With its varied natural settings, Cannon Beach allows for a variety of outdoor recreation activities. Most well-known are the beaches covering over nine miles with 40 public access points around the city. Lifeguards are available from May to September, and beach visitors can enjoy canoes, kayaks and other small inflatable boats. Haystack Rock, located just outside Cannon Beach, towers 235 feet as one of the Pacific coast's largest sea stacks. Visitors to Haystack Rock can enjoy tide pools full of all kinds of sea birds, fish and invertebrate.
Cannon Beach visitors and residents can also enjoy various fine arts activities. Home to numerous art galleries, artisans and photography galleries, Cannon Beach hosts the annual Stormy Weather Arts Festival along with local art exhibitions. For those interested in the performing arts, Cannon Beach features the Cannon Beach Chorus (cannonbeachchorus.org), which holds performances across the country, and the Coaster Theater Playhouse (coastertheatre.com), showing a variety of plays and musicals year-round.
Whether you're looking for a good deal or unique pieces, when shopping in Cannon Beach you have access to several different shopping opportunities. Cannon Beach is home to locally owned craft stores, clothing boutiques, surf shops and antique stores. Because Cannon Beach covers only a few square miles, shoppers can easily access a majority of the shops by foot. Cannon Beach is also home to a number of restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and delis to provide food to hungry shoppers.
History buffs and museum-goers will find three museums to enjoy in Cannon Beach. The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum (cbhistory.org) allows visitors to experience Cannon Beach as it was when it was established 100 years ago and throughout the years since. At the Columbia River Maritime Museum (crmm.org) in nearby Astoria, museumgoers are treated to exhibits and collection regarding maritime history in Oregon. The Garibaldi Museum (garibaldimuseum.com) is also a tribute to maritime history in the Pacific Northwest.
All throughout the year, Cannon Beach hosts a variety of events for people of all ages. Foodies will enjoy the Savor Cannon Beach wine and culinary festival held each March. Families can take advantage of Sand Castle Day where locals build sand sculptures all up and down the beaches, along with the Fourth of July Festival with parade, concert and fire dancers. Other yearly events include the Cannon Beach Cottage Tour, Dog Show on the Beach and 12 Days of Earth Day Celebration.
