Where to stay

Independent film is celebrated every October with the Bend Film Festival, best enjoyed by booking accommodations in downtown Bend for screenings at venues including the Tin Pan Theater and Tower Theater, an iconic art deco moderne building that opened in 1940. Downtown hotels are also ideal for annual live music festivals, including the 4 Peaks Music Festival set around the Summer Solstice. Stay in lodgings in the northern part of the city for an easy journey to the Bigstock Music Festival at Coyote Ridge Ranch just outside Tumalo. Accommodations near the Deschutes Historical Museum are the place to stay to learn about tribal history and be an easy 15-minute drive from the wacky Fun Farm costume museum. In the summer, find a hotel in Sisters to experience the annual Sisters Rodeo.

Visitors staying in downtown Bend will have diverse choices of restaurants and cuisines in the city. Bend was recently named as having one of the most eating spots per capita in America. Pizza Mondo remains a longtime local and visitor favorite, while a handful of good quality Thai restaurants are located nearby. The city has no shortage of drinking options. Pick up the Bend Ale Trail map and consider staying in Sunriver to tick off spots as you head north sampling the beer at more than 25 craft breweries in Central Oregon. Alternatively, accommodations in Redmond or Sisters are close to a handful of breweries north of the city center. Guests staying at hotels near the Old Mill District, a great shopping and entertainment complex in the southern part of the city, have great choices for eating options, with most restaurants offering patio dining overlooking the Deschutes River.

Find a room in downtown Bend in the winter to ski or snowboard at Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort, where the ski season often extends from late November through May. The snow-capped peaks of the Cascade Mountains hint at the possibilities available for adventurous visitors. Accommodations in Sisters are within easy reach of Three Sisters Backcountry, where ski tours include a long Nordic hut-to-hut self-guided trail. Those who prefer to play on water should consider a hotel in the Old Bend District of downtown any time of year to head to Bend Whitewater Park. Stay nearer Deschutes National Forest to enjoy wilderness hikes and fishing for trout in numerous lakes. Accommodations here are also close to Tumalo State Park, where deer are often visible foraging for food.