There’s a certain moment that happens for a lot of first-time visitors to Lincoln City. Usually it’s sometime during the drive in, when Highway 101 curves toward the coastline and the ocean suddenly appears through the trees. Plans immediately slow down a little. People stop checking the time. Conversations get quieter. The coast tends to do that.
Lincoln City has a different feel than many beach towns along the Oregon Coast. It’s relaxed without feeling empty, active without feeling crowded, and large enough to offer plenty to do while still keeping that slower coastal atmosphere people are usually hoping for when they book the trip in the first place.
For first-time visitors, the hardest part often isn’t finding things to do—it’s fitting everything into one trip. Between long beach walks, local restaurants, scenic viewpoints, hiking trails, tide pools, shopping, and oceanfront sunsets, Lincoln City makes it very easy to extend a weekend longer than originally planned.
Here are some of the best things to do in Lincoln City for first-time visitors, and why so many travelers end up coming back year after year.
Explore the beach (obviously)
The beach is obviously the main attraction in Lincoln City, but first-time visitors are often surprised by just how massive the coastline feels in person.
The beaches stretch for miles, creating endless space for walking, beachcombing, kite flying, photography, or simply sitting near the water doing absolutely nothing productive for a while. Which honestly becomes one of the best parts of the trip.
Unlike busier beach destinations where finding space can feel competitive, Lincoln City’s shoreline still feels open and calming, even during summer. Morning walks are especially memorable when fog rolls across the sand and the sound of the waves is louder than everything else around you.
Many visitors quickly realize that beach time here isn’t necessarily about filling the day with activities. Sometimes it’s just about slowing down enough to watch the tide come in while carrying coffee that got cold twenty minutes ago.
And somehow that still feels like a successful day.
One of the best parts about staying at D Sands is that the beach is only steps away from your condo, making it easy to go back and forth throughout the day without turning every beach trip into a production. Guests can walk directly onto the sand for sunrise coffee, afternoon beach walks, or late evening sunsets without worrying about parking, traffic, or carrying half their belongings across town.
D Sands also sits directly next door to the D River Recreation Site, one of Lincoln City’s most recognizable beach access points and home to the famous D River—often called the world’s shortest river. The location puts guests right in the center of some of the best beach access in town while still giving them a comfortable oceanfront place to relax afterward.
Search for hidden glass floats
One of Lincoln City’s most unique traditions is the Finders Keepers program, where colorful handmade glass floats are hidden along the beaches throughout the year for visitors to discover.
For first-time visitors, it turns an ordinary beach walk into something that suddenly feels oddly competitive in the most wholesome way possible.
People scan the dunes suspiciously. Kids become highly motivated treasure hunters. Adults who originally claimed they “weren’t really looking” somehow become deeply invested after spotting someone else find one first. Sometimes that turns into a battle involving driftwood.
The glass floats themselves are beautiful handcrafted pieces made by local artists, and finding one means you get to keep it. The tradition has become one of the most searched attractions in Lincoln City because it adds something memorable and unexpected to a coastal vacation.
Even visitors who don’t manage to find one still have options, which honestly takes a little pressure off the search. Lincoln City Glass Center gives visitors the chance to make or purchase their own glass float, creating a personalized souvenir that’s arguably even more memorable than stumbling across one in the sand. For travelers who prefer guaranteed success over beach treasure hunting, local shops and galleries throughout town also sell handcrafted glass floats in nearly every color and design imaginable.
So even if the beach search ends empty-handed, nobody really has to leave Lincoln City without one.
Visit local shops, galleries, and coastal favorites
Lincoln City has a strong mix of local businesses, small coastal shops, art galleries, antique stores, and candy shops that make wandering around town part of the experience itself.
First-time visitors often end up spending far more time browsing than expected. One store turns into three, then suddenly someone’s carrying saltwater taffy, locally made candles, coastal artwork, and a sweatshirt they absolutely did not plan on buying.
The city also has a long connection to local artists and makers, which shows up throughout galleries and markets around town. Visitors looking for souvenirs usually end up finding things that actually feel personal instead of generic tourist-shop items.
And yes, most people leave with at least one thing decorated with waves on it. That part feels unavoidable.
For a full guide on where to visit and where to shop during your stay, check our Things to Do page on our website here!
Enjoy fresh seafood caught in our own backyard
No trip to Lincoln City feels complete without fresh seafood somewhere in the itinerary.
Kyllo’s Seafood & Grill, located just a minute up the road from D Sands, is one of the most popular oceanfront restaurants in town and an easy favorite for visitors staying nearby. Known for its seafood, chowder, cocktails, and beautiful beach views, it’s the kind of place where dinner casually turns into watching the sunset for another hour longer than planned.
Other local favorites throughout Lincoln City offer everything from fresh fish and chips to crab, oysters, coffee shops, bakeries, and breweries that fit perfectly into slower coastal vacation days.
Part of the appeal of the Oregon Coast is that nobody seems rushed. Meals stretch longer, conversations linger, and people tend to settle into vacation mode fairly quickly.
Usually by the second bowl of chowder.
Watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean
Not every evening turns into a dramatic pink-and-orange postcard. Some nights are gray, foggy, windy, or completely hidden behind a thick marine layer. That’s just part of the coast experience, honestly. But when the skies do open up, especially during summer and late fall, the sunsets can be genuinely unforgettable.
Some evenings bring soft pastel colors while others look like the horizon accidentally caught fire. Clouds move constantly along the coastline, which means the sky can change completely within minutes. Even longtime locals still stop to watch when conditions come together just right.
One of the best decisions visitors can make is simply slowing down enough to see what happens each evening instead of expecting a perfect sunset every night. Sometimes the gray coastal evenings end up feeling just as relaxing as the colorful ones.
People gather along the beach, stop at viewpoints, or sit quietly outside oceanfront rooms watching the light fade over the Pacific. Conversations usually slow down around that point too. The ocean tends to command everyone’s attention for a while.
At D Sands, guests can walk directly onto the beach for sunset and head back to their condo afterward without ever needing to drive anywhere. Whether the sky turns bright orange or stays moody and gray, having the ocean right outside your door becomes part of what makes staying on the coast feel different in the first place.
Go for an adventure on nearby hiking trails
One of the best surprises for first-time visitors is how much outdoor scenery exists beyond just the beach itself.
Lincoln City sits near forests, cliffs, coastal viewpoints, and hiking trails that showcase a completely different side of the Oregon Coast. Places like God’s Thumb, Cascade Head, and Drift Creek Falls offer incredible views of the coastline while adding a little adventure to the trip.
God’s Thumb in particular has become increasingly popular because of its dramatic cliffside views overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The trail feels peaceful at first before eventually opening into scenery that makes people immediately stop walking just to take it in.
Meanwhile, Drift Creek Falls offers a quieter kind of scenery, with a forest trail leading to a long suspension bridge overlooking a waterfall deep in the trees. The combination of dense forest, rushing water, and the bridge itself makes it one of the most memorable hikes along the Central Oregon Coast.
For travelers wanting more than beach time alone, these nearby hikes add variety without requiring long drives or complicated planning.
Explore tide pools and coastal wildlife
Low tide reveals an entirely different side of the Oregon Coast, and Lincoln City has several great spots nearby for tide pooling.
Roads End State Recreation Site is one of the best places to explore tide pools near Lincoln City, especially during lower tides when rocky areas become exposed along the shoreline. Visitors can often spot sea stars, anemones, crabs, shells, and small fish tucked into shallow pools between the rocks.
Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, just a short drive south toward Depoe Bay, is another favorite for tide pooling because of its protected rocky shoreline and easy beach access. Families especially tend to love this spot since it combines beach walks with plenty to explore once the tide goes out.
For many visitors, tide pooling becomes one of those unexpectedly memorable vacation activities that ends up taking far longer than planned. Kids immediately start investigating every rock while adults suddenly become amateur marine biologists despite having absolutely no qualifications for it.
The Oregon Coast also offers incredible opportunities for wildlife viewing. Depending on the season, visitors may spot whales migrating offshore, seals near the water, bald eagles overhead, or seabirds circling along the coastline.
Even people who normally don’t consider themselves “outdoorsy” tend to get pulled into it here.
Plan your Lincoln City stay at D Sands
After spending the day exploring beaches, tide pools, hiking trails, local restaurants, and coastal shops, staying oceanfront makes the entire experience even better. Being able to walk to the beach, watch sunsets from your condo, and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean changes the pace of the entire trip.
At D Sands, guests enjoy beachfront access just steps from their condo, easy access to the D River Recreation Site next door, sweeping ocean views, and a comfortable place to recharge between everything Lincoln City has to offer.
Whether the day ends with sandy shoes by the door, leftover seafood in the fridge from Kyllo’s, or one last sunset walk along the shoreline, having the Pacific Ocean right outside becomes part of what makes the trip memorable in the first place.
If you’re planning a trip to the Oregon Coast, now’s the perfect time to book your stay at D Sands and experience Lincoln City from the center of it all. Make your reservation with us today!
