I Love Florence

04/12/2026

We’ve had yet another whale wash in north in Yachats early this morning.

Here is why we’re seeing more and more of our sweet whales stranding on our beaches. 😢🙏🐳

Gray whale washes ashore north of Yachats early Sunday and appears to be dead

04/09/2026

03/28/2026

R.I.P. Baby Whale 🐳😢🙏

A dead whale washed ashore in front of the Driftwood Shores Resort, drawing crowds to the beach.

03/17/2026

“These aren’t urban legends — they’re accidents that actually happened, and in each case, the world couldn’t look away. History is full of moments where something went spectacularly, absurdly wrong, and the results ended up in newspapers, textbooks, and pub conversations for generations.”

Some stories are so bizarre they barely sound real. A city street buried under a wave of syrup. A whale that exploded on a beach. A man killed by his own beard. These aren’t urban legends — they’re accidents that actually happened, and in each case, the world couldn’t look away. History .....

03/16/2026

🐳

People come from all over the world to learn about the Gray whales that travel along the Oregon coast each year. Join Winter Whale Watch Week March 21–29, 2026 at the Oregon Coast. Spring watching begins in late March as the gray whales travel north on their way towards Alaska.

Volunteers and rangers stationed at 15 locations 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. stretched along the Oregon coast to answer your questions and help you spot Gray whales.

📍 Fort Stevens State Park
📍 Neahkahnie Mountain Overlook
📍 Cape Meares Lighthouse
📍 Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint
📍 The Whale Watching Center
📍 Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint
📍 Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
📍 Yachats State Recreation Area
📍 Cape Perpetua Turnout
📍 Heceta Head Lighthouse
📍 Umpqua Lighthouse
📍 Shore Acres State Park
📍 Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint
📍 Harris Beach State Park

🐳ℹ️ stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=things-to-do.whale-watchingdQ

03/15/2026

Celebrate Florence’s shining light!

You are cordially invited to the 132nd Birthday of Heceta Head Lightstation! Join us to celebrate 132-years of keeping the light. Visit to hear about the history of Heceta Head and its keepers, enjoy live music, play games, and participate in our Summer Raffle to win great prizes! Complimentary hot dogs will be provided by Taylor's Sausage. Refreshments, cookies, and cupcakes will be available as well! We hope to see you all March 30th, from noon to 3!

03/09/2026

With The Oregon Coast – We just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉 ... of course! We're home to one of Oregon's most legendary stories!

03/09/2026

"....its legend persists after 56 years thanks to Florence's Exploding Whale Memorial Park and Exploding Whale Memorial Celebration."

See Stand by Me shrines in Brownsville, smell a garlic festival in North Plains, sample unique cheeses in Tillamook, and more, in these unique Oregon towns.

03/07/2026

🐳

03/06/2026

Right on Oh Whale Movie! https://ohwhalemovie.com/ for Winning the Best Documentary Prize at The McMinnville Short Film Festival this week!

"Of the more than 90 films screened, one of the biggest crowd-pleasers featured an actual blast on the Oregon Coast that, according to one study, has been viewed more than 350 million times on YouTube. Winslow Crane-Murdoch’s Oh Whale — about the legacy of Portland TV broadcaster Paul Linnman’s coverage of a beached whale in Florence that was blown up with dynamite in 1970 — won this year’s Best Documentary prize. "



https://www.orartswatch.org/the-singers-about-a-sing-off-in-a-dive-bar-wins-grand-jury-prize-at-mcminnville-short-film-festival/

Other winners include stories about the timber industry’s herbicide spraying, an unsettling mermaid, and Oregon’s famous exploding whale.