The historical antecedents for Coos Bay port development were laid a century ago by the Simpson Lumber Company, whose ships transported Oregon logs around the world. The ships returned with seeds that were planted in the Simpson estate’s garden, 12 miles west of Coos Bay via the Cape Arago Highway, three miles beyond the busy commercial and sportfishing port of Charleston. Though the Simpson house burned to the ground in 1923, the 750-acre gardens are still a floral fantasia, now open to the public as Shore Acres State Park (daily 9 am–dusk; $3 per car). Besides the formal gardens, which are illuminated during the Christmas holiday season, there’s an observation tower above wave-battered bluffs and a trail down to a delightful beach.