5. Take a Tour at Cranberry Sweets & More
For over 50 years, Cranberry Sweets & More has taken advantage of the fact that the nearby Bandon is «Oregon’s Cranberry Capital.» And the several bogs in the neighboring city go to good use, providing the key ingredient to this candy company’s best-selling products.
Today, the list of confections from this family-owned facility includes jellied candies, chocolate assortments, and cookies, among many others. A signature item, Pates de Fruits, are jellied fruit cubes flecked with sugar.
Cranberry Sweets & More operates a factory store in Coos Bay where the public can take tours and watch the candy-making process. Public tours are available on weekdays throughout the factory’s working hours. More importantly, these public tours also come with a surplus of free samples.
Cranberry Sweets & More also runs a flagship store in Bandon. This popular pitstop on the 101 features shelves upon shelves of sugary treats.
6. Drive across the Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge
Whether you’re a fan of architecture or not, there’s little denying that the Conde B. McCullough Memorial Bridge catches the eye. The bridge is part of Highway 101 and spans over 1,700 feet across Coos Bay. Completed in 1936, the bridge was renamed eleven years later for the lead engineer on the project: Conde B. McCullough.
Including this bridge spanning Coos Bay, Conde B. McCullough left a lasting legacy on the Oregon Coast. A South Dakota native, McCullough came to work for the Oregon Department of Transportation and designed several bridges still in operation today. A few of his other notable works include the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport and the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge in Gold Beach.
Even without this history lesson, the McCullough Memorial Bridge tends to be a memorable part of any visit. Driving across the bridge lends a better view of the intricate detail along the trusses. It also offers a ceremonious way to enter the city. Photographers with a zoom lens can capture the aesthetics from places like Jordan Point or Glasgow on the bridge’s north side.
