A quick shot from the balcony of a coffee/gifts shop…can’t remember the name. It was a bit cloudy but with plenty of sunshine coming through.

This is a great place to get coffee and a snack and just relax for a bit. The sea lions to the left, fishermen beneath and all of the bay spread out before.

From the same balcony…I was able to see several sail boats cruise by on their way out of the bay. It was almost like a parade as every couple of minutes another sail boat would come acrossed. I think I took pictures of at least 5.

This huge mural is one of the signature “I’m at the historical bay front” things. After a fight for good parking we set off walking and undoubtedly take a moment to notice this. I think the building itself is some kind of processing center for shellfish or other seafood. There is a little shop connected to it where we used to get free smoked fish samples. I think they still do that…not entirely sure though.

One of Amanda’s favorite spots, the Cat House, has all the the crazy gifts and gadgets that cat lovers could possibly want.

The sign on the front reads “Your cat phoned…said : Bring home a new toy or the house will be Trashed!“. The shop contains cat videos, books, cds and anything else you could imagine related to cats.

Would your cat like an hour+ long video of the antics of little birds put together for the pure entertainment of cats? A favorite of kids that visit the shop is the randomly moving and shaking paper bag with a tale sticking out. It seems alive and very ornery…definately something a cat would love!

Fish Peddler’s Market…on the end of the large building with the mural. This is where my family and I used to get smoked salmon samples. It was kind of a family thing I guess…one of those “we do this every time” things. There is a restaurant in the right of the image that I’ve never tried. The smoked salmon was great though. A bit to the right of here you can watch as workers process shrimp on a conveyor belt. This may not be the case anymore…I seem to remember not being able to see this last time.

There are a few of these candy places on the bay front. You can get just about any kind of candy…including tons of salt water taffy. I’m not sure if this was the place or not but you can look through the window of one of the candy shops and watch a taffy puller machine stretch, cut and wrap taffy rapid fire into a plastic bin. It really is very interesting. I think pretty much all of these candy shops allow a free salt water taffy sample. There are literally hundreds of flavors!

The buildings and architecture on the historical bay front has that bay front feel to it. It really is neat.

You’ll see windsocks and t-shirts, flags and blankets, signs everywhere, restaurant menus written in marker and placed in windows. Single buildings might house gift shops, art galleries, coffee places, snacks, ice cream, kites and a ton of candy.

There are full docks with tons of sailboats and such but in the middle of everything there are a couple docks just for people.

Some drop crab rings of these docks while others watch the sea lions that are right there in the middle of it all and can be easily heard full time while you are exploring the bay front area.

The historical bay front area is a must see for any trip to Newport Oregon. Gifts, fine art, candy, dining, views and some solid attractions(Wax Works, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Undersea Gardens)…you may find, as have I, that walking the bay front is a great way to relieve stress and enjoy another part of one of Oregon’s beautiful coastal cities.