Activities for Kids

Explore 7 Marine Gardens on the Oregon Coast

Kids can explore sea creatures up close with protected intertidal ecosystems, known as marine gardens, dotting the Oregon coastline.

By Suzie Ridgway August 20, 2014

Richard Masoner via Flickr Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/

Prepare to be amazed by all of the purple sea urchins, red sea cucumbers, giant green sea anemones, colorful sea stars, hermit crabs, harbor seals and sea birds your family can handle at these seven protected intertidal ecosystems, known as marine gardens, along the Oregon coast. All of the gardens are hands-on sites that enable your little scientists to carefully touch the starfish or pick up hermit crabs. Click through our album for the splash-tastic scoop on where to find them.

For Hermit Crabs: Cape Kiwanda

This hot spot in Pacific City offers breathtaking 100-foot sandstone cliffs, cliff-nesting birds, volunteers from KELP (Kiawanda Environmental Learning Program) and if you’re really, really lucky - touch tanks, which offer kids a chance to pet sea stars and examine other critters up close. This area is small, but packs in a ton of multi-hued mussels, sea stars in orange, brown and purple, along with hermit crabs, sea slugs, snails, anemones and sponges.

Hwy. 101
Pacific City, Or
503-842-3182
Online: oregonstateparks.org

Photo credit: Richard Masoner via Flickr Creative Commons

Where is your favorite tide pool to explore? Let us know in the Comments below!

–Suzie Ridgway