Get a guided view to some of the most special places on the Central Coast on New Year's Day with the Oregon State Parks’ First Day Hikes.

The colors on SW 51st Street, in Lincoln City’s Taft District, are striking. The azure blue of the sky, the slate gray of the water as it flows out through the jaws of Siletz Bay, the inky black eyes of the curious harbor seals — and the bright-pink exterior of Eleanor’s Undertow restaurant, a fixture here for the past 43 years.

My friend Jake Carlsen teaches creative writing and photography at Newport High School. Not only is Jake a gifted teacher and writer, but he laughs a lot, high and loud, just like Claude Rains in “The Invisible Man,” and he’s fun to be around.

A pregnant female gray whale rises from the murky shallows of the Chukchi Sea. As she nears the surface, a trail of mud passes over her baleen into the frigid water.

The wreaths displayed on and around the large glass panels of The Wild Fern Mercantile storefront are detailed with bright ribbons, each different, each unique, each decorated by the shop’s owner, Christine McGowan.

Looking for music this holiday season? Yule be glad you checked our calendar section for live music all along the Central Oregon Coast.

There is still time to see one of the coast’s most unique holiday light displays, as the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Sea of Lights continues every Friday and Saturday evening through December.

Swing by the Gleneden Beach Community Club to enjoy the Lincoln Pops Big Band this Thursday, Dec. 21.

“The Christmas Show” presented by the Red Octopus Theatre Company has turned into a tradition that the Central Coast community looks forward to each December.

Enjoy Waldport’s salute to the holiday season with this interactive map, presented by Pioneer Connect.

La Boutique in Lincoln City provides a local shopping experience like no other. But don’t just take our word for it, listen to some of the customers of Yolanda Leveque’s fine clothing and accessories boutique.

There are many reasons to plan a day exploring Newport’s Nye Beach. This historic section of town is home to the Newport Performing Arts Center, the Newport Visual Arts Center, a variety of restaurants and a world-class beach. There’s also the shopping at Jovi.

All aboard for the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society’s annual model railroad show at the Portland & Western Depot in Toledo, this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17.

Promoting the artists in her local community is a true passion for the multi-talented Anja Chavez, producer of the Happy Holidays Bazaar, taking place this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17.

While the majority of the written works produced on the Oregon Coast celebrate its serene nature either in form or substance, few have ever celebrated the indomitable spirit of the people who call it home.

When the Earth’s axis is tilted farthest away from the sun, the Yachats community gathers for an annual celebration at the Yachats Commons Pavilion.

From now through the spring, the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center will liven up the Newport Bayfront after dark with its Moving Image Show.

Enjoy a beautiful blend of many voices when the Holiday Chorale, a choir made up of Central Coast community members, performs two holiday concerts at the Congregational Church of Lincoln City this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17.

Charles Dickens never wrote a novel set in a lighthouse but, if he had, that lighthouse probably would have looked a lot like the Heceta Head Lightstation, just south of Yachats.

If you're into decorating and gift-giving, you’ll find your home away from home nestled on the north side of the Lincoln City Outlets.