Destination:
Florence, Oregon

Recreation

When it comes to recreation, you can probably do just about anything and everything in Florence. Fly over the ocean sands on a thrilling dune buggy ride. Play a round of golf at one of the most beautiful courses in the world. Or grab a sailboard, a set of water skis, or a pair of swim trunks and play in the water. With the Oregon Dunes nearby, pristine Pacific Northwest forests, dozens of freshwater lakes and rivers, immaculate golf courses, endless public beaches, and a bounty of other natural wonders to see and explore, you'll never run out of things to do in Florence.

Golf

Rees Jones and William G. Robinson were the men who designed Sandpines Golf Links and Ocean Dunes Golf Links, respectively. Together, this pair of beautiful Florence golf courses compliment each other in their award winning design and their style of play. They also make for some of the most relaxing and beautiful landscaping in the area.

Ocean Dunes has a double green, sand dunes, beach grass, links-style pot bunkers, and spectacular views. Sandpines has been voted Number One in Golf Digest's 1996/97 "America's Top 75 Affordable Courses," one of the "Top 5 Courses to Play in Oregon," and was also voted the "Best New Public Course in America" by Golf Digest in 1993.

While golf is a year-round sport in Florence, the best time to play is during the autumn, from September to November, or so say local residents. So don't waste your precious time -- grab your bag of clubs and get out on the course.

Beaches and Beachcombing

The beaches at Florence are breathtaking, and can be accessed at several locations: Siltcoos Lake, Heceta Beach, Sutton Creek, Devil's Elbow, Muriel Ponsler Wayside, Washburne Park, and the gravel bar at Big Creek. Throw on some good beach clothes, grab a chair (or a pile of sand), and watch the waves and a spectacular Pacific sunset.

For the visitor who cherishes the chance to spend some time at the ocean's edge searching for marine bounty, Florence's beaches come highly recommended. The ocean currents here wash up fascinating treasures: bottles, nets, Japanese glass fishing floats, logs, and other bits of driftwood. The cross-oceanic voyages some of these objects make are attested to by the Indian and Eskimo artifacts that commonly land on the beach here.

Dunes

The spectacular Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area stretches for 40 majestic miles in this region, from Coos Bay in the south all the way up to Florence. The sand dunes here reach up to hundreds of feet in height and make up river, forest, and wetland habitats. Hikers, beachcombers, artists, nature lovers, and ATV enthusiasts converge on these spectacular dunes, which provide vantage points of Florence and the Pacific.

A good place to tour the dunes and learn about the natural forces that shaped these mountains of sand is the Sand Dunes Frontier and Theme Park in Florence. Not only does Sand Dunes offer narrated sandbuggy tours of the dunes, but they also have thrilling sand rail rides and rent out ATVs to guests. Sand Dunes also features camping sites, a restaurant, gift store, and other attractions.

Watersports -- Just a Few Suggestions

Florence is watersports heaven. Popular ways to spend your time on and in the water include water skiing, scuba diving, river rafting, canoeing, jet skiing, spear fishing, sailboating and sailboarding, and even taking a ride in a sea plane. And then, of course, there's good old-fashioned swimming. But certainly, if you like spending your time on the water, you've come to the right place.

See Fishing and Wildlife Pages for more information.

Where to Go/Who to Call

Watersports & Shoreline Activities:

Golf:

Horseback Riding:

Tours & Sight-seeing:

Fishing & Charters:

Theaters, Casino, Museums & Events:

Chamber
of
Commerce
Visitor's Center
270 Hwy 101,
Florence, Oregon 97439
(541) 997-3128
Email

Lodging ... Location & Seasons ... Restaurants ... Shops & Galleries ... Recreation
Fishing ... Wildlife ... Calendar ... Community Events ... History ... Introduction