78 VISITTHEOREGONCOAST.COM Coos Bay area can’t be beat. Held every July, the popular festival welcomes more than 80 musicians from across the country for two weeks of concerts and performances. Catch fantastic live theater at the Bandon Playhouse. For more than 49 years, this community theater has staged everything from classic musicals to works by new playwrights. In Brookings, the Chetco Pelican Players, another longstanding nonprofit theater group, presents six plays a year. CULTURAL HERITAGE Take a walk through history on the Sawmill & Tribal Trail, a 5.6-mile (9-km) stretch that can be accessed at many points in Coos Bay and North Bend. The trail honors paths developed by The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, connecting their bayside villages and hunting grounds. To learn more about the heritage of the Coos people and the Coquille Indian Tribe, head to the Coos History Museum. Hop aboard at the Oregon Coast Historical Railway Museum, home to a restored 1922 Baldwin steam locomotive, along with other vintage railroad and logging equipment. For a serene stroll, the 2.4-acre (.97-ha) Choshi Gardens in Mingus Park honor sister city Choshi, Japan. Come summer, the outdoor amphitheater hosts Music on the Bay and Shakespeare in the Park. Exhibits at the Bandon Historical Society Museum highlight settler history and industry, and showcase Coquille Indian baskets and other artifacts. For a look at Oregon pioneer life, head to Brookings and tour the Chetco Valley Historical Society Museum. Housed in the 1857 Blake House, it displays artifacts from the era and features the largest Monterey Cypress in the United States on its grounds. Visit the Chetco Indian Memorial in Brookings and the Nasomah Memorial in Bandon for more Indigenous history. www.wrcfoodtrail.com FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1936 PERCHED AGAINST 80-FOOT BLUFF OVERLOOKING A SANDY BEACH BEACH ACCESS INDOOR POOL & SPA PET-FRIENDLY 1865 BEACH LOOP DRIVE S.W. BANDON, OR 97411-0373 RESERVATIONS: (800) 842-2407 WWW.SUNSETMOTEL.COM
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