Get the Kids Outdoors Without Leaving Town
The Deschutes River Trail connects several waterfront parks in the heart of Bend. Facing each other across the river in the middle of town, Riverbend Park and Farewell Bend Park feature green grassy lawns, sandy beaches, kayak and tube launches, a mobile sculpture made of kayaks, and even a hot-air balloon festival in late July. There’s some nifty sculpture here too, plus a playground for the littles. But of course, the river itself is the main attraction here. The inquisitive might be interested to know that while there is mild white water, the river here is generally much more sluggish than it used to be, thanks to a dam downriver to the north, which was built in the mid-20th century to provide irrigation consistency to farmers. Due to this slowing of the stream, more sedimentation takes place, with fine particles eroded into the river during seasonal low levels (also caused by the dam) settling out to form the kinds of mud flats you see in parts of the park. It’s not all bad: Such areas are gradually creating more habitat for wetland species, according to the site’s informative plaque, one of several along a boardwalk that juts out into the channel from the Farewell Bend side. The kids will probably be more interested in squelching around catching frogs than in learning why the mud flats are there, anyway. For city kids whose reaction to getting muck between their toes might be more “yuck” than “yippee,” there’s the sandy beach for a non-squishy entrance to the water.
A few blocks from Riverbend Park, hip Thump Coffee offers a shady place to chill and get your energy level closer to that of your kids. Then you should be ready to tackle the rest of the Deschutes trail. To do the whole thing, first head south along the west bank to where the trail crosses from one wooded, rocky bank to the other on an iron footbridge. Then head back north on the east bank until you’re back to Farewell Bend. Then keep on north on the east bank trail till you come to to the white-water tubing flanked by McKay and Miller’s Landing Parks. Apparently, some people like to take their phones while white-water tubing, so you can experience it ahead of time. That ought to be enough to tire out the most rambunctious offspring, all without getting in the car to leave Bend.
Rainy-Day Brain Rot
For more of the indoor and/or guilty pleasures, Sun Mountain Fun Center has all the bowling, mini-golf, and arcade-induced adrenal overstimulation your kiddos could want. Vector Volcano’s ore retro gaming — and beer — let you have adult time while teaching the kids about your eight-bit childhood.
Day Trips Around Bend
Assuming you don’t want to spend all day in a neon-lit warehouse interior, you can beat the rain by taking a road trip to indoor destinations that are a bit more, shall we say, enriching for you and the youth. Drive south on Route 20, and stop at the High Desert Museum and Lava River Cave. The museum is a kids’ paradise, with much more than static exhibits. It features adorable otters and epic birds of prey, and kids can learn how scientists care for injured wildlife. Inside, there are several rotating exhibits, plus three permanent ones. The Desertarium explores the high desert environment and its tenacious wild inhabitants. “Spirit of the West” gives a vivid, immersive account of the region in the 19th century, taking us from a Paiute encampment of the 1790s to the unfolding of settler colonialism, including railroads, mining, and boomtowns. “By Hand Through Memory” gives the Indigenous side of the story and takes the various regional First Nations up to the present, with a Native-curated story of survival and resilience.
Further south along the highway, you can walk through a mile-long lava tube cave. You’ll want to peruse the Forest Service suggestions to prep for this outing. Be forewarned: Caving is like stepping into a fridge, so dress warmly and bring closed-toed shoes even if it’s sunny aboveground. You’ll also need to bring a light or else rent one there. There’s also the issue of protecting the bats that hibernate in these caves. The Forest Service asks that you not wear clothes that have been worn in another cave, to prevent the spread of the white-nose disease that has threatened bat populations (dark bars and man-caves don’t count).
Go on a Bottle-of-Bread Bender (With Class)
Back in town, when the kids are conked out from all that exploring and safe with a sitter, Bend has truly outstanding drinking establishments. The focus is craft beer, equally suitable for the casual drinker and the “Beer Advocate”-reading snob. To start with breweries actually located in Bend, one of the geekiest is Ale Apothecary, which has a beer club (full for 2019) and is all about wild fermentation, aging in interesting woods, and general epicureanism. Their stuff is available at several Bend restaurants, and their tasting room is open at somewhat limited hours.
For a more traditional pub experience with the highest beer-head approval, check out The Brew Shop and Platypus Pub. Ensconced in a medieval-looking stone church (yes, really) incongruously situated along the Route 20 strip in Bend’s Orchard District, this is a pilgrimage site for the true beer-liever. The former half of the business fills growlers and sells homebrew supplies, while the latter offers a wide selection of taps, bottles, and beers to go at reasonable prices, while emphasizing craft quality. According to one “Beer Advocate” reader “who likes to sit in a dimly lit bar without many distractions from my beer, this place is PERFECT … the beer selection far surpasses anything else Bend has to offer.”
For a more food-centric beer experience, check out the periodic pop-ups and pairing menus at White Water Taphouse. Right across from the well-known Deschutes brewery tasting room, this joint offers a beer-geek owner with an off-the-beaten path list of local ferments. On most nights, they just do bar snacks in addition to the 30 taps, but check out the list of foodie events on their website to see if you’ll be in town for any of them.
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