Traveling While Black: Bend, OR
See our experience visiting Bend, Oregon as Black travelers!
Hi it’s Marlie and Anthony with Traveling While Black! Welcome back to another travel review! As a reminder, we rate destinations we visit as Black travelers on three criteria: How the drive/travel was to the destination how much fun we had, and how comfortable we feel as Black people visiting for the first time.
Now let’s get into our experience in Bend, OR!
Since living in the Pacific Northwest, we can say that we’ve been to Oregon quite a few times. But the truth is, Portland is the only place we’ve truly experienced. Considering that Oregon is 44% larger than Washington, we knew there had to be more dope experiences to be found in other parts of the state. Which we heard was in fact the case, specifically in the Central Oregon region. An area known for its abundant access to nature and outdoor recreational activities. It is definitely the topography of Central Oregon that makes it perfect for outdoor recreation. Whether it’s skiing and snowboarding in the winter or rock climbing and hiking in the summer.
The outdoors isn’t the only popular draw to the central part of the State. The city of Bend is a popular destination that attracts more than 3 million visitors annually. In part thanks to its many craft breweries lending to its nickname of “Beer Town USA”. Yes, the large craft Brewery scene, the great outdoor access, and a bunch of other great things we heard about. We knew we had to check out this part of Oregon.
So we packed some bags and took a trip to the three counties that make up central Oregon. To find out how it is to travel coming from Seattle. To find out how much fun can be had in the area.
And most importantly, in an area where the Black population is less than 1%; we had to find out How it is visiting as a Black traveler for the first time.
Travel Grade
We found out it was almost a six hour drive from Seattle to get to where we would be staying in the city of Bend. But when we found out that we could fly straight into the region from Seattle. And that the flight was under an hour. Let’s just say we bypassed the opportunity to traverse some of the beautiful scenic byways the area is known for. Still in hindsight we can say that flying was a great choice.That’s because the travel time wasn’t the only positive of the decision. Believe it or not, but the airport actually added to the positive experience.
The airport is Redmond Municipal Airport. And what made this experience so nice was that the airport is really chill. It did not take long to get our bags off the carousel. And probably best of all, the rental car counter was right across from baggage claim and parking lot was right outside.
The drive from the airport to where we were staying in Bend wasn’t bad either. As it wasn’t much more than 20 minutes. Now we can imagine the drive from Seattle would be pretty scenic.
But definitely more favorable in the summer. Based on our great experience flying. We can definitely recommend it as being a great option for anyone considering the trip in.
And that’s why we will give a 5 outta 5 for Travel Grade.
Level of Fun
We landed in Redmond, but during our time in Central Oregon, we would stay in Bend. Specifically at the luxurious Oxford Hotel.
The Oxford is a beautiful nationally recognized boutique hotel. That offers guests upscale accommodations, along with luxury amenities. It also prides itself on a focus in sustainability. They describe it as Eco-Chic lodging. “I like that” - Marlie. Another of the great things about The Oxford Hotel is its location. Sitting at the corner of NW Minnesota Ave in downtown Bend, made it the perfect hub to explore the city.
One thing that stood out to us about the city, was some of the throwback storefronts….Like from record and stereo stores, to even the last BlockBuster!
But we weren’t there for the nostalgia of buying cd’s or renting dvds. No, we were there to try to experience the great things Central Oregon had to offer within the city of Bend.
And what better way to begin our journey than by learning directly from an educational perspective; like at a museum.
Lucky for us Bend is home to what is nationally recognized as one of the best Museums in the country, The High Desert Museum. The museum that opened in 1982, is an unique one that brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world all to tell the story of the High Desert Region. The Museum sits on 135 acres and has more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space within the museum itself; that includes a good mix of rotating and permanent exhibits.
On our visit, the museum had some really dope ones. In fact, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, the High Desert Museum is featuring a yearlong series of exhibitions and public programs to explore and reflect on its impact on the High Desert and beyond.
The museum also offers daily talks where you can learn about local wildlife and also see one up close. On our visit we saw a majestic horned owl. To be honest, we really enjoyed this museum! If you do make a trip to Central Oregon, we most definitely recommend checking out the High Desert Museum. Check out their website for hours, rates, current exhibitions, and events.
Next to experience the best of what Central Oregon has to offer, what better way to experience within Beer City…wine. Yes even though we were in the beer capital, Marlie is a wine girl. So we stopped into Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room; located in downtown Bend. The barrel booth seating and unique fireplaces made for a cozy atmosphere that went perfect with their delicious wines.
Yes we did a wine tasting and it was delicious. But along with the delicious wines we also got to enjoy some of their delicious lunch menu.
Willamette’s tasting room wasn’t the only place we experienced great food during our time in Bend. It was the same at places like Jia Asian Kitchen; an amazing restaurant that draws influences from Vietnam, China, Thailand and other parts of Asia. Serving family-style dishes.
Even in the Old Mill District we experienced an unbelievable meal at the Lady Bird Cultural Society. A. recently opened that offers an eclectic menu that how they say puts a polished spin on the farm-to-table concept. Even within our hotel we enjoyed great food and drinks at Roam. A place that serves urban-organic dishes made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients!
Yes the food and drinks were amazing. But we still needed to experience another big attraction to Central Oregon, the outdoors and nature.
To check that box we headed to a popular Park in town, Drake Park. One of Bend’s longest-standing and best-known parks, the downtown park is a local gathering place that hosts many events throughout the year.
We can definitely see why the park is chosen as the main location for the local gatherings, being all that it features. The famed Mirror Pond, acres of open lawn, an outdoor stage, restrooms, picnic tables, river access, and trail connections. While we definitely enjoyed our stroll through the park, and our little run in with the local wild life; we knew that this wouldn’t suffice as our outdoor Central Oregon outdoor experience alone.
Nope. We knew we had to turn it up a little bit more. Even if it meant we had to really get out of our comfort zone.
Being that Mt. Bachelor is the premier destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports; it only made sense to both of us to go… skiing.
The thing is, this would be our very first time skiing. Talk about getting out of our comfort zone.
We took the 35 minute drive from downtown Bend. Well, hour on the day we went. Don’t forget 4 wheel drive when driving up the mountain in the winter!
And arrived at the spectacular mountain resort; that offers 4,323 acres of lift-accessible terrain with 360-degree descents from its over 9,000 ft volcanic peak. Mt. Bachelor also features 15 Woodward Mountain Parks, 56 km of groomed cross-country trails, snowshoeing, and sled dog rides.
Since this would be our first time skiing, we were signed up for a private lesson. Let us say that this made this experience everything for us. With us obviously not being skiers, we had to rent our equipment; which is offered by the resort. So we started out getting fitted for our gear. Everything from boots to skis to a helmet. After we were fitted and dressed, we met up with our instructor Scott. And Scott was great. He started us out with the basics and one ski; then slowly worked us up to two skiis.
Before you know it we’re skiing! Scott was great and by the end of it we felt comfortable. Scott said next time we will get on a real hill and do some real skiing. Ha! Yes the skiing was amazing, but Marlie was also excited to get to the resort bar to have a celebratory glass of wine. Ha! Yes we can’t say enough how much fun we had on Mt Bachelor.
Mt Bachelor offers great outdoor activities all year round including downhill mountain biking, ziplining, and whitewater rafting during the summer. We will be back for that, now that we feel like real central Oregon outdoor professionals.
After the skiing, we could finally say that we experienced the best of what we had heard Central Oregon has to offer, at least during this time of year. And after all of it, we definitely had a blast.
Yes this is an experience that we can definitely see ourselves coming back to enjoy. And is also a destination that we can recommend everyone checking out. That’s if you’re looking for fun options.
That’s why for Central Oregon we give a 5 outta 5 for Level of Fun.
Comfortability for Black People
So as you now know we did have a blast during our time in Central Oregon. And we can say that during our time in Central Oregon we were treated great within all of the places we went.
Yes a fun time, great service, and felt welcomed most of the places we went. But here’s the thing. Our whole time there, we did not see another Black soul until we got back to the airport. I guess this shouldn’t be surprising being that Black residents make up such a small percentage in Central Oregon.
For us, well we didn’t know how to feel about this. See even with our great experience personally, we felt that we needed to hear from a Black resident who lived within the community.
Once again we were lucky. Based out of Bend is an organization named The Fathers Group. The Black-led group was founded by several black fathers who were concerned about the experiences their children were having both in school and in the broader Central Oregon community.
The Father’s Group is active within the community and embraces collaboration and cross-cultural influences. Our luck continued when we got to meet with Executive Director & Board President Kenny Adams.
The meeting provided us with the perfect opportunity to get a valuable perspective from a Black person living there and doing the work. Kenny mentioned that they have come a long way, but work is still being done. He encourages Black people to still come and visit, because the area is beautiful!
So, it seems like even with being enormously outnumbered in an area where they continue to fight recent instances of ignorance, the Black community in Central Oregon wants you to come out. And more importantly know that they are there.
If you do consider a trip to Central Oregon, go to The Fathers Group (https://thefathersgroup.org/) to see how they can be a resource that can support your visit as well as other information about the group. What else stood out in what Kenny said, was that there is a large number of community leaders and members representing Central Oregon that are consciously working to improve the Black experience in the region.
That’s why for Central Oregon we give a 5 outta 5 for Comfortability For Black People