(Updated: Adds video and comments from visitors and businesses)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Memorial Day weekend is over and it was a good one for Bend-area businesses, as many people flew in from across the U.S. to visit the area and explore all the area has to offer.
Casey Bochnewitz is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I was visiting a friend,” Bochnewitz said Tuesday, “and my dog was rescued from Mexico and her brother is here. I came to see her.”
Other tourists traveled by car: AAA predicted that 88% of Memorial Day travelers would travel by car.
The Millikan family came from Vancouver, Washington.
“We love Bend, Oregon. We’ve been coming to Bend for years, camping and staying in hotels,” Randall Millikan said.
The Redmond airport announced this week was its busiest yet, but despite the thousands of visitors, Bend police say it was thankfully a fairly quiet weekend.
Businesses like Tactics, a boarding facility, also saw an influx of customers from the more than 250 teams that were in town for the Bend Bash youth baseball tournament.
“Sales are up from last year. We’ve had more foot traffic. It seems like people are coming back to Bend from the Valley. The baseball tournament has definitely brought a lot of people back to town,” store manager Tim Picerno said.
At the Bend Store, visitors purchased souvenirs such as T-shirts, mugs, postcards and paintings.
“It’s really nice to see people coming into the store and still wanting to buy Bend products,” store manager Robin May said.
If you’re wondering what to do in town, stop by Visit Bend to find out how to spend your time in the High Desert and help you explore the town’s outdoor activities and craft breweries.
