Pints and Peaks: Why Bend Should Be Your Next Oregon Vacation Stop

In Bend, even art likes the great outdoors. The city planner really bought into the concept here that traffic circles help keep cars moving and ease congestion. To turn the mundane into the marvelous, non-profit Art in Public Places (which has, impressively, been on the scene since 1967) sponsored the Roundabout Art Route. Since 2001, they have placed sculptures by artists with Oregon ties in 23 of them. Some pay homage to the city's logging history, like Centennial Planter or Cogs, which repurposed giant mill wheels into flowery planters. Others were inspired by the nature and the surroundings, like Redsides, a school of kinetic fish made of steel and wire. If you only have time to see one, make it Phoenix Rising, which residents refer to as the Flaming Chicken. The nickname started as an insult, but the colorful bird has since become a beloved institution.

A local map makes it easy to guide yourself by bike or car, but if you'd prefer something more structured, the Bend Tour Company offers an Art Safari most days.