Cannon Beach: Pig 'N Pancake and Bruce's Candy Kitchen

I've already written about our frustrations in Cannon Beach. Certainly the inability to get a lot of pictures means that most of them have been used in the previous two posts. 

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-frustrating-day-at-cannon-beach.html 

It still feels worth saying a bit more about the places that we did make it to. 

In the Art Trail post, you can see pictures of the five artworks we were able to see, for three of which I jumped out of the car while my sisters circled.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-oregon-coast-public-art-trail.html 

There were also two businesses that patronized.

Because the Pig 'N Pancake had its own parking lot and some people left before we got there, all three of us were able to eat and use the restrooms. Very important.

Then, I got out of the car while they circled again for Bruce's Candy Kitchen.

We had been interested in the Pig 'N Pancake because it has a cute mascot, you associate it with coastal cities, and there is no wrong time for breakfast food.

To be fair, we have heard that the Astoria one is the best, and I do not know why that is.

I know that the Newport one is part of the Art Deco Heritage Area, and has a fancy pig.

http://www.citycenternewport.com/pnprestoration.html 

They do try and work with the theme.

The Cannon Beach one's claim to fame is the biggest gift shop. There was lots of cute merchandise.

The pancakes were good. I had the pigs in blankets, which seemed the most thematically appropriate, but I did not love the sausage. It wasn't bad, but I might have been  happier with just pancakes.

We had heard nice things about two other businesses. We did not make it to the Cannon Beach Bakery, though it sounds great and I think the Beach Baguette Bundle is a good idea.

https://cannonbeachbakery.com/ 

So really, for me to go into a place while my sisters circled,  it was a combination of desperation to at least frequent one of the places and the Candy Kitchen having a really cute exterior.

I'd say it was a good choice. 

The smell when I entered was heavenly, which I believe was the caramel corn. There was a wide selection with some really cute options and the staff was nice. 

Prices were also pretty reasonable.

The lines were not terrible, but I also know that I would have liked to spend more time looking, and I would have liked for my sisters to have been able to see it too.

The frustration remains.

COVID: These are the indoor places, and one of them is where you eat so can't keep the mask on. I was glad it wasn't too crowded.

Accessibility: The Pig 'N Pancake was pretty navigable, with accessible bathrooms. As you can see, with a wheelchair or scooter you would need to use a table and have a chair moved.

The Candy Kitchen was flat, but the aisles were a little more crowded. Navigation might be hard, especially when it is busier. They do have online ordering. 

https://www.pignpancake.com/cannon-beach.html

https://www.brucescandy.com/ 

A frustrating day at Cannon Beach

It really all came down to parking.

There were a few places that we wanted to see, and then looking at those we noticed other things.

Someone asked once about a good street for walking and window shopping. This looked like it might be that place. 

You have to be able to park somewhere to walk.

When we go to Seaside, there is one big parking lot and it may get crowded, but you can always find spaces.

When we go to Depoe Bay there have been times when we could not find a spot in the main parking lot, but there are enough places that have their own parking that it releases a pressure valve.

In addition, both of those locations are very walkable, even with Depoe Bay including a bridge.

In Cannon Beach, walking along Hemlock is pretty good between E. 1st and 2nd, and not bad for a block or so either way beyond that, but after that it the terrain gets a little rougher, and there is a lot of traffic.

We did find another parking lot, where we saw a pickup truck that had been ticketed for taking an RV space, but those were the only empty spaces. 

Miraculously, there was parking at the Pig 'N Pancake, so we were able to eat. In retrospect, we should have asked if we could leave the car there while we walked around a little. They were close to closing.

 As it was, I got to see most of the things we wanted to see by jumping out of the car and taking pictures while my sisters circled around.

There were two private parking lots with lots of spaces, and if either of them had been paid parking rather than parking for specific businesses, we would have gladly handed it over.

The two obvious options appear to be getting there really early or getting lodging that includes parking. Maybe the new coast shuttle will provide some options.

For right now, it does not seem to be the place for a leisurely day at the beach. 

COVID: We spent most of our time in the car, so we probably were pretty safe.

Accessibility: A parking pass does give you a few more parking options, so that's something.

Again, if you are going off of the very small main drag, I don't think the shoulders seemed very safe. However, Whale Park itself should be pretty navigable. 

https://www.pignpancake.com/cannon-beach.html

https://www.brucescandy.com/

https://www.cannonbeach.org/things-to-do/cannon-beach-walks/public-art/ 

 

The Oregon Coast Public Art Trail

The embarrassing thing about this post is that all of the art I have photos of is from Cannon Beach, even though it is a "trail" that spans the entire coast.

My putting quotes around "trail" is a big part of why I feel able to do this post now.

I saw that the trail existed a while back and was very interested; we love stuff like that.

When I first sought out more information, I was dismayed by how much there was to go through. Still, I am a determined sort, so I have clicked on every one of those dots on the map.

The deal is that a lot of them don't amount to much. Every mural and carved bench gets on it.

With hundreds of clicks, I found seven items that I really wanted to visit.

Also, a lot of it was familiar. Every time we go to Seaside I notice the giant Adirondack chair outside the one office, and wonder why it's there. Well, now I know: it's art!

It does not make sense to think of this as something carefully planned and worth pursuing.

It may make sense to check an area of the map before you go to a specific town, just to get an idea of what's there.

It is definitely great to have things like statues and carved benches and murals. It's cool when they are thought out and planned and coherent, but you can't always have everything.

For the record, three of the things I wanted to see were in Cannon Beach, including the sculpture in Whale Park that was the one photo in that original article I saw.

I am glad to have seen the whale, seal, and tufted puffins.

At some point I also hope to see the Charlie the Tunas in Charleston, and the Garden of Surging Waves in Astoria.

Otherwise, it's nice, but also a bit disappointing. 

COVID: Mostly outside, but it depends. For example, in Charleston there is one statue outside, and another inside the Visitors Center.

Accessibility: Too much variety to say, but a lot of it will depend on how accessible the town is. Cannon Beach is mixed.

https://visittheoregoncoast.com/oregon-coast-public-art-trail/