If there was anywhere to land at the age of 8, after moving ‘most every year growing up, I’m glad we landed in Bend, Or. I love it here. Don’t know why? Let me share that with you for today’s Blog-tember Challenge – A guide to your city! Share some of the hot-spots and hidden gems of where you live.
Here’s a list of the Top 10 things I love about where I live! 
- Pilot Butte- right in the center of town, it offers a 360 view of this tourist destination! You’re able to see all the mountains that, if you’re a skier, snowboarder or what-have-you-in-the-snow, is the reason you’re probably here!
- Sparks Lake – stunning, beautiful and a wonderful place to go kayaking or hiking
- Drake Park – we have a plethora of parks here but this one is my favorite. it follows the winding path of the Deschutes River, and you can kayak/canoe in its’ shallow waters. there are events in the park through the year, two things that hold my heart to it are: the Flashback Cruz and the fact that my OH proposed there!
- Steins Pillar – a 350 foot tall tower in the high desert, this is a beautiful view at the end of a 4 mile hike. when i did it, i only did half of it but next time i plan on going all the way to the base of it!
- Mt. Bachelor – THE place for fun in the snow! of course, i’ve only been there in the summertime, heh.
- High Desert Museum – this museum is 135 acres full of animals, interesting history and great exhibits all about the high desert. There are hands-on learning events for everyone and it’s only 5 minutes from Bend
- The Taco Stand – a tiny tucked-away taco place with great prices and great food… a must when visiting!
- Greg’s Grill – complete opposite of the taco stand but because you’re in Bend, you can wear the exact same thing to either! Great service and really yummy food! with a beautiful view of the Deschutes River.This is where we go for a nice ‘date night’ =)
- Deschutes Brewery – this is how they describe it “A classic English pub atmosphere, with a distinctly Oregon twist, come visit us and see where it all began.” they’ve been around since 1988 and the food is fantastic. i’m not a big beer drinker…wait, i have one sip of my OH’s on the super rare occasion so I can’t vouch for their drinks but their food??? MM mm good. we only go here once in a great while but it’s ah-mazing!
- Pilot Butte Drive In- umm, this is also a must-eat place. Amazing burgers. Kinda pricey burgers for my ultra-thin wallet but yum! And their fries are absolutely addicting
well, I hope you enjoyed this little look into my hometown!
Have you ever visited Bend? What’s your favorite place where you live?
~Laura
the start of a good life 