Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Rockaway Beach

Plumes of steam puff from the locomotive as it travels along the Pacific coast. A mountainside blanketed in evergreens towers above the vessel as waves pound against the boulder-strewn shore below. The nonprofit Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad serves as both a living history museum and excursion operator for the state's forested coastline. Antique locomotives that hearken back to the region's logging origins take guests on waterside excursions as a crew feeds the engines recycled motor oil and coal-flavored candies. Seasonal events bring about the railroad’s dinner trains, which treat guests to four-course meals as they gaze at the sparkling water of Tillamook and Nehalem Bays.