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    Deschutes Historical Museum

    4.4 (10 reviews)
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    Learning about Fremont.
    Lizzie B.

    Spent an afternoon perusing the Deschutes County Historical Center with the visiting parents in tow. The building is a beautiful old brick two-story schoolhouse that has been converted into a museum. It's pretty fun to just experience the history of the building! Currently there is a two-room traveling exhibit on John C. Fremont that documents his exploration and mapping of Oregon to Nevada. Super interesting exhibit. I still can't fathom traveling and mapping uncharted land two hundred years ago. I love me some camping, but that seems extreme! The upper level of the Historical Center has four rooms that highlight different eras of historical living. It's definitely interesting, and has some great memorabilia of olden days in Bend and Central Oregon. However, there is a reason it's called the Deschutes County Historical Center and not the Bend Historical Center. I didn't really feel like I got a solid history of the town and how it evolved to be where it is today. I did see some really interesting artifacts from doctors, dentists and schoolteachers, as well as some cool household and clothing items. It's only $5 admission, and an excellent way to spend an hour with visiting family who aren't into the outdoors and breweries that are the normal past times in town.

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    9 years ago

    What a great local museum! Go here for sure whether you are a local or just visiting. Love the creaky floors.

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    Petersen Rock Garden & Museum

    Petersen Rock Garden & Museum

    3.9(49 reviews)
    10.6 mi

    I finally visited the Petersen Rock Garden, and it was absolutely delightful! I grew up in Eugene,…read morebut somehow never made it there before now. I have photos of my grandparents and mom there in the 1950's. I was thrilled to hear it has been acquired by folks seeking to preserve it and realize it's potential for a community space. I was surprised at how many structures there were around the entirety of the property, and the scale of many were larger than I'd imagined. You can see where part of some structures (and the water features) are obviously still undergoing or waiting for restoration, but I was actually impressed by the conditions having read of it's previous neglect and decline. I spoke at length with one of the guys who is working there, and it seems obvious that it is in good hands. I happily bought a t-shirt at their gift shop, which is located inside the old diner they have been working on restoring. He said that the museum had just finished being restored and would be opening in a couple weeks. Eventually, they envision hosting a community garden and events. I didn't even mention...they have peacocks! You can see them lounging about the property. I have a bit of a soft spot for these quirky roadside attractions like this, or the Prehistoric Gardens, or Enchanted Forest. These are little treasures built by artistic individualists simply for the love of the creative process itself. They've provided delight for generations of Oregonians, and I'm thankful to see people step up to preserve it. It's a $10 suggested donation on the honor system, but you can always donate more if you enjoy your experience! Or buy a t-shirt.

    What was going to be a quick stop to check out a quirky roadside attraction turned in to a lovely…read moreafternoon at this beautiful location. We stopped here on a weekday and we're surprised at how many people were visiting. The parking area was packed but there were still some spaces for us. Once we got out and started looking around, I realized why there were so many visitors. This is a truly magical place that a lot of thought has been put into and you can wander here for hours finding new and unique things. It's very dog friendly and we brought our pup everywhere with us. We explored the grounds for over an hour and then enjoyed a picnic lunch at one of the shaded tables while we watched the peacocks wander and children play on some of the people friendly sculptures. The sculptures are unique and created with love. They are made from a wide range of different materials so there are lots of different textures and colors. And every time you think you've seen them all, you find more things to look at. I think one of my favorite things was a little shack kind of out in the very corner that has been set aside for visitors to write their dreams on... I spent a long time in there reading what people had written and imagining who they were and where they came from. It made me cry. We made sure to buy some items from the gift shop and leave more than the suggested donation, but I love that you can come here even if you don't have much and just enjoy the space without any demands on you. I highly recommend stopping by here and donating generously if the mood moves you to keep this place open and available for the world to see.

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    Petersen Rock Garden & Museum
    Petersen Rock Garden & Museum
    Petersen Rock Garden & Museum

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    Lubbesmeyer Art Studio & Gallery - Lubbesmeyer fiber painting, "Evening Light"

    Lubbesmeyer Art Studio & Gallery

    4.5(4 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    Beautiful one-of-a-kind gallery located in the middle of the Old Mill District. It is practically…read morehidden in its upstairs location, so I feel fortunate I followed the signs. Twin sisters work together to create unique artwork. One sister focused on oil painting and the other on printmaking. They brought these two mediums together to create what they call fiber art. The space is split between their artists' studio and a gallery displaying about a dozen finished pieces. There is also an album so you can view completed pieces previously sold to other buyers. They do work on commission and if you fall in love with one of their existing pieces, they may create a "sibling" piece. Similar, but not identical. You can also view their work and order on-line on their website: http://www.lubbesmeyer.com/

    If you love art don't miss the Lubbesmeyer Studio & Gallery. Twin artists, Lisa and Lori…read moreLubbesmeyer create gorgeous, layered landscape and still-life fiber and acrylic paintings. I bought an acrylic painting of sky and fields. Every time I see it in my home it makes me happy. The colors are so vibrant! When you visit you'll want to ask them how they create their work together. I don't want to spoil it for you but I don't know any other artists that work this way. As the other Yelp reviewer pointed out the gallery is tucked away in the Old Mill so just follow the signs and they will lead you to the bright, upstairs gallery.

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    Lubbesmeyer Art Studio & Gallery - The Lubbesmeyer's at work in their studio.

    The Lubbesmeyer's at work in their studio.

    Lubbesmeyer Art Studio & Gallery - Lubbesmeyer acrylic painting on canvas, "Open Range."

    Lubbesmeyer acrylic painting on canvas, "Open Range."

    Lubbesmeyer Art Studio & Gallery - Lubbesmeyer fiber painting, "Desert Butte." This is one of those pieces you just have to see in person.

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    Lubbesmeyer fiber painting, "Desert Butte." This is one of those pieces you just have to see in person.

    Little Woody Barrel Aged Beer, Cider, and Whiskey Festival

    Little Woody Barrel Aged Beer, Cider, and Whiskey Festival

    3.6(5 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Little Woody is a different sort of beer festival, as compared to the much larger and popular Bend…read moreBrewfest, for instance. Featuring mostly local breweries, this festival is about beers you might not see in the brewpubs. As the name suggests, a lot of barrel-aged beers. Which means a lot of beers with high ABV (alcohol content). So, one has to be careful or one might find themselves falling down in the gutter before too long. Located on the grounds of the Deschutes Historical Museum, the festival is compact without being tight. Just about perfect in terms of size, I'd say. You can survey the options fairly quickly and then easily find a spot to enjoy your choice. Note that the vendors are almost exclusively beer & cider & whiskey - there's not a lot of 'other' booths selling various craft goods and whatnot. Also as the name implies, there's whiskey happening here, too. Those vendors - all local, I believe - were sequestered in their own larger tent. Several food trucks on site but, as I've mentioned elsewhere in my Bend festival and food truck lot reviews, I find them somewhat disappointing. Bend loves food trucks, so I would hope to see that improve in time. The good and the bad: - Easy access and check-in. Price for admission, which gains you an initial supply of beer/whiskey tokens, is quite reasonable and you can buy more tokens without hassle. - Virtually no waiting for beer. I attended Friday and Saturday and even though there were quite a few people in attendance, I don't think I waited more than once to have my glass filled. - Whiskey tent: pricey. I literally could not 'afford' a sample of many (most?) of the whiskies with the full number of tokens I received on admission. You can buy shots for less at any number of local bars. If participation in the event is meant to showcase their products, that's a big fail. - Lots of great local, unusual beers. Most were quite strong. Like the whiskey folks, some of the beer vendors were out of line with prices, though. I feel every beer/cider should have been priced at $2 (two tokens). You don't get but a taste, so the idea is for people to try stuff they might not otherwise drink. Even at $2, given the small glass, you're paying more than you would at the brewpubs themselves. - Worthy ran out of the apparently popular Betty White early on Saturday. Rather than take the sign down for that beer they chose to announce - rather brusquely - that they were out of it as you approached the booth. Other booths simply took the sign down if they ran out of a beer. - Schatz Pretzel: Love their tip jar, not so much the pretzel, which was very stale on Friday, almost inedible. At $8, that constitutes robbery. - I didn't patronize any other food trucks, although a couple were familiar. Tots, for example, is quite good. I'll be back next year.

    Wow!!!!!!! Dark heavy barrel aged beers.... YUMMMMY!!!!!! There's also a tots truck and a pretzel…read moretruck with warm pretzels!!!!! With just a touch of cool fall air, the dark beers hit the spot!!!! Games.... growler fills..... specialty small batch beer. What more could you ask for????? This is the 10th anniversary of this festival. If your around Bend, come on down!

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    Little Woody Barrel Aged Beer, Cider, and Whiskey Festival - Schatz Pretzel truck

    Schatz Pretzel truck

    Little Woody Barrel Aged Beer, Cider, and Whiskey Festival
    Little Woody Barrel Aged Beer, Cider, and Whiskey Festival

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    City of Bend - located in Bend

    City of Bend

    4.0(12 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    This is one of my favorite cities to visit to get some cool weather in September. It is about a 3…read morehour drive from Portland and under 30 minutes from the Redmond Municipal Airport. There are a variety of hotels, motels, and B&B's between downtown and the Old Mill District. If you want a quieter environment, stay in the Old Mill District area. Bend has some beautiful landscapes full of different outdoor activities. Flow riding on the rapids of the Deschutes River, jogging along the river paths, shopping in town, and dining at some wonderful restaurants. I also love that Oregon is tax-free on merchandise, so the price of goods is the total price. Bend still had that small town feel even though it is quickly becoming more popular with people moving here for a better family environment.

    I feel like Bend is now known as a playground for Californians with too much money. Growing up, I…read moreonly visited a few times, mostly related to a youth organization I was in; it's about 2.5 hours east but my family wasn't into skiing or anything and there were rivers, lakes, and reservoirs much closer to home. But rather than just sit at home and stare at each other we decided to take a drive to Bend when I was home recently. When we go my mom likes to drive by the house which my grandparents lived in for a few years whilst she was in college, before moving back to Eugene, and there's not usually anything in particular we're here for. This was not really an exception. We did stop at the Last Blockbuster, since my nephew was along and wanted to. We went to the downtown district where there are some cute shops. I got a permanent bracelet at Nashelle and I love it; I wish that I was closer because they had some really nice charms to go with it. Bend Burger has good burgers. But what people usually come to Bend for is the recreation. Located in the Deschutes National Forest and at a high elevation, Bend is a place for skiers. Mt. Bachelor isn't too far away. Suttle Lake is nearby as well, so if lake recreation is more your bag you'll find it here as well. Volcanic eruptions in the state has left some of the area covered in lava beds. Fishing, rafting, and so on are all popular activities in the area.

    Photos
    City of Bend - Map of river

    Map of river

    City of Bend - Flow riding

    Flow riding

    City of Bend - View of Bend

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    View of Bend

    Deschutes Historical Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

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