Beachgoers in Rockaway Beach walk the sand at sunset, with Twin Rocks in the distance.

These are the things I knew about Rockaway Beach before this spring: The corn dogs are famous, the fish and chips spot is choice, and the big tree is really big.

The small town nestled between the Nehalem and Tillamook bays might be the most overlooked destination on the north Oregon coast. Cannon Beach and Manzanita make all the lists. Astoria gets the cruise ship traffic, while Seaside draws the families. Pacific City, Tillamook and even tiny Oceanside get more attention.

This spring, I decided to give Rockaway Beach its due. Along with my partner, Sadie, I spent two nights in the small beach town, discovering everything to see, eat and do, making up for years of passing it by.

I was curious: Would this trip change my feelings about Rockaway Beach? We had three days to find out.

Day 1: Classic beach day

The weather forecast predicted rain for most of our visit (a frustrating development, especially following our soaking spring coast trip last year), but as Thursday morning came around, the sun was rebelliously out, giving us a single dry day to enjoy. We decided to take full advantage.

Rolling into town just before noon after a two-hour drive from Portland, we headed straight to the beach. The main beach access point is at a park at the center of town, where visitors will find parking, restrooms, benches and information, all within walking distance of local shops and restaurants.

On the beach, you can look south for a great view of Twin Rocks, just offshore. The sand here stretches for nearly six miles between the Nehalem and Tillamook bay jetties, broken up only by the trickling mouths of local creeks. On the north end, beachgoers can use the access at Manhattan Beach, one of the least visited state parks in Oregon. On the south end, it’s Barview Jetty, a Tillamook County park that’s also home to a large campground with cabins.

We had plans to explore both beaches that afternoon, but first we had to sample the local cuisine.

The corndog is Rockaway Beach’s claim to fame. Or, to be specific, it’s the Pronto Pup, an unsweetened corndog that has become famous at state fairs across the country. After inventing the pup on the coast in 1939, George Boyington and his wife, Versa, took the dogs to Portland and, eventually, nationwide. That history largely lay hidden until 2016, when an enterprising fan opened The Original Pronto Pup in downtown Rockaway Beach.

The small restaurant on the side of the highway could be mistaken for a Church of Corndog. The building is topped with a 30-foot fiberglass corndog. Outside is the world’s only mechanical rideable corndog. Inside, the menu boasts nine kinds of Pronto Pups, including a spicy sausage, a vegetarian option and a whole pickle. Sadie and I picked out four pups for a taste test, which was won by the original and vegetarian versions. We both agreed that the batter, somehow both fluffy and crunchy, was the star of the show.

Just down the street from Pronto Pup is the perfect place to walk off all the fried batter: the Rockaway Beach Old Growth Cedar Preserve, a swampy patch of land where a half-mile boardwalk leads to a towering western redcedar known colloquially as the Rockaway Big Tree. We took a casual stroll down the boardwalk, which ran beside lush skunk cabbage leaves and delicate pink manzanita flowers, dipping in and out of the forested shade. The big tree at the end really is a marvelous sight, towering and bulbous and strange.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the sun, visiting all the town’s beaches, where we spied on seagulls and picked through the small rocks at low tide. Back in the heart of town, we stopped by Troxel’s Rock Garden,where we paid $3 apiece to play a dingy, unhinged “Wizard of Oz”-themed mini golf course, then walked over to Sea Breeze Ice Cream for an afternoon pick-me-up, coming away with two cones and a small bag of taffy.

Lodging in Rockaway Beach, as in most coast towns, is a mix of hotels and rental homes. Much more drawn to hotels these days, I booked two nights at the Rockaway Beach Resort, where rooms come with oceanside views and full kitchens. The communal pool and hot tub sweeten the deal, especially on a rainy day. While perhaps a bit dated, our room was spacious and clean, with plenty of places to relax. The bed was comfortable and the balcony offered a great view over the beach. With taxes, our room cost $380 for the two nights (cheaper than most comparable options on Airbnb).

As evening arrived, we set out to find dinner. There are a several restaurants in town, but with the sun out, we decided to check out one of the local food carts, New Taste of India. As it turns out, the cart is one of two on the coast (the other is in Warrenton), and an offshoot of a restaurant in Portland. The chana masala we tried was good, and the vegetable samosas with tamarind chutney were excellent.

At sunset, we hit the beach once again. With few clouds, it was a clear, pastel scene, the golden light turning amber in the navy sky as the sun sank below the horizon. The weather app told us rain was coming, but in that moment it felt so remote, impossible even — a whole, long night away.

Day 2: Shopping in the rain

By dawn, clouds had moved in to cover the sky, and by late morning a drizzle started, building to a steady downpour that blew in sideways across the beach. Donning our rain jackets and boots, Sadie and I set out for a day on the town.

We started with breakfast at Grumpy’s Café, a no-fuss diner that is the only dedicated breakfast restaurant in town (you can find pastries and breakfast at some all-day restaurants). The reason you go to Grumpy’s is for the tasty but insanely large pancakes, which we wished we had been warned about before ordering a three-pancake “Haystack” that we didn’t come anywhere close to finishing.

Out in the rain, we hit the streets to walk off the pancake and see what the local shops had to offer. They quickly began to run together. There were handmade soaps and local tea blends, rustic home décor and beach-themed dish towels. There were the Rockaway Beach-branded T-shirts and hoodies, the silly little souvenirs and personalized keychains. There were the racks of clothes, both vintage and new, the smattering of antiques, the stuffed animals, junky plastic toys and s’more making devices. There was also, surprisingly, the International Police Museum, which turned out to be a small collection of memorabilia in the back of a store called Washed Ashore.

The odyssey was fascinating, even if the shopping was not particularly compelling. At the end of our walk, however, one business finally caught our attention. Housed in a bright red building surrounded with dangling glass orbs, Oregon Du Drops turned out to be the highlight of the morning.

Owned by local artist James Du Bois and his wife, Cathleen, the shop sells what James calls Du Drops: recycled lightbulbs filled with Oregon rain, and topped with brass temple bells. His creations are beautiful and also compelling. Customers often make custom orders, he said, asking for rain from a specific day of the year, commemorating births, deaths or special occasions. That means the shop sees a lot of tears, both happy and sad, the Du Boises said.

Our feet now weary of walking, we headed back to the center of town to sit down for lunch at Old Oregon Smoke House, one of my favorite fish and chips spots on the coast. Our fried cod and fries were cooked perfectly and left us feeling rejuvenated. The only knock on the place is the lack of indoor seating, though a generous awning protects most of the outdoor picnic tables from the rain.

The afternoon was originally supposed to be spent on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, which was offering a “spring splendor excursion” on a steam train between Rockaway Beach and Wheeler. Because the rain felt particularly un-splendid, we opted out and returned to the hotel to relax. Ocean views greeted us from both the hot tub and the couch, where we bathed in the dim gray light, giving into the sleepy, cozy day.

Before we knew it, night had fallen. We put our rain gear back on and headed back outside to find dinner, landing at the Sand Dollar Restaurant, located at the main beach access point in town. I had visited back in 2014 and felt underwhelmed, but this time around it was different. The fish tacos and tuna salad sandwich we ordered were all good — nothing revelatory, but perfectly enjoyable. We sat by a window looking out at the ocean, wishing the weather was nice enough to enjoy dinner at the covered picnic tables outside.

Day 3: Wheeler and beyond

Feeling complete with Rockaway Beach, we decided to spend our last morning driving up the coast. After checking out of the hotel, we got in the car and headed north eight miles to Wheeler.

Though small, the town has a few intriguing food options that I’ve had my eye on (one of which, The Salmonberry, closed this winter). We stopped at the Handy Creek Bakery and Cafe, a small breakfast and lunch spot housed in a rustic white building along the Nehalem River. Their Wheeler Omelet, filled with brie, sundried tomatoes and spinach, was delicious and perfectly proportioned. The real treat, however, was eavesdropping on the local gossip, courtesy of the white-haired locals sipping coffee and chatting in the quiet restaurant.

We decided to take the slightly longer route back to Portland, continuing north on U.S. 101 to U.S. 26. We drove over the cliffs of Oswald West State Park, passed by Manzanita and stopped briefly at Sleepy Monk Coffee in Cannon Beach, my favorite coffee shop on the coast.

The rain dashed any further dreams of beach time or adventures before they could materialize, the cozy vibes drawing us back toward home, Rockaway Beach firmly in the rearview mirror.

After two nights in town, here’s what I know about Rockaway Beach: Between the ice cream, mini golf, fried food and kitschy shops, this is classic beach town; the long sandy beaches here are as beautiful as anywhere else; and while there is not as much to do here as other towns, that only makes it more manageable, a place that’s perfect for an overnighter, a day trip or a couple of lovely nights by the ocean.