Things to do in and around Florence
Florence's tastefully restored Old Town offers interesting shops
and boutiques, coffee houses and good restaurants. Another
fun side trip is the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Located
in Old Town, this private collection includes thousands of
hand-tied flies mounted in frames. Part of the collection
dates back to the 1800s and includes flies from more than 20
countries. Fish paintings and wooden fish-related sculptures
complete the collection. South of town, the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum
has exhibits of pioneer items such as kitchen and lumbering artifacts.
It also includes Siuslaw Indian artifacts.
Other popular recreational activities include beach combing,
hiking, fishing, bird watching, swimming and boating. The Pacific
Ocean, Siuslaw river or the 17 lakes and numerous streams around
Florence provide a plethora of fishing opportunity to include
crabbing, clamming, ocean and river fishing. There are jet
boat trips available up the Siuslaw River during the summer.
For a more leisurely pace, the Westward Ho! an old fashioned
sternwheeler, takes visitors on excursions and dinner cruises
on the Siuslaw River.
Massive sand dunes characterize the area around Florence. Located on the northern edge of the National Dunes Recreation Area, Florence is best known for the hiking, bird watching, horse back and dune buggy riding activities available in the dunes. This area contains some of the largest oceanfront dunes in the world, ranging up to 500 feet high and forming banks up to three miles deep. The Oregon dunes are the largest expanse
of coastal sand dunes in the U.S.,
and stretch for 50 miles between Florence and Coos Bay. Sandland
Adventures invites you to join them for a day of fun at the Oregon
Dunes. On top of the largest dunes you can view the beautiful
Oregon Coast, Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Siuslaw River.
They offer professional drivers that can take your family on
a safe and exciting ride to the most scenic parts of the dunes.The
guided tours carry a maximum of 5 passengers plus our driver.
Larger groups can be accommodated with multiple vehicles or their
Giant Dune Buggies with a capacity of up to 40 people per
buggy. After your dune ride, you can have fun bumping and splashing
on our Bumper Boats, race on our Grand Prix style Go-Kart
track or play our Miniature Golf Course. They are located less
than 1 mile south of Florence on the central Oregon Coast. Look
for our sign on the West side of Hwy 101. http://www.sandland.com/
Golfers will enjoy the 18 hole Ocean Dunes Golf Links public
course, which is surrounded by sixty foot high sand dunes.
The course has a driving range, cart and equipment rentals
and a pro shop. Open all year, weekend reservations are recommended
on this popular course (1-800-468-4833). The Sandpines Golf
Resort (public) is a Rees Jones course, including 6 treed holes,
6 water holes and 6 dune holes. It was voted best new public
course in America (1993) by Golf Digest. Reservations are recommended
(1-800-917-4653). http://www.el.com/To/Florence/
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