Another Side to Coos Bay's Shore Acres: Oregon Coast Waves of Color at a Lavish Garden

Published 08/23/25 at 6:35 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) - While Shore Acres State Park is famed for its towering winter waves crashing against rugged, angled cliffs, late summer offers a quieter spectacle: a garden in full bloom, bursting with color and history. (Photos courtesy Friends of Shore Acres)

This is a whole new side to the south Oregon coast icon, one that is especially vibrant now but stays so into the fall months. So maybe a tour of Shore Acres Garden should be in store?

Originally the private estate of timber baron Louis Simpson, Shore Acres began as a grand coastal retreat in the early 20th century. Simpson, inspired by the international flora arriving through the region’s shipping industry, cultivated a formal garden filled with plants from around the world. Among its highlights are two curated rose gardens featuring All-American Rose Selections and a Japanese-style garden built around a 100-foot lily pond.

The estate once included a three-story mansion with a heated indoor pool and a ballroom, surrounded by five acres of meticulously designed gardens. After a fire destroyed the original home in 1921, Simpson began constructing an even larger replacement. However, financial setbacks in the 1930s led to the property’s decline. In 1942, the state of Oregon acquired Shore Acres, transforming it into a public park.

Today, the gardens remain one of the most striking features of the south Oregon coast, rivaled only by major botanical destinations in Portland and Silverton - thanks to the region’s mild climate and thoughtful planting design.

“Something is in bloom almost every day of the year: the first spring bulbs pop up in late February; rhododendrons and azaleas soon follow; roses bloom through the summer; and dahlias appear August through mid-October,” said OPRD in a press release.

Visitors in late summer can expect a vivid display.

Friends of Shore Acres Inc – which oversees some aspects of the park – provided estimates of the enormous volume of flowers that bloom here at various time of the year. Hundreds of spring bulbs and daffodils emerge from late February through March. By late March and into April, approximately 8,000 tulips take center stage. Rhododendrons and azaleas bloom from April through mid-May, followed by 5,000 flowering annuals and perennials that flourish from May through September. June through September sees the rise of 800 rose bushes, while 250 dahlias add their dramatic flair from August through mid-October.

Then again in winter, Shore Acres dazzles beyond the mammoth waves. The gardens become the backdrop for the annual Holiday Lights display, where hundreds of thousands of lights illuminate the grounds in a festive glow, drawing visitors from across the region.

Whether you're chasing crashing waves or chasing color, Shore Acres offers a spectacle in every season. See https://shoreacres.net/

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