Southwest Washington - Washington State - page 256

also plenty of good seafood dishes made with local fish and shellfish. Be sure to
save room for some blackberry cobbler.
100 Hotel Rd., Tokeland. & 360/267-7006. www.tokelandhotel.com. Main course $6-$17. DISC, MC, V.
Mid-Mar to mid-Nov daily 8am-8pm; mid-Nov to mid-Mar Mon-Thurs 8am-2pm, Fri-Sun 8am-8pm.
IN SOUTH BEND
The Boondocks Restaurant AMERICAN Long a locals' favorite, The
Boondocks is right on the waterfront in downtown South Bend, a town that
claims to be the oyster capital of the world. With a claim like that, there should
be no question as to what to order. Whether it's a hangtown fry (oyster omelet)
for breakfast, an oyster burger for lunch, or a pan-fried oyster platter for dinner,
there are oyster options at every meal. At breakfast, you can even get a side of
oysters with your hot cakes or waffles.
1015 W. Robert Bush Dr., South Bend. & 800/875-5158 or 360/875-5155. Main courses $6-$25. MC, V.
Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm; Fri-Sat 8am-10pm; Sun 8am-8:30pm.
2 The Long Beach Peninsula
110 miles NW of Portland, 180 miles SW of Seattle, 80 miles W of Longview/Kelso
With 28 uninterrupted miles of sand, the Long Beach Peninsula, a long narrow
strip of low forest and sand dunes, claims to be the world's longest beach open
to vehicles. For more than a century, all those miles of sand have been attracting
vacationers from the Portland area and parts of southwestern Washington, and
today the Long Beach Peninsula is Washington's most developed stretch of
beach. There are dozens of resorts, motels, rental cabins, vacation homes, and
campgrounds up and down the peninsula.
Each of the peninsula's towns has its own distinct personality. In Seaview,
there are restored Victorian homes. In Long Beach, go-cart tracks and family
amusements hold sway. Klipsan Beach and Ocean Park are quiet retirement
communities, while Nahcotta is still an active oystering port, albeit in a very
attractive setting. Last is the tiny community of Oysterville, which is a National
Historic District of restored homes and is hands-down the prettiest community
on the peninsula.
While kite flying, horseback riding, and beachcombing are the most popular
beach activities here, digging for razor clams ranks right up there, too. Razor
clams (and the area's oysters) also show up on plenty of area restaurant menus.
Bivalves aren't the only type of seafood that attracts folks to the south coast,
either. In Ilwaco, south of Long Beach, there's a fleet of charter fishing boats that
can take you out in search of salmon, tuna, or bottom fish.
Long Beach is one of the few beaches on the West Coast that allows vehicu-
lar traffic, so if you're of a mind to go for a drive on the beach, feel free. Just
remember that the beach is a state highway and a 25-mph speed limit is
enforced. There are beach-access roads up and down the peninsula, and once
you're on the beach, be sure you stay above the clam beds (sand nearest to the
low-tide area) and below the dry sand.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE The Long Beach Peninsula begins just off U.S. 101 in
southwest Washington. U.S. 101 leads north to Aberdeen and south to Astoria,
Oregon. Wash. 4 leads to Long Beach from Longview.
GETTING AROUND Pacific Transit System ( & 360/642-9418 ) operates
public buses that serve the area from Astoria in the south to Aberdeen in the north.