We have been a long-time Oregon Coast for a summer vacation kind of family. While traditions to the same vacation spot are fun, we were looking for something new this summer. Keep in mind, my wife grew up on the east coast in the summer, especially Cape Cod where her grandparents lived. The Oregon Coast paled in comparison to Cape Cod and her expectations of what a “beach” was supposed to look like. For all of out trips to the Oregon coast, she went, but it wasn’t ideal enough compared to Cape Cod. So when a friend of ours shared photos of their trip to Seabrook earlier this spring, it sparked our interest. We looked at the Seabrook website eventually booked the Cape Escape. Despite the fantastic images we saw online of not only the cottage but of the whole city, we were still hesitant to get our excitement up too high. We needed more to change our minds. As the days to our vacation grew closer and closer you could see the excitement growing in our kid’s faces as this was something we have never done before – the Washington coast, let alone Seabrook.
We had a 5+ hour drive from home. As we rounded that last bend on highway 107 and saw the Seabrook marketplace and the rest of the town, I turned to my wife and said, “What did we just stumble onto?” The town was as awesome in person as it was online. The picturesque coast, the homes, the oyster shell paths, everyone on bikes, the smell of the ocean air. Perfection.
We spent 4 days in Seabrook exploring the hidden trails, the little neighborhoods, enjoying new foods, making smores at the fire pit, lots of walks from our cottage to the beach, bike rides throughout the neighborhoods, playing a pickup game of soccer on the playfield behind the pool, smiling, waving, and talking with strangers. Sadly, it had to end. We didn’t want to leave. But we look at it this way. This trip was a test drive. We are hooked. We will be back for a longer trip. It exceeded expectations. My wife now calls Seabrook her West coast Cape Cod.
