Bend, Oregon is a craft beer hub tucked inside a lush green pocket of never-ending trees, and surrounded by snowcapped mountains. It's an excellent adventure for anyone to visit--families, couples, friends, or even solo. If you're a craft beer fan enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors (hiking in it, or just taking in the views) this is your wonderland. Bend has over two dozen breweries, with many standouts. You can even book a Brews and Views tour. Outdoor activities are year round in Bend, and range from scenic strolls in Drake Park, to climbing mountains near Smith Rock State Park.
Keep scrolling for our favorite spots from our trip. I'm surprised by how much we managed to explore in just four days.
Visit Bend also has excellent ideas for fun things to do around town--they were super helpful when we were beginning to plan our trip.
Where to find all the craft beer:
- Crux Fermentation Project You'll find Crux located within an old AAMCO transmission shop in the heart of Bend, with a gorgeous views of the Cascade mountains. It's kid and pup friendly, and has a bit of something for everyone. If I lived in Bend, there's a good chance you'd find me here often. Not only is the beer top notch, the atmosphere is equally as enjoyable. There are several food carts that are permanent fixtures and offer many different options. The best time to visit is right before sunset. They get a fire going, certain beers are discounted during their "Sundowner Hour", and a sunset with a mountain view is pretty unbeatable.
- The Ale Apothecary I squeezed in this brewery visit before I had to head to the airport, and my only complaint is that I didn't have more time to spend here. The Ale Apothecary is a small operation, producing around 350bbl a year. Every single beer is barrel-aged. They locally source ingredients from their own land or directly from Oregon farms. They use Oregon honey or juices to 100% naturally carbonate their beer. I wasn’t just stoked on the beer, the more I learned about The Ale Apothecary from chatting with Staci, the bigger fan I became. It’s clear they’re passionate about supporting all kinds of people in beer—and that they don’t just talk about it.
- Boneyard Beer
- Sunriver Brewing Co.
- Bend Brewing Company Grab a beer and enjoy it outside next to the water.
- Deschutes Brewery A Bend Oregon classic.
- Good Life Brewing Company
- Boss Rambler Beer Club
- Bend Ale Trail Download the app or pick up a passport from the visitor center. Visit Bend breweries and claim prizes back at the visitor center in town. More Info.
- Broken Top Bottle Shop The only bottle shop in town, however, we were not disappointed. They had a wide selection of beers from Oregon and all over the country, were reasonably priced, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. You can enjoy beverages on site, or take them to-go.
Where to find cannabis or CBD:
- Oregrown
Where to fuel up on caffeine:
- Sparrow This place smells like HEAVEN when you walk in. Make sure to grab an Ocean Roll.
- Megaphone Megaphone shares a space with Boss Rambler Beer Club. Super cute, cozy retro vibes. The staff was super nice.
- Thump We were informed by the locals that this was *the* coffee around town.
Where to eat:
- Dogwood We absolutely loved this place. The cocktails were great, the food was great--we got several things to share. The decor was fun, and the service was excellent.
- Wild Rose Northern Thai food. Tip: I learned this the hard way.. level three spice is VERY VERY spicy.
- Bo's Falafel
Breakfast/Brunch:
- The Lemon Tree A bit of a line, but worth the wait. Unique brunch cocktails and all kinds of delicious food. I got the Amaretto French Toast and Alyssa had the Crab cake Benny.
- Mother's Great spot for a healthy breakfast, vegan friendly.
- Mckay Cottage Restaurant We didn't get to visit Mckay's, but we were recommended this place repeatedly. There is also a long line at this spot, so get here early!
Where to hang out:
- Velvet Lounge Young, hip crowd. Queer friendly.
- Cascade West Dive bar.
- D+D Another dive bar. We like dive bars.
Where to stay:
- LOGE This place was fantastic! LOGE is located just outside of town, and still close enough to take a quick, inexpensive Uber. They have all sorts of activities available including bikes you can rent. The rooms have hammocks in them, which we immediately climbed into. LOGE has a little cafe up front, and the staff was so friendly and helpful with suggestions for hikes and things to do around town.
Where to hike:
- Smith Rock About an hour outside of Bend, and completely worth it. We took the Misery Ridge hike and once we got to the top we spent a lot of time just wandering around and taking in the view. It's graded "hard" on AllTrails, but we saw young children hiking this. Be prepared to spend a good deal of time searching for parking, or get there early.
- Pilot Butte You can drive, bike, or walk to the top. Nice, easy, scenic view.
- Deschutes River Trail This is a nice hike that you can kind of choose how far you want to venture.
- Drake Park Absolutely beautiful in the Fall (and I'm sure any time of year).
Where to find a guide or community:
- Out Central Oregon Attend an LGBTQ+ climb night or adventure with Out Central Oregon. More info.
- Wanderlust Tours Cave tours, kayaking, breweries and distilleries and more. Get all the info HERE.
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