Halloween! The one time of year when you can do the things you enjoy without those weird looks and snarky comments. Well, you may still get those, but they don’t matter because it’s Halloween. Time to dress up in silly costumes, eat all the candy and weird looking food you can handle, (like those cupcakes with the brain icing and creepy hotdogs carved to look like fingers!) decorate your workspace, house and yard with ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and skeletons, carve wicked jack-o-lanterns, and binge-watch bad horror flicks all night. A time when everyone gets to act like a kid, at least the day. And if you’re lucky enough to be spending Halloween in Bend, here are a few of our tips for enjoying this macabre holiday.
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Halloween Pumpkins
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a pumpkin to carve. Let your kids have the fun of picking out their very own pumpkin from a local pumpkin patch. Smith Rock Ranch and the DD Ranch, both just a short drive north in Terrebonne, will have pumpkin patches and kids’ activities like face painting, pony rides, live music, and corn mazes. The kids will love the pumpkin canon too!
If you don’t have the time for the short drive, or would rather just stay in town, then head to O’Kanes (at the Old St. Francis School downtown). Order a pumpkin (already prepped and ready to carve) and carving kit for the kids, and a few Black Widow porters for yourself. Let the kids carve away right at the table while you enjoy your dinner and a few drinks.
Halloween Trick-or-Treat Fun
While it depends on how things are going with the pandemic, there will always be some sort of Halloween trick-or-treat fun at the Old Mill District and in downtown Bend. Downtown Bend businesses usually hand out candy for kids 12 and under. And if the kids (or you) didn’t get enough candy trick-or-treating, just head to Cravin’s Candy Emporium and buy more of everything.
Halloween Haunted Houses and More
Head downtown for the annual Deschutes Historical Museum’s Historical Haunts of Downtown Bend Walking Tour. These one-hour tours lead groups (it’s safer in a group!) of scare junkies through the dark streets of historic, haunted, downtown Bend, learning about the local haunted, ghostly legends as they go. Call ahead to reserve your tickets early, because this popular event sells out fast!
Need more? Take the Bend Ghost Tours’ Ghosts and Legends of Downtown Bend tour for a slightly different perspective on Bend’s ghostly legends. Learn about Top Hat Man as you hurry past the Tin Pan Alley Theater, and keep an eye out for the Lady in Green on Bond Street. There’s a lot going on in this haunted, historic mining town, and Halloween is the perfect night for discovering it all.
Why not start your horror movie binge-watching with a classic movie at a local drive-in? A few past features have included Hocus Pocus and Disney’s Cruella. Tons of family fun! Then head back to your vacation rental, pop some corn, grab the candy (and maybe a Twisted Gourd Pumpkin Ale or two for the adults) and settle down in front of the TV for more scary movie fun as you watch everyone’s favorite Halloween favs.
Plan to spend the day at the High Desert Museum, whether you make it there for Halloween or not! The museum celebrates with wildlife-centered Halloween fun for kids. The kids will enjoy the wild animal exhibits in the Desertarium and Bird of Prey Center, while wearing their favorite costumes and listening to wildlife tales. The Desertarium’s smaller desert wildlife include cute burrowing owls, scary giant spiders and rattlesnakes, big but slow desert tortoises and cool Gila monsters.
And then there’s the Bend Paddle Witches Halloween River Paddle. Kid and dog friendly, the proceeds from this year’s paddle will benefit the Mountain Star Relief Nursery. Rent a paddle board, kayak, and tube, put on your best witchy costume and join in the fun as the Deschutes River fills up with black capped and caped witches—or just dress up and watch the fun!
Halloween Vacation Rentals in Bend
Book one of our vacation rentals near the Old Mill District or downtown Bend, and you’ll be that much closer to all the fun! Choose one of our historic townhomes or a modern condo as your Halloween headquarters, and you’ll be steps away from the Witches River Paddle, haunted ghost tours, and trick-or-treating. Or choose one of our cabins surrounded by colorful trees in brilliant fall colors, or a lakefront vacation home, and plan your own quieter Halloween celebrations.
Give us a call today for the best spots to get those pumpkin spice lattes or pumpkin ales or to find out where you can enjoy The Rocky Horror Picture Show!