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Photo: Orygun, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Great place to go see the stars. Camping available onsite. Check the website to see when the observatory is open or if events are occurring.
Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Oregon Department of Physics under a special use permit from the Deschutes National Forest. The facility is located 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Bend, Oregon (USA) near the summit of Pine Mountain.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
See lava flows, explore lava caves and ice caves, fishing for trophy rainbow and brown trout in the two alpine lakes at the Newberry caldera (East Lake & Paulina Lake) and explore the massive Obsidian Flow, where very little has been able to grow for several thousand years. There are hiking trails, camping and resorts. Also snow parks, winter cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Visit the Lava Lands Visitor Center for information.
The High Desert Museum is just south of Bend on Highway 97. The High Desert Museum is a great way to gain educational experience about some of the animals and habitat that go along with Central Oregon.
A 500-foot-tall cinder cone in the center of Bend that offers an excellent view of the city and surroundings. Pilot Butte makes Bend one of the few cities in the U.S. to have a volcano within its boundaries. Drive or hike to the top.
formerly Les Schwab Amphitheater
In the summer time Bend offers many Sunday concerts that are performed at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. In the past artists such as Cold Play, Keith Urban, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Jack Johnson have performed there. Buy tickets at The Ticket Mill store in the Old Mill District, or online. The Amphitheater also hosts the Bend Brewfest each May, with many local and West Coast beers, ciders, and seltzers.