bend, Oregon Travel guide
Bend, Oregon is one of my favorite cities in the United States. You get to experience mountains to the West, desert to the East, and you’re not far from the Coast. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast, beer-lover, or foodie, this city has it all!
Should you rent a car:
If you plan to hike/explore outside of Bend, then yes a car is a must. If you’re only staying around Bend, then you could definitely get away with takings Ubers/Lyfts. We walked all around downtown one day exploring shops, breweries, lounges, & restaurants and it was very short walks to each.
Where to Stay:
For your first time I highly recommend staying in/near downtown, Old Bend or the River West neighborhood. There are so many good restaurants, breweries, & coffee shops that are all within walking distance. Bend is not a huge city so if you have a car it won’t take you long to get around if you are not staying in those areas.
airbnb’s
The Airbnb we stayed at isn’t available anymore but here are a few that are in great areas of Bend!
Where to Stay if you’re snowboarding:
Loge Bend is a fun (2-star) hotel with hammocks in it that’s closer to Mt Bachelor. We looked at staying here because we were in Bend to snowboard but in the end we decided to stay in the city and are happy with that decision! But if you care about being closer to the mountain, then check them out. They offer amenities like a pool and outdoor patio, and more options depending on what time of the year you go!
Must See Locations in Bends
Things to Do in Bend
#1
Visit McMenamins Old St Francis School
- Try out the soaking pool, a perfect spot to relax after skiing, snowboarding, or hiking. It’s $10/hour per person, children 2 and under are free and you have to call ahead for a reservation.
- Try to find “The Broom Closet” – this was more complicated than we anticipated but it made it that much more fun.
- Cigar shop – If you are a cigar person, definitely have a cigar here. You can go in for a drink as well, which we did, but be preferred to smell like cigars afterwards.
- Just walk around and explore. There’s a theater, so much art/history all over the walls. One of the most interesting places I’ve been to!
#2
Visit the last Blockbuster: Yes it’s still open and you can rent a movie if you want!
#3
Snowboard at Mt Bachelor: I’ve snowboarded at many different mountains and have to say Mt Bachelor is one of my favorites. Hopefully you can get lucky like we did and have a day where the peak is open! If it is, and you’re not scared of double black diamonds, hike all the way to the top and get the best 360 views!
#4
Shop at Lark – fun boutique shop
#5
Dudley’s Bookshop – Lots of great books about Bend/PNW to look at as well as tons of other ones. The upstairs has tables/chairs to hang out in that overlook part of downtown. AND if you need a mid-day pick-me-up, they have a coffee shop as well.
more things to Do:
Restaurants in Bend
Bar Rio
Latin-inspired food. If you’re a Mezcal or Tequila fan, they have a great variety of each.
Wild Rose
Thai food. We’ve been to Thailand and this place is one of the best, if not THE best Thai food we’ve had in the U.S. I recommend the Khao Soi.
McMenamins Pub
American food. This place was very busy on a Friday night so make sure you plan ahead or you might be waiting.
Zydeco Kitchen
American Food. A little pricier. Just did apps and drinks here and everything was amazing. One of the best espresso martinis I’ve had! Make a reservation.
Big O’ Bagels
This is the perfect place to swing by and grab a bagel/bagel sandwich to-go before hiking or hitting the slopes!
Other Restaurant Recommendations
cocktail Lounges / Breweries
Dogwood
This was our favorite cocktail lounge. The vibe, drinks, and music were all great.
Velvet Lounge
This was the busiest of all the lounges we went to and we went on a Tuesday night.
San Simon
Drinks were decent, but the place was extra dark for a lounge. We were there around 10pm at night so maybe daytime it’s a little lighter but just a heads up, you might need your phone flashlight to read the menu!
Bend Brewing Co
Right along the river and there’s often tons of entertainment here. We were there in the winter and they had an outdoor tent put heaters out in a patio area so there’s plenty of room even when it’s chillier out.
Deschutes
You cannot go to Bend without stopping by Deschutes. Try their barrel aged bourbon or one of the amazing beers.
10 Barrel Brewing
Two different locations, but liked the West Side a lot. Plenty of food options.
Coffee shops & bakeries
Backporch Coffee Roasters
A few locations around Bend and great local roaster.
Kanona Café
Loved the vibes of this place! It has a surf/beach aesthetic.
Sparrow Bakery
Best bakery in the United States (And we have lot of good ones in Minneapolis where I live). You HAVE to try the Ocean Roll. We loved it so much we went back twice to get it!
Nancy P’s Café and Bakery
This was recommended by a local and I got my favorite coffee here. Try one of their mochas!
Hiking Near Bend
Smith Rock State Park
Only 26 miles away from Bend and totally worth it. Lots of Easy to Hard hikes.
We did Misery Ridge to Summit Trail:
- Distance: 6-mile loop
- Elevation: 1,774
- Difficulty Rating: Moderate
-My suggestion is to stay on the trails along the river. Misery Ridge was great but I’d skip Summit Trail. It was a little boring, but it was a nice loop around the whole Park and still had some decent views along the way
-Definitely see “Monkey Face”. You can get to that using the Misery Ridge or Mesa Verde Trail
Other Hikes
- Tumalo Falls
- Distance: .5 miles or 7-mile loop
- Elevation: 1460 ft
- Difficulty Rating: Easy
- Distance from Bend: 13.5 miles
- Broken Top
- Distance: 14 miles, out and back
- Elevation: 3,848 ft
- Difficulty Rating: Moderate – Difficult
- Distance from Bend: 28 miles
