Jan 24, 2010
Guest post by Mona Weir Daly, 2009
Our family has lived in Bend, Oregon for over a year now and we love the decision to move here.
My husband and I have two children 8 and 6 years old. We felt it was a great place to raise kids and have all our friends and family come and visit. Summer is especially nice with amazing mountain biking, hiking, horse back riding, golf, white water rafting and the High Desert Museum for all ages to enjoy. Several fun hotels conveniently located in downtown Bend allow visitors the chance to walk the town, enjoy free outdoor concerts at Munch ‘n Music on Thursdays all summer and free afternoon concerts at the Les Schwab Amphitheater on Sundays.
photo by Revo_1599
Up the road is the beautiful Cascade Lakes region, loaded with beautiful lakes to canoe on or hike around. A great hike for families is the Todd Lake trail, about a mile around the lake which provides beautiful views of Broken Top mountain and Mt. Bachelor.
Summer here is usually very pleasant with average highs in the 80s and evenings that comfortably cool off. Come and enjoy Bend anytime. Winter is wonderful for ice skating at the Inn at Seventh Mountain or downhill and cross country skiing at Mount Bachelor.
photo by Jen Floyd
Several great hotels to stay at are McMenamin’s or the Phoenix Inn. Take the family to Goodies candy shop for an ice cream sundae, or for an almond steamer at Thump coffee. Eat pizza on Main Street and walk to Drake Park for views of the historic homes along the Deschutes River. The kids can watch the ducks and geese swim in the river while you relax on a bench with the view of Mt. Bachelor in the back ground.
Nearby Sisters, Oregon is another quaint small town worth visiting for its galleries and shops on Main Street and scenic views on the outskirts of town.
Editor’s Note:
We love Black Butte Ranch as a family escape. Pristine mountain forests, lakes, biking paths and a warm lodge that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We love Black Butte Ranch as a family escape. Pristine mountain forests, lakes, biking paths and a warm lodge that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Have YOU been to Bend or Sisters, OR? Please comment below!
Posted on Sunday, January 24, 2010
In Oregon, Trip Reports
Tags: Bend, Cascades, children, Mt. Bachelor, Oregon, Sisters
I grew up in the Willamette Valley and we often visited nearby Sunriver for either a summer or winter holiday. Now we're living in Southern California, but luckily, my cousin has moved to Bend, so we have a great excuse to visit.
EVERYONE loves the area, from my husband, to teen daughter, to my kindergartner. This last trip we brought our bikes and enjoyed riding around the Deschutes by the Old Mill District (the mac n' cheese at Flatbread Community Pizza was a huge hit, as wa the make your own pizza for the littler ones) and through downtown. With the Tumalo Creek running through it, covered bridges to cross, and a nice easy path to bike or walk, Shevlin Park was easily one of our favorite stops.
Bend's a great place to visit for active families.
Jen
Jen, we used to live in Sisters, just north and west of Bend. Loved the area! In the years we’ve been away, Bend has done a lot of growing up, adding restaurants and developing more of a “downtown”. (It used to be the only good place to eat downtown was the Deschutes Brewery and a little bistro called Cafe Rosemary–not even sure if that’s still there.) And at the end of a casual day I’d say visit a Bend icon, the Pilot Butte Drive-In just east of town…huge burgers and we always liked the turkey/bacon/avacodo club—and then you can take the easy hike up Pilot Butte and watch the sunset over Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters and the rest of the Cascade range. Mmm. Nice. —Tim
Yep, Bend has changed a lot since I was a kid. Would love to move there with my family and experience all it has to offer for long-term…working on it!
Will keep that burger joint in mind. We work up an appetite when we're in town.
Jen
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Thanks for the props about Black Butte Ranch! we like it here too. While Summer is truly beautiful here, winter is magical as well. Hope to see you around the Ranch!
Katie
Golfing at Black Butte Ranch has the best, close-up mountain views, too! And I’m the type of golfer who needs to find beauty in the surrounding nature because one wouldn’t find “beauty” in my golf swing…
This site is made for those who dont know how to c-walk stupid.
We have lived in Bend for 10 years now and in that amount of time we have seen quite a bit of change. Particularly in the real estate market. We were fortunate that we did not buy during the rise. We know so many who are way upside down. That aside, it is an awesome place to live in…