Bend, Oregon has an earned reputation as a wonderful family vacation destination: nice weather nearly year-round and lots of activities to do on and around the Deschutes river (hiking, boating, biking!). It also has the cutest, walkable downtown, with lots of shops and restaurants.
Here’s my mini guide to eating and shopping in this adorable town.
Shopping in Bend
Leapin’ Lizards Toy Company
Hawai’i has been short on toy stores ever since Amazon entered the market and Toys R Us and K-B Toys exited it, so I jump at the chance to actually check out and buy toys in person. I loved, loved, loved Leapin’ Lizards in Bend, and so did my daughter (there was a toy train out for the kids to play with and she did not want to leave). It’s independently owned and had everything a kid could need to stay occupied on a long road trip or plane ride home: books, Melissa & Doug puzzles, trains, and dolls.
Leapin’ Lizards Toy Company in Bend Oregon
Address: 953 NW Wall St, Bend, OR 97701
http://www.leapinlizardstoys.com/
ju•Bee•Lee
ju-bee-lee is one of those perfect boutiques: you know, the ones with the letter-pressed stationery, locally made jewelry, chic clothes, and cookbooks? Like if you need a gift for someone, you can definitely find something they’ll love but didn’t necessarily need? It’s one of those.
Address: 903 NW Wall St, Bend, OR 97703
https://www.ju-bee-lee.com/
Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe
It’s a bookshop and a cafe, but I bought a book here so I’m listing it under the “shopping” category. There are coffee and baked treats downstairs, more books upstairs. There were a lot of author-signed books on display in the front of the store and I couldn’t resist getting one for the plane ride home.
Loved these clever stairs leading to the second floor at Dudleys Bookshop Cafe.
Address: 135 NW Minnesota Ave, Bend, OR 97703
http://www.dudleysbookshopcafe.com/
Cascade Cottons
T-shirts, stickers, and sweatshirts to proclaim your love for Bend. Or to let the world know that “BEND SUCKS, TELL YOUR FRIENDS.”
Cascade Cottons t-shirt wall
I’ve written before about my love affair with Italian gelato, and Bonta totally passed all my tests. I had stracciatella and Jules had some strawberry. Both were so good!
Address: 920 NW Bond St #108, Bend, OR 97701
https://bontagelato.com/
Spork
Asian-Mexican fusion is the best way to describe this funky little gem. Get there early if you can: Spork is super popular and doesn’t take reservations. When we went at 11:10 (they’d just opened at 11), about 10 people had already placed their orders in front of us or were in line.
We tried the spicy pork noodles, tacos, and pozole rojo soup. My daughter had the kids rice bowl with chicken and she actually liked it (this is rare when we’re dining out, so yay!).
Pozole Rojo, Spicy Pork Noodles, and Tacos.
Address: 937 NW Newport Ave, Bend, OR 97701
https://www.sporkbend.com/
Deschuettes – Bend Public House
I didn’t actually eat or drink here, but my husband did (my gf and I took the kids to eat gelato). They have Deschutes on tap, plus bar food (pretzels, sausages, fried chicken, etc.), sandwiches, and pizzas.
Address: 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR 97703
https://www.deschutesbrewery.com/pubs/bend/
