The Oregon coast has long been a popular destination for visitors, and the Tillamook area is one of the major draws. Though Tillamook is synonymous with the town’s famous cheese factory, lots of other attractions bring people to this popular area 75 miles west of Portland.
Tillamook’s Alderbrook Golf Course
The Alderbrook Golf Course has been tempting golfers with its challenging fairways and picturesque surroundings since opening in 1924. After a recent renovation of the front nine, the course is that much better!
This 18-hole public course is a par 69 that measures just 5,965 yards from the back tees. A few highlights include the steeply-inclined 15th hole which is followed by the 16th that features a breathtaking view of the Tillamook Valley.
After a round, enjoy the new clubhouse and good food at Koko’s Restaurant, which overlooks the course.
Less than a mile from Alderbrook Golf Course is Tillamook/Bay City RV Park with 50 full hookup sites. Their comprehensive list of amenities includes 30/50 amp electrical, free cable, and free Wi-Fi.
The pet-friendly park also offers large pull-throughs, restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities, a dump station, fire pits, and plenty of space for multiple slide-outs.
Nearby attractions are plentiful. Not to be missed is Cape Meares Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. It is only a short hike to the lighthouse that offers endless views of the wildlife area.
Also at Cape Meares is the oddly-shaped and even more oddly-named Octopus Tree of Oregon. Believed to be around 250 – 300 years old, the tree extends from a central base that is nearly 50 feet around, and instead of shooting straight up with a central trunk, the body of the tree splits into a number of smaller trunks, hence the octopus moniker.
Also worth a visit is the Tillamook Air Museum, which is housed in a World War II blimp hangar, the largest wooden structure in the world. There are lots of aircraft to view in this highly-educational tour.
And finally, the Tillamook Cheese Factory is a must visit. With an area history dating back to the mid 1800s, the Tillamook Cheese Factory offers tours of the cheese-making process, plus product samples that include various cheeses, ice cream, sour cream, and yogurt.
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
The Tillamook Cheese Factory is a rip off. You see very little of the process, only packaging from an enclosed balcony above, and then there are many very high priced products for sale! We were very disappointed by this attraction. Many other better places to visit in town like the dirrigible musem from WW II!
A lot of Tillamook’s cheese isn’t even made anywhere near Tillamook either, instead on huge feed lots near Boardman Oregon in the semi arid high plateau of Eastern Oregon where they eat waste products from processing plants like potato peelings. I like Tillamook, especially the Wilson and Trask rivers.
I’m sad to see the word “ripoff” associated with the Tillamook Cheese Factory. While they no longer give guided tours (how could they with the masses of tourists they attract?), admission is free and they provide almost unlimited free samples of a variety of their cheeses &, for a price, uncommonly large helpings of their ice cream. A little farther west of Tillamook is Netarts Bay & Oceanside, on the way to the Cape Meares Lighthouse & the Octopus Tree.
We have been to the Tillamook factory many times. We travel from Texas to the Oregon coast every other year and Tillamook is always a pleasure to stop at. We get ice cream and enough Cheese for several weeks of travel. We would recommend to all, we and many other RVers have more than enough space to park. We are in a 33ft Coachman with toad in the rear, totol 53 ft.
Each year my wife and I take a take a 4 month road trip across the US. This will be our 4th year. We love the Oregon Coast. Tillamook is always one of our favorite stops. If you love smoke salmon and you are traveling the Oregon Coast you will find none better than Barnacle Bills in Lincoln City.
The Tillamook Cheese Factory is nothing but a tourist trap. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day it is an absolute zoo! Inside the main building you find an inordinate amount of overpriced fast food venues with lines of 15-20 people at each venue. if you want to purchase Tillamook products plan on spending at least 25% more than a local supermarket such as Safeway or Walmart. Plenty of other things to see around this part of Oregon.