2 Best Sights in The Oregon Coast, Oregon

Although it's just over an acre, this beautiful, volunteer-run botanical garden makes for a relaxing, colorful, and fragrant encounter with nature—it's hard to believe you can find such a quiet spot just a block off Lincoln City's busy main drag. Visit with the artfully arranged rhododendrons, magnolias, Sitka spruce, and flowering perennials, or take a guided tour. You're also welcome to come enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds. There's a cute on-site gift shop that's open March through November. Although admission is free, the garden thrives thanks to donations.

A few miles north of Florence, you'll find this interesting example of the rich plant life found in the marshy terrain near the coast. It's also a surefire kid pleaser. A short paved nature trail leads through clumps of insect-catching cobra lilies, so named because they look like spotted cobras ready to strike. This 18-acre park is most interesting in May, when the lilies are in bloom.