Picture this: you’re aboard a chartered boat, getting ready to reel in a halibut, breathing in the sea air. Or maybe you’re sitting at a bayfront restaurant, trying to figure out which catch of the day sounds most inviting, while you watch the boats travel in and out, bringing their bounty.

This is Newport, Oregon.

It’s an easy day trip from Seattle, more small city than town. You’ll find a bustling dining scene (with more than just freshly caught seafood on the menu, if you’re so inclined). Whether you’re looking for a date night location or a family friendly spot, there are a variety of options. If beer is your thing, you can taste and sip at the home of Rogue Brewing as well as Newport Brewing Co.

Newport has a beach, of course, just beyond a walkable downtown (this district is known as Nye Beach), but only a couple of miles away, you’ll find a whole different world at the bayfront, watching the commercial fishing boats at the largest fishing port in Oregon, brimming with life.

Whether you’re looking for a boutique hotel, a refurbished motel, or an oceanfront view, there is a place here for you. You’ll even find a unique adults-only B&B on a riverboat–The Newport Belle (lucky outside guests can try to snag a breakfast reservation for a taste of the floating life, or you can book a stay in one of the five rooms for the full experience).

While you’re here, you can climb Yaquina Head Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Oregon (though the other one in town is worth a look as well). Take your family for a wander through Ripley’s Believe It Or Not–an interactive collection of amazing and astonishing items and experiences, there’s something there to catch everyone’s interest, whatever their age.

If your crew would rather look at fish than eat them, you can visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium to see a wide assortment of fish and other marine animals. Visit the tide pools to gently touch starfish and anemones, watch seals and otters play, and walk through an aquatic tunnel with fish and sharks all around you.

Have you heard that Newport is the Dungeness crab capital of the world®? Commercial crabbing season begins in winter, but you can try your luck looking for these delicious creatures all year long, on the pier or in a boat.

You don’t have to be experienced in crabbing or fishing to enjoy trying to catch your dinner in Newport (though if you are, you’re very welcome). It’s a great activity for beginners, from your little ones on up. You can rent equipment to take to the public pier in South Beach.

Depending on the time of year, you might catch tuna, rockfish, halibut, white fish shrimp, and of course, Dungeness crab. But if you prefer your catch to come to you, you’ll find an array of restaurants to choose from, like Local Ocean over in the bayfront–they print the boat names next to the menu items so you can search for the one that delivered the fish to your plate through the window.

Whatever you plan to catch in Newport–whether it’s fish or crab, some relaxation or adventure–there’s something here for you.