Central Oregon Family Fun

 CENTRAL OREGON FOR KIDS

There is SO much to do with your kids in Central Oregon!  When you're not exploring local trails and hidden river haunts, you can check out these great places.  Keep an eye out for more info about stuff to do with your kids on my blog!

Museums
The High Desert Museum - If you haven't been there yet, go now. Membership is pretty affordable and helps support this great museum.  HDM provides a mix of historical and natural history including live animals, interactive displays, and live performances by animals and people alike. Even now that the kids are older, this is one of our family's favorite places to go in Central Oregon.


Sunriver Nature Center - Nestled near the river and among the forest of Ponderosa Pine is this great little nature center complete with animals and nature trails.  It's really not far from Bend and is lots of fun for kids of all ages.

LavaLands - A fantastic natural display of the volcanic history of Central Oregon.  Whether you just enjoy the visitor's center or attempt the 2 mile hike through the lava tube (dress warmly, it's always near 35 degrees, even in summer).  The lava tube and many of the trails are only open in summer.

Deschutes Historical Museum - A lesser-known museum in the heart of downtown Bend, the DHM is housed in the first school built in Deschutes County, before Bend was even a city.  There are TONS of artifacts from people right here in region including clothes, equipment, books and more.  There's even an interactive school room set up where kids can pretend to be in a one-room schoolhouse.  It's pretty amazing for a little county museum.

Warm Springs Museum - This incredible museum run by the tribes of Warm Springs houses one of the most complete artifact collections of any Native American museum.  A must see when you're ready to learn more about the Native Americans who call this area home, as well as a thoughtful overview of Native American history and presence in the United States.

Deschutes Public Library - The library system is very good, here.  Books are shared between all locations in Bend, Redmond, LaPine and Sisters. The local school districts also work with the library, allowing students to check out books from the library and have them delivered to the schools for pick up.   DPL has many great programs for kids, teens and adults including story times, a summer reading program, special events, and even activities and story times in Spanish.  I'm a big fan of our libraries and I hope you will love this amazing free resource as much as I do!

Pools
SHARC pool Sunriver -
This is the premier pool in Central Oregon.  There are many other activities available in Sunriver including a surf-riding facility, tons of trails for biking, walking and running, and the Sunriver Nature Center, to name a few.

Madras Aquatic Center- An affordable indoor pool complete with slide, rope swing and a lazy river.  This is a favorite party spot for winter birthdays and definitely worth the drive, especially for families with younger kids.

Juniper Swim and Fitness, Bend - This indoor/outdoor facility is fun all year round with lots of fitness classes, camps and more.  The outdoor pool is crowded in summer, but can be really fun if you're prepared for the crowds and lack of shade.

Redmond Aquatic Center, Redmond- Family recreation, lap swim and fitness classes, teen and tween blacklight nights, and swim lessons for all ages.

Indoor Play Spaces:
Sun Mountain Fun Center - This popular place offers bowling, bumper cars, arcade games, putt putt golf, batting cages and go-karts.  Our kids never get tired of this place!

Free Spirit Bend (Ninja Warrior) -
This great new space provides fitness classes for adults and kids as well as open play times in their ninja warrior space.


Bouncing Off the Wall - A huge warehouse full of bouncy houses and play spaces: what's not to love?  This place is fun for older kids, too, especially on tween nights and when they have the velcro wall open!

Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy - A great place in Bend for kids to burn off steam, whether they're taking classes or going to open gym.

OOA Gymnastics - Another gymnastics place in Bend offering classes, camps and open gyms.

Redmond Gymnastics Academy - And in Redmond, a highly competitive and fun environment for kids of all ages with the same activities as the Bend gyms.

Mountain Air Trampoline Park and Trampoline Zone are great places to spend some energy, especially on a snowy day.

Parks and Recreation:
Central Oregon is home to many great parks and outdoor spaces.  You could spend an entire summer exploring all the parks and not visit them all. Bend Parks and Recreation and Redmond Area Parks and Recreation offer classes for kids and adults including swim lessons, league sports, skating and a wide range of arts and crafts and activities.  Crook County Parks and Rec manages activities in Prineville.

Here are a few of our favorite playgrounds in Bend and Redmond:

Columbia Park - Bend
Larkspur Park - Bend
Sam Johnson Park - Redmond