Things to Do in Coos Bay

Owned and operated by glass artists and collaborators Alejandro Hernandez and Ciara Cuddihy, Studio West houses a gallery of fine paintings and glasswork attached to a full glassblowing studio. The cream walls and bright lights of the gallery give way to the industrial metal and stony tile of the workshop, where artisans can be seen retrieving white-hot gobs of glass from the furnaces. These mounds of molten potential are regularly rolled and shaped into handmade trinkets and vases, which can be immediately smashed and melted, completing their life cycle. Visitors can experience the process for themselves during workshops, where they receive hands-on training from the glassworkers in how to bend the superheated silica to their will.

Usually when animals and drive-throughs are combined, it either involves a movie about precocious chimps or is nothing more notable than a dog snoozing in the back seat while its owners grab a burger to go. But at Wildlife Safari, silver screens and slumbering dogs are nowhere in sight. Instead, the park plays host to visitors who drive through the winding grounds to catch up-close glimpses of its inhabitants—more than 550 wild animals. Bison, zebras, and giraffes roam the wide-open surroundings, living in harmony with tigers, lions, and bears who spend their days making macramé welcome mats. Founded by Frank Hart in 1972, the park has helped to protect endangered species while educating the public about them and their important roles in the fragile ecosystem.