No one’s ready for their first snow.

I had seen snow before during a smattering of family vacations throughout my childhood, but when you grow up in Hawaii and decide to go to college in Lincoln, Neb., you simply aren’t prepared for the sheer dissonance that comes with that first flurried day of frozen precipitation.

I didn’t have enough long pants, or shoes for that matter, my pre-Nebraska life being more shorts than slacks and more sandals than snow boots. So I spent my first few months of my very first winter running (in my flip-flops) between buildings.

“It’s not for everyone,” said Freestar Yost, hotel manager of McMenamins Old St. Francis School on Bond Street in downtown Bend. McMenamins is one of those neighborhood places that every Central Oregonian has run to for a moment of respite in winter.

Many know the adjacent restaurant and hotel for their beer, food and even movie venue –and there’s always a nice crowd huddling around the fire pits in the back cigar bar — but some have yet to experience the property’s heated soaking pool.

“The room is beautifully tiled with fountains and an open roof, and the water is heated to 101 degrees,” continued Yost. “It’s a saltwater system so the buoyancy is a fun element, and it’s easier on the skin … The pool is really popular all year long, but the occupancy definitely goes up in the winter, for people escaping the cold or as a quick stop for people coming down from the mountain.”

For those who don’t want to just run between buildings but actually want to stay active once they get there, the Bend Rock Gym on Southeast Centennial Court is a great spot for indoor climbing, and The Truck Stop Skatepark on Northeast First Street offers terrain for both novice and advanced skaters.

But one of the community’s go-to spots for indoor recreation has always been Cascade Indoor Sports.

“Everything we have is winter ready,” said Butch Roberts, owner, toilet cleaner and self-proclaimed “Director of Fun.” “It’s an indoor facility, so it’s a great place to escape the cold.”

The property hosts roller derby, lacrosse, volleyball, hockey, soccer, as well as more lighthearted winter fare such as an adult dodgeball league.

“Teams sign up together for dodgeball,” continued Roberts. “There’s a summer softball team that plays dodgeball together in the winter, but there are also corporate teams, co-workers, friends. … People have a lot of fun with it.”

Groups of between eight and 12 players sign up together and come up with fanciful team names such as The Dodge Fathers, Dumbledore’s Army, Here for the Beer and The Dodge Mahal.

Still, one of the best parts of winter is the excuse to stay indoors and take it easy, to bundle up and drink something warm. The colder months are a great time to wile away an afternoon at the High Desert Museum or the Des Chutes Historical Museum.

It’s exhilarating to rush inside from the frigid cold and dig into a bowl of elk chili at Longboard Louie’s or clam chowder at Parrilla Grill. Warm flavors combined with good friends are a sure way to experience Bend from the indoors.

This winter, Central Oregonians have even more options and locations to go for that winter warmer. Among Central Oregon’s many beloved eateries come two new establishments opened by time-tested old favorites, both opening just last month.

An established neighborhood fixture on Bend’s west side, Jackson’s Corner has long been known for pizza, pasta made in house, a wide selection of beer and coffee beverages, and an ever-growing brunch crowd.

“We just needed to open something up on the east side, too,” said Palmer Noble, general manager of the restaurant’s new location adjacent to St. Charles Bend. “People love our first location because it felt like part of the neighborhood. Well, we’re still in a neighborhood, this neighborhood, and are looking forward to making people happy one customer at a time.”

The menu has a lot of old favorites, but the new facility also has an expanded baking area where new additions such as a revamped pecan pie developed by in-house baker Daniel St. Lawrence, affectionately referred to as the cake boss, can now be made on site.

Perhaps one of Central Oregon’s most beloved bakeries has also opened a new location, but unlike Jackson’s Corner who moved from west to east, Sparrow Bakery has expanded from its flagship location on Southeast Scott Street to a second shop located in NorthWest Crossing.

“Our first location was always too small,” offered Whitney Keatman, co-owner. “And honestly, it was such a disappointment in the winter when people wanted to hang out. There are only 14 seats max. Just not enough room.”

The new bakery features an expansive dining area, ceilings two stories up and custom-made light fixtures. The space is finished with a blend of warm woods and a clean modern color palette.

“We splurged on chairs handmade in Europe,” continued Keatman. “They were so very comfortable, and we wanted to take every consideration to make a relaxing dining experience. … There are toys for kids to play with, and 20-foot windows for a serious dose of of vitamin D.”

Longtime employee Johnny Riordan moved from the Scott Street location to become the general manager at Sparrow Bakery NorthWest.

“I love Bend, for all of the Bend reasons,” Riordan said. “There’s just so much to do here, so many awesome places to go, but one thing that I’m finding so awesome about the new space is that I feel like I could be in New York, or Chicago, or any other cosmopolitan big city . . . It’s just so cool to get to experience something like this, like a little urban oasis, a mini vacation, and also be right at home.”

Which is what is so great about winter in Bend, when rushing between buildings, just trying to escape the cold, there are so many places to go. And each, in its own way manages to somehow be a new experience and also makes us feel as if we’ve never left the warmth of home.