The Oregon coast has many fun places for kids and their parents to explore. My brother and I (ages 9 and 14) had a blast along the coast when we visited last summer.

Beaches are always a fun place to visit. In Seaside, a statue of Lewis and Clark is the perfect place to take your picture before playing in the water. After playing on the beach at Seaside, explore the many arcades along Broadway. Have a ball riding the Tilt-a-Whirl, playing a round of miniature golf or driving bumper cars. Inside the ­Seaside ­Carousel Mall, ride the carousel or travel back in time to have your picture taken in an old-fashioned scene. By the beach, at the Seaside Aquarium, feed the seals and look at sea life.

Moving down the coast, the Tillamook County Creamery Visitor's Center offers a self-guided tour of the Tillamook Cheese facility. Along the tour, large windows look out over different parts of the factory, where you see the workers and machines. When I was there, a worker even waved at us! At the end of the tour, you can taste samples of Tillamook cheeses. Their ice cream shop offers so many flavors, it was almost impossible for me to choose one!

After eating ice cream in Tillamook, try blowing glass in Lincoln City. At the Jennifer L. Sears Glass Art Studio, my brother and I blew glass floats. You can also blow a glass paperweight and a glass bowl there. If you'd rather watch, the glass studio has a large window where you stand and watch the glass blowers. The beaches in Lincoln City are great for flying kites. While in Lincoln City, I built a campfire on the beach with my family and we roasted marshmallows!

Finally, explore the underwater world of the ocean at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. With jellyfish, octopuses, seals, and many different fish, everyone can take photos of their favorite sea creature. I liked seeing the puffer fish and manta rays! You can touch sea anemones and sea urchins in the touch tanks and even walk through a clear underwater tunnel.

Along the Oregon coast, kids create memories that will last a lifetime as they play on the beach, explore the ocean, and blow their own glass souvenir! I know we did!