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Visitor information about Florence, OR. Florence, Oregon is located on the
Central Oregon Coast at the junction of US Highway-101 and Oregon
Highway-126.
Getting There
The easiest access to Florence is via OR-126 from Eugene at
Interstate-5 Exit 194. This route
will take you from the I-5 corridor in the Willamette Valley over the
Coastal Mountain Range to the Pacific Coast at Florence.
Florence is 173 miles or a
almost 4 hours from Portland, OR via I-5 and OR-126. Florence is 194 miles south of Astoria
via US-101 and 177 miles north of the California State Line on the same
2-lane highway.
About Florence
Florence probably got its name from the French ship that
went aground in the Siuslaw River in 1875 but the political answer is that
it was named in honor of A.B. Florence, a State Representative that served
the people of Lane County in the mid-1800’s. We like the second version.
Florence has a population of over 6,000 people. It lies at the outlet of the Siuslaw (si-oos-law) River where it
empties into the Pacific Ocean.
As with most cities, Florence began when water was used for
transportation and roads for trucks didn’t exist. Not only were goods brought from farm to
market by water, public transportation was by ship and river boat.
Because water was the form of transportation of the time
the original buildings in Florence were riverfront. Several of those original buildings still
stand in “Old Town” Florence and have been renovated into interesting
restaurants and shops.
“Old Town” is located on the north bank of the Siuslaw
River just up river (east) of the Historic Bridge over the river that
carries the traffic on US Highway-101.
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Sand Dunes
Florence is the
northern gateway to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. You can look right across the river to
see the beginning of the dunes. It
seems that some time ago someone was going to build houses across the river
and the community got together to save their sand dunes.
The world’s first
sand board park is located on the northern edge of Florence. Sand boarding is similar to snowboarding.
Golf
Florence is the only city on the Oregon Coast that has
two 18-hole golf courses in its city limits. Sandpines Golf
Course, the newest one, won Best New Public Course in America in 1993.
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Some of the
Buildings in “Old Town”
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Florence has a population of just over 6,000. It serves an area wide population of
about 22,000 according to the Chamber of Commerce. Florence was rated the number one place
to retire in the United States by Retirement
Places Rated.
Attractions to Florence
Florence is on Oregon’s Pacific Coast so it’s all about
the ocean. That is true, the Pacific
Ocean and the sand dunes caused by the relentless pounding of the waves and
ocean winds and here in all their glory but Florence’s attractions don’t
stop at the coast.
There are more than a dozen fresh water lakes in the area
that also serve fishermen, boaters, and swimmers. Florence is also adjacent
to the Siuslaw National Forest and the Coastal Mountain Range with all of
the outdoor activities available in the forests.
About 6 miles south of Florence is Siltcoos
Lake. It is the largest lake on the
Oregon Coast and has a public boat ramp and fishing dock.
11-miles north of Florence you will find the Sea Lion
Caves. They have a gift shop and
sell tickets in the gift shop for access to the walkways and elevator down
to the largest sea cave in the world.
If you are lucky the sea lions will be in residence when you visit.
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South of Florence
you will find Sandland Adventures which has dune
buggy tours, ATV rentals, go-carts, bumper boats, and miniature golf. North of Florence, about 8 miles, you
will find C&M Stables. They
offer horseback rides both on the beach and in a meadow with stands of
alder trees. See listings below for
more information.
Fly Eating Plants
Don’t miss the Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside 6 miles north of
Florence on US-101. These
carnivorous plants eat insects.
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A Restaurant in “Old Town”
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The Darlingtonia
This insect eating plant attracts insects to enter into
the bottom of the bulbous top and get stuck and a sweet sticky surface and
consumed.
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Recommended Attractions
in Florence, Oregon
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Antiques
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See listings
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Gift Shops
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State Parks
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See listings
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Visitor Information
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Museums
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Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce
290 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
http://www.florencechamber.com/
Open 9am-5pm M-F / 10am-2pm Sat May thru September. Closed Sunday
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Siuslaw Pioneer Museum
85928 US Highway-101
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-7884
Open May 1 to Labor Day Noon – 4PM
Tuesday – Sunday.
Displays of Indian artifacts, pioneer life, and early logging.
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Listed
Attractions in Florence, OR
We have not necessarily visited
or recommend listed businesses.
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Antiques
Brown Dog
Antiques – 541-902-7980
575
Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Good Stuff
– 541-997-1700
498
Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Mon Ami –
541-997-9234
490 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Purple
Pelican – 541-997-2220
2775-C
Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Art Galleries
Backstreet Gallery
– 541-997-8980 – http://backstreetgallery.org/
1421 Bay Street,
Florence, OR 97439
Blue Heron Gallery
– 541-997-7993 - http://www.blueherongallery.com/
1385 Bay Street,
Florence, OR 97439
The River Gallery –541-902-2505
- http://www.therivergallery.org/
1335 Bay Street,
Old Town Florence, OR 97139
Wind Drift Gallery
– 541-997-9182 - http://www.oregoncoastgalleries.com/home/ocg/winddrift_main.html
1395 Bay Street,
Florence, OR 97439
Gift Shops
Family Tyes –
541-997-2066
1421 Bay Street, Florence, OR 97439
Dahlia’s Secret Garden Co. – 541-997-5860 -
http://www.dahliassecretgarden.com/
1255
Bay Street, PO Box 1528, Florence, OR 97439
Incredible & Edible Oregon –
541-997-7018 - http://incredibleedibleoregon.com/
1350
Bay Street, Florence, OR 97439
Lakeshore Myrtlewood
– 541-997-8563 - http://www.lakeshoremyrtlewood.com/
83530 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Odds-n-ends – 541-997-0316 - http://www.odds-n-ends.com/
138 Bay Street #2, PO Box 685, Florence, OR
97439
Silver Lining – 541-997-2440 - http://www.silverliningboutique.com/
2217 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Quilting
2970 Highway-101,
Florence, OR 97439
Scrapbooking
Ink Spirations –
541-997-5996
575 Hwy 101 #B, Florence, OR 97439
Theatres
Florence Cinemas – 541-997-2727 - http://www.florencemovies.com/
1930 Hwy 101, Florence, OR 97439
Florence Performing Arts – 541-997-1586 - http://www.florencechamber.com/business-directory/theater.shtml
PO Box 3287, Florence, OR 97439
Tours & Attractions
Action Jackson’s Guide Service – fishing – 541-268-6944 - Visit the web
site
PO Box 337, Mapleton, OR 97453
90241 Highway-101 North, Florence, OR 97439
91560 Highway-101 North, Florence, OR 97439
Sand Dunes Frontier – We drive: 541-997-3544 – You drive:
541-997-5363 - http://www.sanddunesfrontier.com/
83960 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Sandland Adventures – Dune
buggies, etc. – 541-997-8087 - http://www.sandland.com/minigolf.htm
85366 Highway-101,
Florence, OR 97439
Sand Master Park – 541-997-6006 - http://www.sandmasterpark.com/
87542 Highway-101, Florence, OR 97439
Three Rivers Casino – 541-997-7529 - http://www.threeriverscasino.com/
5647 Highway-126, Florence, OR 97439
Wine Shops
Grape Leaf – 541-997-1646
1269 Bay Street,
Florence, OR 97439
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