5 Top Tubular Things To Do In Bend, Oregon

I recently had the opportunity to visit Bend, Oregon with my good friends from high school. Bend is an amazing mountain town located in the heart of central Oregon. It’s surrounded by stunning forests, beautiful waterfalls, and craggy canyons.

Hikers, rock climbers, and adventure seekers come to Bend regularly to explore its trails and tributaries. I spent an entire week in Bend, hosted by some amazing travel companions and I’m here to tell you about some of the top things to do in Bend, Oregon so that you can plan your journey.

Smith Rock State Park

Located 45 minutes outside of Bend, Smith Rock is a worthy contender for one of the most scenic places to hike in town. Smith Rock is aptly named for its towering rock structures, and visiting this State Park was certainly a highlight of my trip.

Our mighty crew embarked on a day hike approximately 1.5 miles in length to the top of the fabled rock. The hike itself is named the Misery Trail, but was nonetheless amazing. Although, my fear of heights did start to kick in at certain points along the route.

We saw rock climbers and the beautiful river that cuts through the park. This is a self-guided hike that you can also complete in a longer loop that will take you along the perimeter of the park. Parking at Smith Rock is easy, and we paid a $10 entry fee at one of the kiosks.

Don’t forget to bring water though as Smith Rock can get a bit toasty in the summer.

The Last Blockbuster Video

If you’re in town, it’s worth a stop to visit the Last Blockbuster video store located on the way into Bend and a little ways from downtown! Blockbuster is a millennial and Generation X nostalgia trip at its finest and the store does not disappoint.

You can still rent movies and sign up as a Blockbuster member while you’re in town (which I shamelessly did) and enjoy the perks of being a Blockbuster member for the duration of your visit.

The store is a fun quick stop for families, kids, and anyone who wants to experience what life was like before Netflix and streaming services consumed our television screens. We ultimately ended up watching “Belle” an anime movie with a disastrous third act. Onward to our next item on the things to do in Bend, Oregon list.

Wonderland Chicken Company, Hot Chicken

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of Nashville-style chicken. So, whenever I can find new hot chicken establishments when I’m traveling, I am a complete sucker for those experiences. This is a must for your things to do in the Bend, Oregon checklist. Wonderland Chicken Company did not disappoint.

Tucked away off the beaten path a little way from downtown, the chicken truck offered mouthwatering hot chicken, mac n cheese, and assorted platters of chicken and cheese, I’m talking about the works.

This meal was so good (if a bit greasy) that me and my friends went back the following day for more chicken and special homemade ranch dressing. If I could give this place 10 stars I would, but sadly this is not a food blog.

Although the accommodations in the area were a little rustic and this certainly isn’t a place I’d recommend young families necessarily check out, it’s a worthy spot for the lone traveler or adventure seeker who wants to eat some chicken goodness.

Tumalo Falls

Waterfalls everywhere and not a drop to drink. Well, sort of. Located in the Deschutes National Forest, Tumalo Falls is a majestic 97-foot-tall waterfall that is easily accessible, willing you’re comfortable with a little bit of off-road dirt recreational driving.

Put in Tumalo Falls into your GPS and it will lead you to the main parking lot, which requires about one mile of maintained dirt road and a lot of dust. As someone who isn’t as familiar with the area, this was a little discouraging, but I quickly warmed up to have the car engulfed in a cloud of dirt for the duration of our drive.

Once parked (get there early as parking is sometimes limited) it’s a short 2-minute walk up to the first lookout point and only another 5 minutes up to the area above the waterfall. This is a fun little day trip from Bend, located about 30 minutes from downtown and a pleasant place to also bring a packed lunch.

You can follow different trails in the Deschutes for more hiking adventures as you please, but for the sake of brevity, I won’t go into all of them in this post.

Side note: If you want to see more waterfalls… check out photos from my recent visit to Iceland.

More Things To Do In Bend, Oregon…

Of course, we couldn’t leave out the humble and beautiful downtown area of Bend in our things-to-do in Bend post! My friends and I visited downtown at least three times during my extended stay and each time offered something unique and fun.

Downtown is a medium-sized area that includes everything from shops and restaurants to bars and coffee shops. Highlights of my trip included a visit to Drake Park where you can take a stroll through the residential neighborhoods, watch fire spinners flame out at night, and feed the geese at your own discretion.

We had the chance to visit Old St. Francis Pub – McMenamins in the center of downtown for some amazing draft beer. I should mention right now that Bend is home to an amazing number of breweries.

If you’re over the age of 21+ and enjoy a refreshing taste of what Oregon has to offer, there’s no better place than a trip to Bend.

While we didn’t have the chance to explore every storefront, we also did a little window shopping and browsed the vinyl collection at Smith Rock Records, aptly named for the location of our first must-see in Bend, Oregon.