56 VISITTHEOREGONCOAST.COM with each room inspired by a famous literary figure. The Taphouse at Nye Creek shakes up craft cocktails and pours a rotating selection of beer and wine from 32 taps. Beach access is just off the main drag, and it’s a peaceful place for a stroll or pedaling a fat-tire bike, which you can rent at Bike Newport. Cross the Yaquina Bay Bridge and you are in South Beach, an industrial area that’s home to the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the top-rated Oregon Coast Aquarium. Both feature live animals, touch tanks and displays on all facets of coastal marine life. The Yaquina Bay Estuary Trail is an easy loop dotted with signage explaining the estuary environment. Rogue Ales Brewer’s on the Bay offers great views of the bay, and dozens of taps feature its award-winning beers. Patrons of South Beach Fish Market feast on fresh seafood at the roadside picnic tables. South Beach is also home to two new world-class disc-golf courses at South Beach State Park and Wilder Park. Enthusiasts love the recently upgraded mountain bike trail system at Wilder Park. Newport claims two iconic lighthouses, both open year-round. The 1871 Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the only wooden lighthouse on the Coast. It was in operation for only three years before it was decommissioned; in 1996 it was reinstated as a working CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JEREMY BURKE (2); BOB WICK / BLM Newport Chowder Bowl Tide pools at Yaquina Head Lighthouse Oregon Coast Aquarium
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