake. Famous for Salmon and Steelhead trout, Gold Beach winter fishing in a heated boat could not be more relaxing. The Rogue National Wild and Scenic River is surrounded by forested mountains and rugged boulder and rock-lined banks. Two jet boat companies provide safe and comfortable but very exciting trips up into remote canyons where Bald Eagles, Otters, and Black Bears abound. Coastal Redwoods Considered to be one of America’s most beloved treasures, the old growth Coastal Redwood forests begin just below the California border, 30 miles south of Gold Beach. Stop by the Visitors Center in Crescent City to choose your Redwoods experience. These majestic trees cannot be captured on camera – they need to be experienced! Fishing, hiking, bird watching, and Roosevelt Elk are all part of you Redwood Forest visit.
