Bandon has a cute, very walkable downtown in their Old Town district, located in a marina area just off of Oregon Coast Highway Highway 101 S. You can easily see where to pull of from 101 thanks to two Old Town arches you can see right from the highway. You can find street parking and there are several free visitor lots as well. One of the compelling reasons to stay or at least stop and wander here in the Old Town District is that you can find a good mix of art and eats in Bandon beyond just the usual handful of small local stores for souvenirs and local crafts, and it’s super walkable. Also the art is FREE to enjoy! Here are my favorite picks.
Art in Bandon
There is a unique, family-friendly, interactive and educational and FREE art gallery that you can find in Bandon- the Washed Ashore Gallery. This is one of two galleries they have (the other is in Coos Bay), and the specialty here is “art to save the sea” by teaching environmental issues in an engaging way through the arts. The efforts of non-profit Washed Ashore, include not only creating striking sea life sculptures created from ocean debris, but volunteers help to gather the material via beach cleanup efforts and create curriculum to help educate and inspire, and provide volunteer opportunities to get involved in the art creation. Founded in 2010, they hope to raise awareness globally about pollution in the ocean and to spark positive changes. You may have even seen some examples of their art in other locations as part of commissions or traveling exhibitions.
The art here is crafted with plastic pollution – so far over 14 tons of marine debris has been removed from beaches and more than 50 works of art travel as ambassadors to raise awareness by Washed Ashore. Here at the gallery, you can walk up and examine the whole and pieces of each art piece up close enough to see bite marks from fish, crabs, birds, and other marine life – even though some of the material may be toxic. All the art pieces list what materials they are assembled from and even provide a specific items to try to spot like a hidden object puzzle. Some are easy, like bottles, bottle caps, bags, foamed polystyrene, and others might include lighters, combs, shotgun shells, shoes, toothbrushes and more. One interactive sculpture of a musical sea star invited visitors a chance to play it like a musical instrument by blowing across the top of hitting gently with a mallet the combination of plastic and glass bottles that comprise the scupture.
Next, did you know all along the length of coastal towns you can find an Oregon Coast Public Art Trail – here in Bandon the pieces from the art can be found mostly on 1st Street. Here you can find public display art that is free and accessible to all year-round, ranging from murals to sculptures to artsy benches. Depending on whether you are here during warmer or cooler weather, it’s a perfect excuse to wander and find them while enjoying an ice cream cone or coffee/tea/cocoa . There more then 25 art pieces you can find, many of them right by the marina. In fact there was more art I found on that boardwalk that was shown on the map – that last photo is not officially part of the art trail map, but it’s memorable.
If your timing is right – essentially from late spring to mid fall – you may be visiting during the Annual Port of Bandon Boardwalk Art Show. This is Bandon’s public art display on the Old Town boardwalk that welcomes entries with a new theme each year, and the entries you see come from both amateur and professional artists, in both youth and adult categories. This yields a lot of different kinds of art that change every year – and you get to vote for the People’s Choice winners! You can participate with free ballots you can pick up so you can voice your thought on People Choice, 1 ballot per voter. It’s super fun to walk around as a judge and make your picks. My strategy is to take a photo of my pick of candidates as I walk through the boardwalk and then filter it down from there, because there were 200+ to admire on the boardwalk. You can see winners from previous years on the Port of Bandon Boardwalk Art Show Facebook page.
Eats in Bandon Old Town
In addition to seeing the art, grab some eats. My favorite pick is at Tony’s Crab Shack right off of the main parking lot by the marina. Although small, they are mighty, IMHO they offer up some of the finest seafood dishes in the area. Nothing is deep-fried here – it’s all grilled, steamed, or barbecue here. You can order within the shack itself for seafood they have already caught, or go to the Crab Cooker Smokehouse area where you can have a crab you caught cooked for you! On the other side of the crab shack, their tackle shop helps you with any other fishing and crabbing or clamming needs, be it renting equipment or getting a fishing license or getting advice. With that trio of services all in one place, how can you not feel confident that this is fine fresh seafood in the most casual vibe here?
Inside of the shack you will find a few hightops for inclement weather, but the best seating is outside at the tables and communal table they call the Oyster Bar. The inside space really is small – it is not uncommon for the lines to go out the door, but the line moved quickly. You order at the counter and then wait for the food to come to you as you find a table for yourself. No restrooms, but the public restroom is just next door. Casual but it’s worth it. They are only open for lunch to just before dinner (closing at 7 pm) so you have to plan accordingly.
Grab a menu and peruse options like various seafood cocktails, warm up with New England style clam chowder or Cioppino or steamer clams or grilled oysters, the Bandon’s Famous Crab Sandwich that includes 1/4 lb loose crab meat, or other sandwiches with local fish or local pan-fried oysters, or a Maine lobster roll, and at dinner grilled seafood or Dungeness crab dinners sold by the half or whole crab. I stopped by for lunch and went with seafood cocktail to enjoy with a local microbrew pour while I waited, and then creamy clam chowder with the Bandon’s Famous Crab sandwich that includes as mentioned the 1/4 pound loose crab meat on toasted sourdough bread, with Swiss cheese, mixed greens, and 1000 island dressing.
If you want your fish and chips or other battered seafood, look to the other restaurant right off of this parking lot that you probably noticed when you pulled in, the Bandon Fish Market. I didn’t stop by on this trip, but enjoyed the free aroma as I walked the boardwalk.
Finally, on this side of the street, you can find The Loft which offers American style brunch, particularly a brown butter hollandaise.
If eating dinner before 6 or 7pm is a bit early for you, I recommend Italian at Angelo’s Italy which is open for dinner only and seems almost like a hole in the wall, what a gem. Besides the traditional Italian food as taught by his father (original owner was Angelo, now run by his son) and his great grandmother and grandmother from Rome, Angelo’s also offers live music because the family has a great love for music as Angelo and wife both traveled the world making music before settling down in Bandon
We lucked out a little before 530 in a Thursday to walk in and get seated – the whole restaurant filled up quickly after that and when we left there were several parties waiting, so if you can call and reserve you can save yourself a wait. It’s a small restaurant that is cozy inside and has some outdoor seating as well. It was unexpectedly romantic when it turns out there was live music via a guitarist and his mascot good boy dog that Thursday evening – even sitting right up at the small stage we were still able to hear each other to talk and the music was lovely, on the wall was a mounted electric fireplace.
The bread service at Angelo’s Italy comes with tomato sauce, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. We shared very good bruschetta, he had the eggplant parmesan which came with penne arrabiata so good he ordered another dish of just the pasta. I totally forgot to take photos of the main dishes, just the appetizers and when the live music started.
Face Rock Creamery is open daily and is the last of the cheese makers in the area that used to be here from the 1800s. Face Rock Creamery is literally award-winning, and products include 10 flavors of cheddar cheese (including “In Your Face” Cheddar and “Vampire Slayer” Garlic Cheddar, plain, smoky and more), cheese curds, fromage blanc, and Monterey Jack. You can also find ice cream here, and beer and wine, at the cafe. From inside the gift shop and cafe, you can also look through windows to see the cheesemaking process.
Right across the street from Face Rock Creamery, you can find cider at Bandon Rain. Besides the 15 taps, on the weekends there are food trucks, and you can bring outside food to compliment your cider tasting. If you prefer beer, you can walk a few blocks down to Bandon Brewing for some 14 taps of craft beers and pizza.
Still thirsty? Or looking for something else? Stillwagon Distillery is your chance to do a spirit tasting and add some unique liquors to your home bar. The specialty here is aged rums that include infusions netting you tasty spirits like a spiced rum (spiced with pineapple, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, anise, and possibly molasses), pineapple rum, mocha rum, coconut rum, ginger, habanero rum, and a lot more including gin and whiskey. These would be great for rum punch for your next party, a unique twist on a dark and stormy cocktail, or upgrade your summer daiquiris, etc.
That completes my highlights of my trip for our trip to the Bandon area of the Oregon Coast. I loved being there and it’s my new favorite part of the Oregon Coast that I want to return to again and again. It has the perfect balance of beautiful natural sights, lovely accommodation options, and being able to escape away from the tourist crowds just enough while still having great options of things to do and places to eat.
Bandon, Oregon Coast Travel Series
- Circles in the Sand at the Oregon Coast
- Sunrise and Moonset at Face Rock Viewpoint
- Sunset at Coquille Point
- Easy Guide to Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor
- Art and Eats in Bandon – this post
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