Everyone want to be able to spend time with their kids, and to take them on vacation to a beautiful location like Bend. We all hold family vacation memories from when we were kids close to our hearts. Time to make some more precious memories for your kids. Here are some ideas for the most fun family activities in Bend.
Book a Tour
Make it easy on yourself, and book a tour. Pick a guided tour on things your kids are interested in, like volcanos, caves, ghosts, ghost towns, history, and wildlife. Or, try a downtown scavenger hunt. Tours can be in vehicles, in canoes and kayaks, on skis or snowshoes, on foot or on bikes, or even on ATVs.
Enjoy Nature
A visit to Newberry National Volcanic Monument should be on your list. Walk over hardened ancient lava flows frozen in time, like the amazing Big Obsidian Flow. Explore the dormant cinder cone of a volcano or walk along the heart of a still active volcano – the Newberry Crater. Over 100 miles of hiking trails wind past lakes and waterfalls (don’t miss Paulina Falls), and the summit of Lava Butte offers amazing panoramic views of the Cascades. And the Trail of Molten Lands holds the lava fields where NASA astronauts trained for their moon walk. Newberry Caldera also has twelve trails, fishing and water sports in the caldera’s two lakes, and a few hot springs. The Newberry National Monument is also home to the Lava River Cave, an amazing mile-long lava tube.
Hike to the picturesque, popular Tumalo Falls for spectacular waterfalls after a lovely hike through alpine forests and high mountain prairies. Or stay right downtown and hike to the top of Pilot Butte for a panoramic view of Bend.
There are plenty of parks scattered around town too, including Paulina Park (playground, bocce ball, rock climbing), and Larkspur Park (hiking trail, picnic shelter, bocce ball, horseshoes, pickle ball, basketball, rock wall). The Deschutes River Trail connects several parks, the Bend Whitewater Park, and several other trails within the Old Mill District. This 12-mile paved multi-use trail runs on both sides of the river, over several footbridges, through downtown Bend, wide canyons, forests, and past cool basalt rock formations. Watch for wildlife along the way too.
If your kids are mountain bike enthusiasts, they’ll enjoy hurtling along and exploring over hundreds of miles of single-track here in Bend. And there’s always Mount Bachelor, where you can spend the day skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tubing, enjoy the zip line and downhill mountain bike park. During the winter months, enjoy a dog sled adventure or horse-drawn sleigh ride.
Indoor Fun and More
Sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate. No problem, just head inside. There several indoor trampoline parks in Bend, including the Mountain Air Trampoline Park. Little kids will enjoy Bouncing off the Wall, an inflatable fun center, and older kids may like the Vector Volcano Classic Arcade and the Bend Escape Room. Kids of all ages will enjoy Cascade Indoor Sports (think roller rink and pickleball), the Bend Rock Gym (indoor rock walls, yoga and more), and the Sun Mountain Fun Center (bowling, billiards, go-karts, mini-golf, bumper cars, batting cages and an arcade).
Plus, there’s always SHARC Sunriver with indoor pool, disc golf, winter tubing trails, basketball court, and Juniper Swim & Fitness Center with an indoor pool, fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, hot tub, sauna, steam room, kids’ pool, outdoor interactive splash pad for tiny kids. And The Pavilion has a rec center, skate park and skating rink.
Spend a day at the High Desert Museum, where there is sure to be something your entire family will enjoy. The museum includes exhibits on local area history and culture, wildlife, and art, including Native Americans, fur trappers, miners and loggers. Explore Lazinka Sawmill, a working sawmill since the early 1900s and an early 1860s pioneer town complete with blacksmith shop. There are wild animal exhibits and raptor encounters in the museums’ Bird of Prey Center, as well as the Raptors of the Desert Sky daily flight program. And the museum’s Desertarium has smaller desert wildlife including cute little burrowing owls, scary giant spiders, rattlesnakes, desert tortoises and Gila monsters.
Book Your Family Trip to Bend
After a long, hard day of biking, hiking or flying through the air on a trampoline, everyone will be exhausted! Or maybe they have a little energy left? With free Wi-Fi, large flat screen TVs, and comfy furniture, your Bend vacation rental will be the perfect spot for family movie night, or maybe for s’mores and stargazing out on the deck.
Our rentals are located throughout the Bend area, so you can select the perfect sized rental and the perfect location to your family’s favorite activities. Need help narrowing down your choices? Or maybe you’d like a few more suggestions for things to do while you’re here? Just give us a call today!
