The 18 miles of sandy beaches that stretch from Westport to Tokeland is otherwise known as the South Beach and its everything you would want in a Pacific Northwest Beach. Whether you're looking for a fishing adventure, beautiful beaches, surfing, kite flying, whale watching, crabbing, or just relaxing, the South Beach is the place to be.
Many Seattlites have never heard of Westport. Or they think its "near ocean shores". It's actually on the opposite side of the mouth of Grays Harbor from Ocean Shores, nearly an hour away (although its the same distance from Seattle to Westport as it is from Seattle to Ocean Shores). Many Seattlites think there are no beaches worth noting in Washington, that they have to go to Cannon Beach or Seaside, Oregon, to get the beach town experience. Not true. Westport is a great little getaway beach town.
In the summer, you can't beat it to beat the heat in the City. For a beach town, it's not overdeveloped, in fact its quite understated. The marina district has a nice mixture of upscale restaurants (we got our first sushi restaurant, yay!) and hole-in-the-wall diners. Fishing is still a very important part of the community, and if you've ever wanted to try a fishing charter, you can do that from July 1 until the quotas are met for less than a round of drinks in downtown Seattle.
Surfing is huge here, at Westhaven State Park and Half Moon Bay. There are 2 surf shops in town (Steepwater Surf Shop, and The Surf Shop) that can outfit you with a wetsuit and a board for under $50. A lesson will cost a little more, but not by much.
Bikes and paddleboats are available for rent down on the water. Kites can be purchased for just a few dollars and can keep your kids busy for hours.
In the spring and fall, watch the WDFW to see when the beaches are open for clamming. During crab season, you can drop your crab pots right off of the fisherman's boardwalk - no boats required.
Starting in September, the salmon that were released by the local high school class start to return to the Marina, and you can fish right off the boardwalk and participate in the Salmon Derby.
There is all kinds of old fashioned fun here. It's perfect for a romantic getaway or a family trip. Day trips and overnighters. There is everything from campgrounds to low budget motels, to luxury condos. And you're only 2.5 hours from downtown Seattle. No ferry rides, no major bridges, no major bottlenecks.
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