Your Guide to Hidden Good Finds in Bend

Whenever we visit a new town, we make it a point to search out the interesting, unusual and sometimes off-the-beaten-path spots, whether a shop or restaurant, museum or garden. I'm just not a big fan of the corporate chain, the bland conformity of the expected. Don't care how many deep-fried somethings or spongy bread substances you get for free. It's boring.

How do you find these hidden places? Only by asking, usually. Some of the smaller, locally-owned spots cannot afford to advertise in glossy tourist magazines or guides, so you have to search them out. Last time we were in Seattle, I insisted on visiting Watson Kennedy (one of my favorite shops). We figured they would know a good place for dinner that wasn't necessarily on the tourist route, and sure enough, the nice staffer there directed us to Matt's in the Market, a great place we never would have found on our own (it's right in the middle of Pike's Place Market, but cleverly hidden upstairs and down a hall).

Bend is full of hidden treasures when it comes to shops and eateries (including our own Pomegranate). So, in part because I love to play tour guide, I pulled a few friends and trusty reviewers together, and created a little directory to independent, locally-owned, interesting, charming, and off-the-beaten-path finds in Bend. Every business on it has a unique vision, a creative way of doing things, and although the setting they're in may be unusual and lovely, the locations themselves are geographically challenged.

It's been a great hit with visitors and locals alike. Just the other day, I had a couple come back to Pomegranate after having picked up a guide a few days earlier, and tell me that they visited every single business on the guide, and had so much fun doing it. Xoxo to you guys. Tip for locals: keep a copy in your guest room, and your visitors will be out adventuring for days.

You can pick up a copy of the guide at Pomegranate, the Visit Bend Welcome Center, or at any of the places listed. Or you can go to the website at www.GoodFindsBend.com for a complete listing, plus a section on places that are not quite as hidden, but still may not be on every tour guide's list. It's a work in progress, so we may not have covered every single spot yet – there's an email link on the website if we've overlooked a worthy (and hidden) place. And, disclaimer, we've not included any of our great places downtown, in malls, or on major thoroughfares because you're going to find all those on your own, easily, just by walking or driving around.