Long Beach, Washington - Best Kid and Dog Friendly Oceanside Resort

Long Beach, Washington 20 miles north of Astoria, Oregon and south of Ocean Shores is a great beachside resort to take the family that will not break the bank. Because of its remote and rather isolated location, the town always has the best 4th of July Fireworks display every year (just about anything goes here!) plus there are many horse-back riding trails where you can take the horses out onto the beach and dog-friendly cottages, motels and hotels.

You can find Long Beach, Washington by taking the coastal highway 101 north over the bridge which connects Astoria, Oregon to Washington State (a very high, delightful treat in itself), and following the windy two-lane blacktop past historically quaint seaside cottages through towns like Chinook and Ilwaco (which hosts Cape Disappointment State Park, a very nice marina and an authentic historic lighthouse). This is where the Lewis & Clark pioneer trail ends and there are many hiking trails to the lighthouses extending from the State Park.

After taking a right near Black Lake (the town's only four-way stop light) you coninue on for about 8 miles to Long Beach. There are two main public access areas to the ocean, but many streets heading west off of the highway also offer rustic picnic areas on the beach. Long Beach claims the longest public access and in the winter even allow cars to drive along the shoreline but be mindful of the tides and debris. In summer you will see the horseback riders, dune buggies and kite flyers along the windy beach. On the Sid Snyder Drive approach are public restrooms, a Kite Museum and movie theatre. There you can find the boardwalk which is provided with lights at night and the walkway is lined with interesting stops with beach lore about birds, plants and wildlife, including the bleached out bones of a large whale.

Although the hotels which sit right at the beach edge are expensive, they are the best places to eat like the Lightship Restaurant near the Edgewater. Doogers Seafood, Chen's and The Dunes are probably the most popular. You can find many low-cost beach cottages and motels, including a Motel 8 (Ocean Beach Boulevard/Pacific Avenue) which offers a pet-friendly dog package and Our Place at the Beach, where kids and pets are welcome and have internet access, which are close by the downtown area amenities for the kids such as go-karts, tandem bikes and mopeds, putt-putt golf, art and gift shops, seafood restaurants and an indoor game arcade and outdoor rides. Do not miss Marsh's Free Museum with a mummified reptile man, old player piano and stuffed to the gills with seashore trinkets like sand dollars, starfish and every kind of shell and coastal decoration imaginable.

At the other end of the boardwalk is the main entrance at Bolstad Avenue where you can find the Ocean Lodge and an entrance for cars. Many times throughout the summer this approach hosts arts and crafts booths, kite festivals, sandcastle competitions, recreational vehicle demonstrations and food vendors. Long Beach is also known for the antique and hot-rod car shows (watch out for the police that weekend!), as well as the "world's longest garage sale." If you have guessed that Long Beach is the blue-collar cousin of the swanky resorts to the south such as famous Seaside, Oregon, you would be right. This is why Long Beach has held onto their reputation for being family friendly. They allow vacationers to walk and camp with their dogs and horses right through town, the kids are welcome at all the restaurants and there is a movie theatre with family-friendly flicks at the ready come evening.

My favorite pick for long-term stay is The Breakers, located 1 and 1/2 miles north of downtown Long Beach at 222 W 26th Street, (360) 642-4414. This is because it is far enough away to be quiet at night and look more like condominiums. There is an access beach walk there which takes you to an old petrified tree known for its historical connection to the pioneers Lewis & Clark.. The weather varies greatly, although the temperature is usually on the mild side. There is a KOA campground near Ilwaco, but plenty of RV parks along Pacific Highway. Sid's is the best grocery near downtown Long Beach, but the best place to shop is Dennis and Company near the ice cream shop on Bolstad and Pacific. It is where the locals get all their ocean and fishing/camping gear including clothes.