Advice for a week on the (central) Oregon coast
 

Planning to spend a week in the Waldport/Newport area on the Oregon coast in late August. We've never been to this area before so I'd appreciate first-hand recommendations of places to see and things to do. We'll be flying to PDX, and then driving out to the coast, staying at a house right on the beach. Our outdoor interests are walking/hiking, kayaking, wildlife-spotting. And we also like to shop at local farmer markets and then cook-in, as well as eat out. Any recommendations for rainy day options? Open to suggestions and advice!

Go have a grilled cheese sandwich and some ice cream at the Tillamook creamery cafe

https://www.tillamook.com/cheese-factory/index.html

Thank you missydarlin for your advice, I've put in on our list for a daytrip. Folks, any other suggestions?

It won't be raining in August. That's the peak of the dry season. Eat at Mo's Seafood in Lincoln City.

Visit the aquarium in Newport, Devil's Elbow and Heceta Head state parks (famous lighthouse); maybe take a day to drive inland and tour the Oregon State Univ. campus in Corvallis. Head south for the sand dunes south of Florence, or go whale chasing out of Depoe Bay.

Mo's is a chain with branches up and down the coast; there's no need to go up to Lincoln City. http://www.moschowder.com/index.php

In August you shouldnt see rain.....but you can see coastal fog roll in (sometimes with this there can be mist)

If you were going to ask where to stay I would have suggested the southern part of the coast around Bandon and gold beach area.

On the coast you have a bunch of different towns you can explore as well as the different beaches and state parks

This is great information everyone, thank you. We're going to be staying quite close to Newport, so I've put Mo's Newport location and the aquarium on our list. And definitely have set aside at least one day to visit/hike Heceta Head and Devil's Elbow, maybe even keep going to Florence.

Gardyloo, what's the attraction of the OSU campus in Corvallis? Just an interesting campus to visit, or something unusual?

Please keep the ideas coming!

It's a pretty enough campus, but frankly I was struggling to come up with things. Maybe go on a covered bridge quest instead - http://www.covered-bridges.org/bridges.htm - many are very picturesque.

Thanks Gardyloo. We'll probably give OSU at Corvallis a skip then. I'm not worried about running out of things to do ... we know there is plenty of hiking in the area, and my backup plan is endless walks down the beach. Apparently we're staying on a beach that is 8 miles long!

I find the entire Oregon Coast to be beautiful. If you look on a good map you will see that Oregon has a state park every few miles. So, there are many places to hike and explore.
My top recommendation is Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The dunes are amazing. Some of the dunes reach 500 feet above sea level.
On my last visit to the Oregon Coast I got this map, and found it to be very helpful for my explorations:
http://gmjohnsonmaps.com/product/was...state-map-gmj/
My favorite northern Oregon coast hike is Neahkanie mountain. It is on the ocean and 1680 feet tall, and the view from the top is magnificent. It's in Osvald West State Park, about 100 miles north of where you will stay.
The view from Cape Meares near Tillamook is also wonderful, and there are some nice hikes in that park.
Munson Creek Falls is a 319 foot waterfall south of Tillamook.
I know there are many other beautiful sights in the central Oregon coast, but it's been too long since I visited for me to give specific recommendations. enjoy your explorations.

Pick up a bag of fresh squeaky cheese curds to go! Take a zip lock baggie and the squeakiness will keep longer but it still changes within a day or so (check the pack date on the curd packages before purchasing!).

The original Mo's is on the land side of Bay (? think that's right) St. There's a second location across the street, Mo's Annex, which overlooks the bay that I like a bit more for the views. I like to request one of the tables furthest out and often end up watching one of the charter boats coming in with a fresh load for cooking and cleaning.

Tide pools can be quite interesting! (Do keep in the back of your head that tides shift every six hours and be safe with where you go.)

Don't overlook watching a sunset on the beach either, if you've never done it! Take something warm. Even in August, it can often be somewhat chilly with the wind blowing.

I was going to suggest that you stop by the Fred Meyer's (it is a grocery store) in Newport and go to their in-house Starbucks. If Mary is working, one of the baristas that works there most mornings, tell her that her brother said hi. :)

Drive up to Depoe Bay (the smallest harbor in the world). Check out the whale watching center. This is an interesting town.