If you think winter is the best time to visit Seaside, you’re not alone. The beaches are empty, huge waves crash against the shore, and all of the usually packed restaurants have room to spare. The weather can be a bit stormy, sure, but all you need is a good rain jacket and a warm beverage to experience Seaside in its full winter glory. Here are a few toasty winter pairing ideas.
Hot cocoa and a winter stroll along the Prom
Phillips Candies on Broadway has been making sweet treats in Seaside for almost 125 years, so you know the hot chocolate here is going to be amazing. Ask for their special Guittard hot chocolate — made with Guittard chocolate pieces melted into the milk of your choice and topped off with real whipped cream — and then walk a few blocks to the 1.5-mile Prom and take a stroll while watching the whitecaps.
Coffee Nudge and watching surfers at the Cove
Osprey Café on the south side of town might be known for its tasty breakfast and lunch items, but it also serves a solid Coffee Nudge that will warm you right up. It’s made with Columbia River Coffee Roaster’s Thundermuck! coffee, Kahlua, brandy and crème de cacao, and topped with whip. Afterward walk south on the beach down to the Cove, a hot spot for hardy winter surfers.
Bubble tea and beachcombing
Those winter waves wash all kinds of things to shore, and a walk at low tide is the perfect time to hunt for sand dollars, driftwood and other Pacific treasures. Just grab a plastic bucket and a steamy milk tea from Tea Artist to keep you warm as you comb the beach from the Turnaround north to the estuary and back. Try the Thai milk tea with brown sugar bobas or matcha milk tea with coconut jellies — they’re both addictive.
A tasty concoction and clamming
Formerly Pacific Pearl Coffee Co., the new Controversial Coffee near the Prom serves up all kinds of creative drinks. Suck down an eggnog latte made with Cannon Beach’s Sleepy Monk Coffee or a Bad Kid mocha made with crème de menthe, and then hit the sand to catch your clam dinner. If you’ve never been razor clamming on the Oregon Coast before, here’s how to nab your license, grab your gear and get started.
Spicy Chai and souvenir shopping
If you’d rather stay indoors during the winter, Seaside has plenty for you, too. Grab a spicy Dirty Blonde Chai from the always-friendly Seaside Coffee House, it’s made with a special white espresso, then hop across the street to the sprawling Seaside Antique Mall in search of one-of-a-kind finds. C&R Mercantile is a great spot for outdoorsy men’s and women’s clothing and elevated adventure gear, and Beach Soap and Candle Seaside is a nice place to pick up locally made soaps, lotions and other indulgences.
