Spring is in Full Bloom at the Oregon Coast!

Come celebrate spring on the Oregon Coast!

Take advantage of our great rates and beautiful units and while you are at the beach, take some time to relax, unwind and enjoy the Spring activities in full bloom.  Lincoln City is having its annual Community Days April 22-26th. There are activities to keep all ages entertained. Several of the activities are centrally located and within a short drive of our Lincoln City Vacation Rentals.

This Monday stop by the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in Otis to enjoy a Former Sitka Center artist-in-residence, Annette Bauer, as she teams up with fellow Cirque du Soleil bandmate Joshua Geisler for a free concert of musical exploration. The concert starts at 6 pm and the address is 56605 Sitka Drive. For more information feel free to call them at 541-994-5485.

If you are staying in one of our Depoe Bay vacation rentals take a scenic drive to Newport on Thursday night for the “Anton in Show Business” featured at the Newport Performing Arts Center.

 

Concerts and Cooking in a Lincoln City, Oregon Vacation Rental

Planning a trip to Lincoln City this winter? January is a great time for a last minute trip. There are plenty of indoor activities and Keystone Vacation Rentals still has a few premium ocean front vacation condos available.

It’s a wonderful time to participate in one of the many Lincoln City events and concerts. Our favorites for January (and beyond)?

At the Chinook Winds Casino Resort:

Cooking classes at the Culinary Center (all include the meal and wine!):

  • Pacific Rim Demo, January 18
  • Hands-On Pasta Workshop, January 25
  • Jambalaya Cookoff, February 1

Once you’ve been entertained and well fed, relax and enjoy the indoor pools and hot tubs at Pacific Winds in Lincoln City or the Village at North Pointe in Depoe Bay.

Clam chowder and a warm fire

Can I let you in on a secret? In January, on the Oregon Coast, it’s probably raining. This makes it a great time to hit the beach for a rainy but beautiful walk, then grab some clam chowder from Mo’s and hunker down by the fireplace (all of Keystone’s vacation rentals have fireplaces in the condo).

Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, make your own clam chowder. If you don’t have a personal favorite, we love Alton Brown’s. Buy your fresh seafood from Barnacle Bill’s Seafood Market and bring the rest from home or one of Lincoln City’s several convenient grocery stores. Keystone’s oceanfront condos all have gourmet kitchens ready for you to whip up your culinary delights.

The Sand Dollar (pictured), located at the Pacific Winds complex in Lincoln City, still has January and February availability. Call us at 503-443-1414 or book online today!

The Christmas Cottage

Billed as “Christmas 363 days a year,” the Christmas Cottage in central Lincoln City is a Christmas lover’s paradise. While Christmas is on everyone’s mind now, the Christmas Cottage is also a great way to plan ahead while on a spring, summer or fall vacation. Or if you’re doing a holiday vacation and forgot something, help is right down the street.

With both custom artisan collections and collections from around the world, the Christmas Cottage has something to fit a wide range of style preferences. And they offer personalization and gift wrapping. What more could you want or need?

Note: This is not a sponsored post. We just really like Christmas and the Christmas Cottage and wanted to share that with you.

Christmas Shopping in Lincoln City

With the Christmas season already here and many people beginning their holiday shopping, we thought it would be helpful to write a few posts about the shops and places we love to find the perfect gifts.

For guests who will be staying in one of our Lincoln City vacation condos, the Tanger Outlets are a must-shop location for great deals and a wide selection of gifts.  Open daily starting at 10 am, shoppers can find everything from Aeropostale to the Nike Factory Store and Bath & Body Works.

For those looking to add to the already discounted prices offered by the outlet stores, the Tanger Outlet website is an ideal resource for finding coupons and sales offers.

If you are curious as to whether your favorite store is at this location, check out the store directory & map here.

For more information about available vacation rentals in Lincoln City, visit Keystone at www.KeystoneVacationsOregon.com

Cooking in a Vacation Condo

One of the many benefits of vacationing in a condo is the kitchen. Many of Keystone Vacation Rental’s properties have luxury kitchens complete with stainless steel and granite.

At the same time, it is a vacation, and most of us probably don’t want to slave all day in the kitchen. We are compiling a list of our favorite tips on cooking in vacation condos. Check them out on our Pinterest board, Cooking in a Vacation Condo.

Our staff’s favorite tip so far:

Bring freezer meals. Do most of the cooking at home, and use the condo kitchen to cook and serve already prepared foods. You can also buy a prepared freezer or refrigerated meals for an easy alternative that is still cheaper than eating out. (We love Costco for these stock-ups, although you’ll need to plan ahead as there isn’t one in Lincoln City.) Want a list of make-at-home foods that are proven to pack well and please the family? This article, from LifeasMom.com, is a great starting point.

Thanksgiving at the Oregon Coast

Thanksgiving kicks off one of the most celebrated holiday seasons of the year.  Year after year many families travel to the Oregon Coast to visit family, see friends or just unwind and relax.  For those who will be making the trip or the families that may be still be giving it some thought, here are some activities you may be interested in.

  • On November 29th – Thanksgiving Holiday Special Glass Art Drop (part of Finders Keepers) of 100 hand-crafted glass art pieces – floats, sand dollars or crabs – along the 7.5 miles of Lincoln City beaches, weather and ocean conditions permitting. FMI 800-452-2151
  • Community Tree Lighting Celebration (November 29th) at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. Lighted tree, choir music, refreshments, make-and-take ornaments and a visit from Santa!
  • Whale of a Christmas in Depoe Bay (December 7th) – Amidst festive decorations and carolers, the Depoe Bay Christmas tree is lit. Join us for this truly magical event.
  • Johnny Wheels & The Lincoln City Rollers (November 30th) at 9:00 PM at the Snug Harbor Bar and Grill

Keystone Vacation Rentals hopes everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Restaurants in Lincoln City

Looking for a special restaurant for a holiday, birthday or romantic dinner? The Blackfish Cafe features fresh seafood and rotates seasonally to use the freshest ingredients. Owner and chef Rob Pounding is a Certified Executive Chef who has won numerous awards and prepared a dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in New York.

Be sure to check out our list of other great Lincoln City Restaurants on Pinterest, as well as other great things to do and see on the Central Oregon coast.

Coffee in Lincoln City

Good coffee is quintessential Northwest, and Lincoln City does not disappoint.

Pirate Coffee Company has locations in both Depoe Bay and Lincoln City. Winning the 2013 “best of the best” on the Central Oregon Coast, this is a must for coffee lovers.

Try Mojo Coffee while out and about, or stop and sip at Beachtown Coffee. Grab lunch with your coffee at the Pacific Grind Cafe, or stick to a familiar standby with Starbucks.

If you would prefer, enjoy a cup from the quiet of your own luxury oceanfront vacation condo. All Keystone Vacation Rentals condos come equipped with coffee makers to savor your favorite brew.

Five Towns That Became One – The History of Lincoln City

Thought it would be fun to post some information from the Oregon Encyclopedia about the history of Lincoln City.  With so many travelers coming each year to our vacation rentals, it is sometimes nice to know a little about the history of where so many spend their leisure time.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a string of small beach towns with their own distinctive beginnings and characters grew up in north Lincoln County. Decades later, five of the towns—Taft, Oceanlake, Delake, Nelscott, and Cutler City—consolidated to form Lincoln City.

Taft originated as the “allotment” of Sissie (1859-1931) and Jakie Johnson (1859-1933), Siletz Indians whose allotment was compensation for reservation lands taken by the Dawes Act of 1887. With its location on Siletz Bay, which gave the town access to the ocean, and the Siletz River, which provided transportation inland, Taft became the center of the area’s social and economic life.

Oceanlake began as a campground owned by Herbert Rexroad and Edgar L. Hoyt. The tract was registered as Devils Lake Park in the mid-1920s. Another tract, owned by the Catholic Church, was called Raymond, after the church’s pastor. In 1926, when a post office was established, Mrs. H.E. Warren officially named the town Oceanlake because it was situated between the ocean and the lake.

Early Delake residents included Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hostetler, who bought Indian allotment land in 1910, and the brothers Alvin and Harry Thorpe. There is some speculation about the origin of the name of Delake. Some claim that early Finnish homesteaders would say, “I’m going to de lake,” and the phrase became the name. In another, the d and e constitute a French word meaning “by”—hence, the area “by the lake.”

Nelscott had a very different beginning. In the early 1900s, storeowner Charles P. Nelson glimpsed a lovely valley gently sloping to the ocean. Years later, when he and Dr. W.G. Scott searched for land to develop, they found it for sale and purchased it. Combining their last names, they formed the Nelscott Land Company, and the town of Nelscott was born.

Cutler City, the third townsite in north Lincoln County, was originally part of an allotment inherited by Charlie Depoe, a Siletz Indian. The land was sold to Mary and George E. Cutler, who established a townsite on June 4, 1913. On March 10, 1930, the town officially became Cutler City when a post office named in honor of the Cutlers was established.

When rapid population growth in the 1950s and the subsequent need for improved water distribution, sewers, and fire protection could not be met by each town individually, the towns began to talk about consolidation. In December 1964, after many failed attempts, the five towns voted to consolidate as one city; and on March 3, 1965, they officially incorporated as Lincoln City. The name was chosen from a newspaper ballot of five of the most popular names considered, which included Miracle Beach, Miracle City, Surfland, and Holiday Beach.

That year, sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington donated a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln to the new city. Although the birth of Lincoln City was slow and painful for some, the statue’s dedication by Governor Mark O. Hatfield marked a new beginning for the five towns that had become one.

Written by: Anne Hall