Bend, Oregon vibrates with ‘go-play-all-day energy’: America’s Best Towns to Visit 2025

Logging was what initially drew folks to set up this city on the sting of the Cascade Mountains. Bend was named after that function within the river that runs by way of it. Long earlier than that, Indigenous peoples hunted and fished this land.

Dozens of close by lakes provide fishing and boating recreation. There’s whitewater rafting, kayaking, mountaineering and rather more in a 60-mile radius. The outstanding Bend trend look is of lively leisurewear; you are feeling as if you’ve stepped into an REI or North Face catalog.

You don’t even want to depart the beautiful city to soak within the nature and recreation. A strolling and biking path traces the winding, picturesque Deschutes River by way of city, a well-liked vacation spot for campervans and picnickers. The riverbed was even engineered to create a river browsing wave within the Old Mill District.

The just lately upgraded Hayden Homes Amphitheater, the city’s out of doors music venue, lies alongside the river. Don’t be shocked to see a household of deer strolling its empty parking zone whereas a gaggle of geese hang around on the massive garden, ready for the subsequent present. James Taylor, Sting and Mumford & Sons are among the many Hayden headliners this summer season.

Across from downtown’s Tower Theatre, a number one efficiency house for dwell music and theater within the area, is a Birkenstock retailer — a traditional Bend juxtaposition.

A ten-minute drive south of city, on the fringe of Deschutes National Forest, is the entertaining High Desert Museum, with up-close wildlife experiences and detailed, life-size dioramas depicting the area’s Native peoples and the waves of settlement that adopted. It’s an excellent primer for exploring Bend.

Museum guests stroll by way of displays depicting campsites, a darkish mineshaft, a saloon and a city predominant avenue the place chances are you’ll be greeted by a fact-filled docent in interval “teacher” costume. There are artifacts and sound results in addition to dwell native animals, together with bobcats and porcupines. Outside, guests can peer underwater to see the sleek swimming of playful otters.

Another 5 minutes farther south on Route 97 is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument with a lava tube cave you may discover. Deeper into Deschutes National Forest is Mount Bachelor, the perfect snowboarding and climbing you would ask for only a 30-minute drive from city.

There are greater than 100 ski runs to deal with throughout the lengthy season, however you may as well discover on foot, or pedal, low season. A large 4.5-mile Evergreen Trail on Bachelor opened up to hikers and downhill bikers simply final 12 months. Bikers take a ski elevate to the highest to cycle down and hikers have the choice to take it both course.

Bend’s out of doors ethos extends into lodging choices. The Deschutes riverside Tumalo State Park Campground is a 15-minute drive north of downtown and consists of yurts.

In city, the campy, rustic-chic Campfire Hotel (motel, actually) has a saltwater pool that’s heated up to 100 levels in winter and emblazoned on the underside with a campfire emblem, and the branded objects in its swag store embody a flask, metallic camp cup, a marshmallow roasting fork and a s’mores equipment to be used on the resort’s out of doors fireplace pits.

Rooms come with transportable classic camp chairs and acoustic guitars. There’s a sizzling tub subsequent to the pool, and the full of life, wood-paneled Canteen cocktail bar sits simply off the foyer; the resort hosts DJ pool events all year long. Across the road, Campfire’s restaurant neighbor, Fire on the Mountain, serves fried Oreos and Twinkies alongside with beer and their signature Buffalo wings.

If you keep in a home rental, you might have considered trying to discover one which has a DVD participant, for the excuse to patronize the World’s Last Blockbuster. Bend is residence to the final location of the once-ubiquitous film rental chain. Anyone can enroll and get a membership after which browse for titles (new releases too) like they used to do again within the Wild West of pre-streaming. The store is a vacation spot even with out renting a film, with informative shows on employees favorites resembling “Back to the Future” and the Indiana Jones collection, in addition to loads of Blockbuster-branded garments and cups on the market.

Beer is the leitmotif of McMenamins Old St. Francis School, the place classrooms-turned-hotel rooms take up a full metropolis block, together with a half dozen consuming institutions — one pub behind a hidden door, like a speakeasy. Guest rooms are named after employees of the previous Catholic college. There’s a theater (with first-run movies for company and guests), and a heated soaking pool that options water-spitting lions and mosaic depictions of St. Francis doing good animal husbandry works.

At Monkless Belgian Ales Brasserie, you may genuflect earlier than the Shepplekofeggan, a Witbier in honor of “friendship,” the cleverly named “Dubbel or Nothing” and lots of extra. But its largest asset stands out as the location. Overlooking the Deschutes River simply throughout from the Hayden, the brasserie provides prospects an opportunity to strategically e-book a desk on the deck to get pleasure from a free out of doors live performance, alongside with all of the resourceful tubers on the water.

If you need to go all-in on simply the breweries, you can also make a sport of it (with prizes), alongside the Bend Ale Trail.

“Bend has become one of the best beer towns in the country, not just because we have a high number of breweries, but because of the genuine community and collaboration that exists among us,” stated Clement of Monkless Belgian Ales.

Located within the up-and-coming Eastside space of city, Dogwood at the Pine Shed opened in February and rapidly grew to become the cool new hangout, whether or not it’s of their designated e-book nook space or beneath the disco ball. The cocktails are creative, tasty and pleasant to order, with names such because the Juan Connery (Scotch, pimms and chipotle), Beetnik (made with an “earthy” beet vodka), and the Absinthe Minded. The menu additionally represents the native pattern in zero proof and low-ABV cocktails, so these slicing down on alcohol don’t want to reduce down on enjoyable.

A normal 10 p.m. weekday closing time is a function of Bend nightlife that has its followers and detractors, however there are a number of selection choices to maintain the get together going “after hours.”

Among them, San Simón is a romantically dusky lounge positioned off Tin Pan Alley (subsequent to the indie movie theater of the identical title). The drinks, such because the regionally impressed Last Blockbuster (jalapeño-infused tequila and Mexican grapefruit soda), compete on your consideration alongside the big shrine to the legend of Saint Simón, “the patron saint of debauchery.”

Bend is spoiled for nice espresso hangs to get the day buzzing.

The shiny and ethereal Sparrow Bakery has full breakfast choices to pair with its legendary pastry, which is named an Ocean Roll — a fluffy cinnamon bun however with cardamom and vanilla, served heat.

Looney Bean is a cute picket cabin of a espresso store with garden seating that stretches down to the river’s edge whilst you sip a chai-espresso Dirty Hippy. On a latest shiny spring morning, Looney Bean employees and prospects shared their exploits at a latest native music pageant, of which Bend hosts many.

And the cozy-hued Lone Pine Coffee Roasters downtown, with apple pie amongst its pastry choices, lets recent air into its stuffed leather-couch seating when its storage door is open.

The Podski meals cart lot is a perfect introduction to Bend’s sturdy meals truck sport. This specific postcard-sized picnic space has a bar and a big wood-burning out of doors heater. Friends in matching bike outfits, out-of-towners and households all mingle over pierogies, Thai dishes, cheesecake, Italian avenue meals, oysters and a unusual merchandising machine promoting magic methods, romance novels, sunscreen, rose-colored glasses and whoopee cushions. The plant-based Toasty meals truck is a stand-out lunch selection; their Buffalo (fake) chick’n crunchwrap is pure mouth pleasure.

“The many food truck pods are a nice bonus to the overall vibe of Bend, where people with different tastes can coalesce in an outdoor space,” stated Toasty proprietor Brooke Preim-Tobias. “The food is often more affordable and you can soak up some sun while you eat and drink.”

Mondo Pizza, which might begin getting crowded as quickly as they open at 11 a.m., makes for an excellent gas cease to discover downtown, the place a bookstore cafe (Dudley’s) sits subsequent to a wool store, subsequent to a retailer that makes a speciality of crystals and advertises tarot readings.

The colourful and justly standard El Sancho Taco Shop Westside takes the meals truck spirit to the subsequent stage. The small kitchen and patio seating create a convivial house from which to get pleasure from glorious tacos and tamales alongside freshly squeezed margaritas.

And a high-end illustration of the pattern in buzzy cooks hanging their shingle in Bend, is the neo-cowboy steakhouse, Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, close to El Sancho on the Westside. Chef Brian Malarkey (of “Top Chef” fame) and his brother James have created an almost theatrical house with Chinese lanterns hanging over the massive bar; cowboy-themed wallpaper, Western pictures, cowboy hats and guitars adorning the partitions; and enormous personal tables beneath tents.

Signature drinks at Hawkeye embody the bourbon-led Doc Holliday and a lavender gin concoction topped in a barista-like floral froth design referred to as the Goodbye Earl. Beyond the steak choices, the kitchen is thought for its woodfired pizza, forged iron mac & cheese, beef fats fries and creamy Campfire Cornbread.

It’s high-end eating, for positive, however Bend is such an informal city that it’s as acceptable to put on a flannel shirt and Vans as a button-down shirt and jacket.

Bend remains to be rising and evolving. The restaurant and bar scenes are taking part in one-upmanship, every new spot making an attempt to outshine what got here earlier than. The Eastside is in a revival, and downtown is increasing into what’s being referred to as the Bend Central District.

Recreation choices have gotten extra accessible, with extra kayak launches being constructed for the river and new adaptive mountain biking trails designed for these with mobility limitations. Whenever you go to Bend, there may be going to be a brand new, hip place to go, blended with the classics.

That reputation does come at a value — the necessity for reservations at many eating places now, for instance, and crowded parking heaps at close by lakes.

Bend’s remoteness, whereas a part of its enchantment, additionally signifies that getting there takes some effort. Portland is the closest main metropolis, and it’s greater than a 3-hour drive away. Redmond Airport, simply exterior Bend, has direct flights to and from cities resembling Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, however vacationers coming from most different cities can have to take a connecting flight.

But with a bit of willpower — within the true spirit of the West — you may entry this wondrous expanse of nature and the city that grew up inside it. Bend is an open air playground with a deep appreciation for the finer issues in life.

Next city: Annapolis, Maryland is No. 5

This seafaring town brings the past to life