Kayak or canoe the Deschutes River in Central Oregon

Beer drinkers delight in Bend Ale Trail

Will your travels take you to Central Oregon? Visitors definitely won’t want to miss The Bend Ale Trail.  Bend probably has more microbreweries per capita than any other city in the state!

You can download the free app for iPhone or Droid, and get a passport from Visit Bend so you can make the rounds gathering stamps and beer samples. If you’d prefer not to meander on your own, and easy way to knock out four of the seven bend breweries in a fairly short time is with The Bend Brew Bus from Wanderlust Tours.

Wanderlust actually has a TON of really fabulous tours, ranging from caving to moonlight kayak and everything in between.

For visitors interested in trying mountain biking, the folks at CogWild offer great tours for riders ranging from first-timers to experienced cyclists.

Traveling with kids?

If you are traveling with kids, there is SO MUCH to do in Bend. I’ve mentioned before that my husband is from Oregon and I went to school at University of Oregon. There is plenty of activity to keep the kids busy from the Lava River Cave at Newberry National Volcanic Monument to whitewater rafting the Big Eddy Thriller. Kids can feed the fish at Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery in Camp Sherman or take pictures with eagles at the High Desert Museum.

Bend, Oregon eats

Velvet and Astro Lounge are two  “typically Bend” hotspots if you’re looking for a way to kick off an evening with good drinks and appetizers. The food is a little better at Astro, the service is better at Velvet. If you’re trying to hit happy hour, start at Astro. Theirs goes ‘til 7 p.m. and is particularly good.

Blacksmith feels a tiny bit more upscale, but still has a really cool feel and excellent drinks and apps. Good history, too.  High end Bend dining? Try Ariana Restaurant.

McMenamins at the old Saint Francis school is a neat place. Their soaking tub is pretty cool, and O’Kane’s at the back of the property offers a nice place to sit by the fire pits at the end of an evening and sip a local craft beer. There’s also Brother Jon’s, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. and Zydeco - get the house-smoked trout dip!

Fish on in Central Oregon! Kyle Connolly reels in a 6 pound, 25 inch trout

If you want to squeeze in a nicer dinner, try 900 Wall.

Another AMAZING restaurant that’s a little outside the downtown area is Trattoria Sbandati. Still walkable from downtown, but a bit off the beaten path. Some of the best food in Bend, but the location is teeny-tiny, so you’ll need reservations.

Best bets for breakfast or lunch, close to downtown, Jackson’s Corner is a great local fave, as is Alpenglow. Ditto for Chow. All three specialize in locally-produced ingredients, super fresh, unique food. You might also like:

• Bellatazza, downtown Bend
• Thump, downtown Bend
• Backporch, two locations in Bend
• Sparrow Bakery
• Nancy P’s Bakery

Debi Smith of Seventh Mountain Resort Stables, horseback riding on the banks of the Deschutes River

Looking for a little spa time after all that outdoor exercise? Check out Anjou Spa in Bend or Shibui Spa at FivePine Lodge in Sisters, Oregon.

When you want to send a home made postcard  from Central Oregon, get your picture taken at Smith Rock State Park with the monkey face in the background. (You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it.)

The Old Mill District in Bend offers great views and is the best place to watch or experience headliner and free summer concerts, in addition to annual sporting events!

Looking for a little exercise? Try the Upper Deschutes River Trail - also a good place to go fishing.

The Bend Bulletin is the local paper in town. Go Magazine is published on Friday’s. The Source Weekly is, well, the weekly newspaper.

There’s always something going on in Bend/Central Oregon.

• 2011 USGA of Cyclocross – The Deschutes Brewery Cup – Bend, Oregon, December 10th and 11^th, 2011
• Munch n’ Music
• Bend Farmer’s Market

Pole, Pedal, Paddle take place in the spring time, as does pond skimming at Mt. Bachelor (you gotta see it, to believe it.)

Visiting Bend in the summer? Join in on Downtown Bend’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July Pet Parade.

Did you know that Central Oregon is known for world-class golf? Thomas, four-years-old, from Portland, Oregon, takes a swing.

Did you know that Central Oregon is also known for world-class golf? Surrounded by the Cascades, most offer spectacular views, but the following are stunning gems in the fall:

• Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort
• Aspen Lakes in Sisters
• Crooked River Ranch
• Black Butte Ranch

Come to Central Oregon for skiing, snowboarding and other snow-play at Mt. Bachelor in the winter.

What are your favorite things to do in Bend, Oregon?

Related Posts:

Things to See and Do in Sunriver, Oregon

Horseback Riding at Long Hollow Ranch, Sisters, Oregon

Thanks to Kristine and Visit Central Oregon and Tawna and Visit Bend for assistance with this post.  Photos and YouTube video by Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown

Crosswater Golf Course with Mt. Bachelor in the background, Sunriver, Oregon

Crosswater Golf Course at Sunriver Resort

Who said “golf is a good walk spoiled?” Mark Twain said it, and he obviously hadn’t played Crosswater Golf Course in Central Oregon.

On the breathtaking Crosswater golf course, every hole is as scenic as the last. The views of the Robert E. Cupp designed course you see on television, while watching the Champions Tour, don’t do justice to this 18 hole course.

Crosswater crosses the Little Deschutes River Seven Times

Central Oregon beauty at Crosswater Golf Course

Every golfer passing through Central Oregon needs to stop to play Crosswater. However, it is a privately owned and operated golf course. You are in luck if you are a member, guest of a member, or a guest of Sunriver Resort.

With Mt Bachelor backdrops and the spectacular Deschutes River winding its way throughout the course,  every hole can be showcased on a postcard. As Crosswater Golf Course is a traditional exclusively bent grass heathland style, golfers will appreciate the 7,683-yard course with its pure wetlands, luscious plants and native wildlife.

In fact, Crosswater Golf Course was designated as a certified Audubon Sanctuary through the Audubon Society of New York State in 1999, one of only 150 golf courses in the U.S. with this distinction.

Evan D. Brown on Crosswater's 8th hole with Mt. Bachelor in the background

Playing like a Pro

Every player will feel like a pro with up to date maps of pin locations, and yardage guides acting as your own personal caddie. Regardless of score, you will have a great time playing with the wonderful views and people of Crosswater in Central Oregon.

What are your favorite things to do in Sunriver, Oregon?

If You Go:

Crosswater Golf Club 1 (541) 593-6196

P.O. Box 4818

Sunriver, Oregon 97707

This review of Crosswater Golf Course is a guest post by Evan D. Brown. Evan is a high school student and avid golfer. Evan was a guest of Sunriver Resort.

Related Posts:

Things to See and Do in Sunriver, Oregon

Woodlands Golf Course, Sunriver, Oregon

Sunriver

Take in a sunset at Sunriver, Oregon

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is to the top of Lava Butte.

When I crave home made ice cream, I turn to Goody’s at the Sunriver Resort Village Mall.

To escape work I go mountain biking  in the Deschutes National Forest.

For complete quiet, I can hide away on my kayak on the Deschutes River or Cascade Lakes.

If you come to Sunriver, get your picture taken next to Benham Falls.

If you have to order one thing off the menu at the Grille at Crosswater, get the salmon.

Sunriver is my one stop shop for outdoor recreation.

Take a downhill mountain bike ride to Paulina Plunge outside of Sunriver, Oregon

When I’m feeling cash-strapped, I go to Parilla in Bend.

For a huge splurge, I go to the Grille at Crosswater.

Photo ops in Sunriver could be on a horse next to the Deschutes River, in a Glider soaring over the Cascade Mountains, or on the 12^thhole at Crosswater.

The best vantage points are taken by walking to the top of Lava Butte or on horseback at Ramsey Ridge.

The most random thing about Sunriver Resort is the Wings and Wheels Antique Car and Airplane Festival.

In Sunriver, an active day outdoors involves biking, horseback riding, kayaking, rafting, paddle-boarding, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, caving. The recreational opportunities are wide open.

My favorite walking route is the Benham Falls trail.

Sunriver’s best museum is the High Desert Museum.

For a night of dancing, go to your back porch and dance under the stars.

To find out what’s going on a night or on weekends, read the Sunriver Scene.

The best Sunriver views are reached on horseback from Ramsey Ridge

You can tell a lot about Central Oregon from visiting Sisters and watching the Sisters rodeo.

In the spring you should go skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor. Usually Bachelor has the best late season snow in the country.

In the summer you should take a white water rafting trip on the Deschutes.

In the fall you should hike the Deschutes river trail when the aspens are on fire.

In the winter you should go to Mt. Bachelor for dog sledding rides.

A hidden gem in Central Oregon is Fall River.

For a great breakfast treat or espresso, go to the Bellatzza.

Just outside of Sunriver Resort you can visit Sparks lake and have a picnic.

The best way to see Sunriver is to ride bikes.

If you have kids, you won’t want to miss Ft. Funnigan.

Go standup paddle boarding or kayaking on Sunriver's Deschutes River

What are your favorite things to do in Sunriver, Oregon?

Thanks to Daryl McCarl and Sunriver Resort for assistance with this post.