Nye Beach, Bayfront and Yaquina Head in Newport
Newport has two well-known districts, a waterfront on the bay and a beach neighborhood on the ocean, plus a federal natural area just north of town.
Bayfront
The Bayfront is the working waterfront on Yaquina Bay. The Port of Newport's history page says refrigeration helped make the Bayfront the area's economic hub. The City of Newport's tourism site, Discover Newport, tells visitors that male sea lions gather on the Bayfront to feed, and describes the docks in the early morning when boats unload their catch.
Nye Beach
Nye Beach is Newport's beach neighborhood. The city's tourism site lists it among Newport's beaches and calls it an easy place to spend a few hours wandering. See the Nye Beach page on Discover Newport.
Lighthouses
The tourism site says the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is said to be the oldest building in Newport. It also has pages for the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
The Bureau of Land Management manages Yaquina Head, about five miles north of Newport. Its official page describes the Yaquina Head Lighthouse with a paved path around it, tidepools holding sea stars and anemones, and an Interpretive Center with exhibits and a short film. Harbor seals haul out there and pup from mid-May to mid-June, and seabirds nest from May through September, so some areas may close in those seasons. The page says the landscape was shaped by ancient lava flows. Check a tide chart before visiting the tidepools.