“Um…why is it called Exploding Whale Beach Camp?” asked Bryan, as we unfolded ourselves from the car and looked out on our home for the weekend.
Two 1960s-era Airstream Land Yachts were parked in the garden next to a two-story house. They looked like giant silver pill capsules. The silvery surface of ours reflected the greens from the surrounding scrubby coastal pine trees and salal bushes. I squinted a little to look at it, the rare winter sun gleaming on its metallic surface. It was January, but the sky was a clear, robin’s egg blue. A picnic table and lawn chairs were arrayed outside the front door. A potted succulent hung from a tree.
“It’s perfect,” I said, breathing in the fresh coastal air and thinking how very many miles this seemed from the office. “Oh, but I have no idea what it has to do with exploding whales.”
This unique Airbnb is in Florence, Oregon on the central Oregon coast. If you’re wondering where to stay in Florence, Oregon that’s a bit off the beaten path…look no further.
In this post, I’ll share the highlights of this quirky and delightful lodging and the bizarre reason it’s called Exploding Whale Beach Camp.
Exploding Whale Beach Camp: The Highlights
The last time we stayed in the Florence area, we camped in our tent at nearby Sutton Campground. It’s a wonderful campground with secluded, wooded campsites. But since we went in fall, the early sunset combined with a downpour meant we spent the evening curled up in our tent reading a novel aloud by flashlight.
That’s actually not a bad way to spend an evening, but with this trip solidly in the middle of winter, we decided to level up and look into glamping in Florence instead. That’s how we ended up at Exploding Whale Beach Camp.
Unlocking our Airstream Land Yacht, we were greeted by a cozy electric “wood stove.” A double bed and two single beds were efficiently crammed into the small, pill-shaped space, and a kitchenette housed a refrigerator and microwave.
At the far end of the pill capsule, a door opened onto a bathroom complete with a hot shower.
This, I thought, cradling a mug of hot cocoa, was definitely the way to go glamping in January.
Glamping Next to Heceta Beach
Hot cocoa in hand, I read over the Airbnb binder. It kept referring to a “hobbit trail” down to nearby Heceta Beach.
Wondering what exactly a hobbit trail might be, we set out to explore. After a few minutes’ walk through the quiet neighborhood, we arrived at a trail tunneled into thick, hedge-like bushes. The bushes formed such a dense tunnel in places that I wondered if even rain could get through the meshwork of overhanging branches. This whimsical natural chute must surely be the hobbit trail.
Just a few minutes’ walk further on, the hobbit trail opened onto rolling dunes at Heceta Beach. Beach grasses replaced the dense network of bushes, and the sand became loose underfoot. The smell of salt air grew stronger.
The dune path at last expelled us onto a wide, sandy beach at the ocean’s edge. The waves glittered in the unseasonably direct January sunshine. Looking down the coast, I saw only one other couple in the distance. Since Heceta Beach is so close to the Airstream, it was easy to go back at night and walk along the beach in the moonlight. Magical!
Exploding Whale Beach Camp isn’t a unique Airbnb just by being a vintage Airstream Land Yacht, but also because of its proximity to this lonely and delightful ocean beach.
But Why is it Called Exploding Whale Beach Camp?
We soon noticed it wasn’t just our Airbnb that was full of whale symbols and references. In the town of Florence itself, we kept seeing whales everywhere—a whale-shaped placard on a cafe door here, a whale figurine there. Finally, we asked the hive mind of the Internet what was going on.
According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, Florence’s fascination with whales dates back to an incident over 50 years ago, in 1970. A dead whale turned up on the beach. That may sound innocent enough, but apparently the smell from something that huge and dead is unbelievable.
State officials were tasked with solving the problem…and they chose dynamite as the solution. The idea was to reduce the dead whale into smaller pieces that would decompose more readily. But it turns out that even when broken into smaller pieces, chunks of exploding whale blubber are heavy. One chunk smashed a car!
If you’re curious (as we were), you can check out the actual historical exploding whale footage in the Oregon Historical Society archives.
Things to Do Near Florence, Oregon
Since you now know where to stay in Florence, Oregon, a natural question is…why visit? From a cave full of hundreds of sea lions, to a bog of giant carnivorous plants, to dunes so extensive they were the namesake for the Dune novel, this part of the central Oregon coast is wild, weird, and wonderful. Check out our blog post on the top 10 things to do in Florence, Oregon to kick off planning your trip.
For a virtual tour, check out our video on Exploding Whale Beach Camp and nearby attractions below.
Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest
Thanks for joining us at this unique Airbnb in Oregon! For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.
Happy exploring!
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