Author: Visit Central Oregon

Over the years, the location of present-day Sunriver has been many things to many people. Local tribes lived amid the area’s ponderosa pine forests and open meadows as far back as 11,500 years ago. During World War II, the forested area along the Deschutes River was a U.S. Army Corps…

The city of Madras was formed in the early 1900s by a loose-knit collection of dreamers and optimists who wanted to see the region’s burgeoning rail system roll through the nascent community. Their efforts prevailed—but more than a century later, the railroad is a footnote in the agricultural-minded community’s history.…

Every July, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show takes over its namesake community in Central Oregon—displaying more than 1,000 quilts and attracting roughly 10,000 visitors from around the world. It’s a local tradition that’s been going strong since 1975.

In recent years, pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. According to USA Pickleball, the sport’s governing body, roughly 13.6 million players picked up a paddle in 2023—and played on 50,000 courts across the United States.

Redmond sits in the heart of Central Oregon’s scenic high desert—boasting views of nearby Cascade peaks and sitting a short jaunt from the likes of Smith Rock State Park and Cline Falls on the Deschutes River. With so much natural beauty and sunshine in all four seasons, Redmond has become…

For generations, artists from all walks of life have been drawn to Central Oregon’s natural beauty—its snow-capped mountain peaks, the rolling hills and juniper forests of our expansive high desert, and the sense of stillness and contemplative beauty that pervades it all.