Five things not to miss in Bend

Breweries

There are more than 20 breweries in Bend, and new ones opening all the time. In fact, Bend (population 87,000) has more breweries per capita than any city in Oregon. One of the first in town was Bend Brewing Co; the largest is Deschutes, named after the Deschutes River; and — at the time of writing — the newest is Boneyard Brewing, which now has two locations in town.

Box Factory & Old Mill District

A trendy new area, just a few minutes from Downtown Bend. It was once an important area for the logging industry and a revitalisation project has made use of salvaged materials from derelict buildings, such as wood beams, old sidings and concrete floors, to give new life to a heritage area. Now you’ll find breweries, cideries, cafes, shopping and restaurants.

McMenamins Old St Francis School

This former Catholic Schoolturnedbrewery, restaurant and hotel is one of the most interesting places I’ve ever stayed.

McMenamins is a familyowned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues and heritage hotels in the Pacific Northwest, and its restorations are done with wild innovation and painstaking attention to detail. Old St Francis School is packed with brilliant features — eclectic artworks, a pub, brewery, movie theatre, regular live music, a soaking pool, outdoor fire pits and a number of secret rooms, including a Prohibitionstyle speakeasy. Even if you’re not staying overnight, spend a couple of hours here and explore.

Lava Tube Cave Tour

Just under the surface of the earth on the outskirts of Bend lies a network of ancient lava tube caves. While there are caves that can be explored without a guide, I would highly recommend going with Wanderlust Tours. These caves are dark and claustrophobic, requiring some scrambling to get through. It would be easy to become disoriented, or badly hurt. We explored Boyd Cave, 18m deep and 560m long, officially discovered by John Boyd in the 1920s, although it had been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. The caves are an important habitat for whitenosed bats, which hibernate here.

High Desert Museum

Take a walk through a few hundred years of high desert settler history at this excellent museum that brings the region’s past to life. The Smithsonianaffiliate museum sits within a forest of ponderosa pines, and there are beautiful paths between exhibits taking you through the trees. Live exhibits include a bobcat, birds of prey and porcupines, rescued after injury or being kept illegally as pets. There are more than 18,500 artefacts in the collection, so dedicate some time for a good look around.