About the Museum
Plan Your Visit
Check out current exhibits and daily programs, find directions, rates, hours and more.
Education
Teach & Learn
Lifelong learning starts here! Explore teacher trainings, memorable field trips and unique school programs.
Join the HDM Family
Make an Impact
Volunteer, become a member or donate to support arts, education, wildlife and more.
Wildlife, History & Art
Otters, porcupines, owls, oh my! Encounter wildlife up close, explore the history and culture of the wild West and take in beautiful art. The High Desert Museum is a cultural gem set on 135 acres of awe. It’s no wonder visitors voted us one of the best things to do in Bend Oregon!
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
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11.20.24
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Senior Day Visitors 65 and older are invited to enjoy the Museum for FREE. The Museum will also be open to the general public. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm FREE for seniors 65 and older (more…)
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11.28.24
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! The Museum will be closed today so Museum staff and volunteers can enjoy the holiday with their families. (more…)
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11.29.24
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Silver Sage Trading Winter Sale Kick-start your year-end shopping at the Silver Sage Trading Sale! You do not pay admission if your destination is Silver Sage Trading! 11:00 am – 4:00 pm daily (more…)
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12.02.24
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service The geology of the John Day basin records a rich history of changing environments, including deep oceans, subtropical rainforests, temperate forests and sagebrush steppes. While volcanic and tectonic activity built the land we see today, the John Day River and its tributaries have helped to expose these rocks. (more…)
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12.04.24
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Featuring Donald “Del” Laverdure – enrolled citizen of the Crow Nation, member of the Ties the Bundle Clan Join us for an enlightening discussion led by Del Laverdure, where we will explore the mental and behavioral health challenges faced by indigenous communities and opportunities for healing and growth within these communities. Del will facilitate a (more…)
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12.05.24
4:00 pm - 7:30 pm
When the moon hits your eye, like it’s 5:45, it’s December…which means, Winter Nights are back! Throw on your ugliest sweater or craziest hat and head to the Museum after hours for cookie decorating, beverage tastings, store discounts, story time, photobooth fun and more holiday shenanigans. 4:00 pm – 7:30 pm Adults and member guests (more…)
Changing
Exhibits
3.2.24 -
1.12.25
Art, History
Sensing Sasquatch
Native peoples of the Plateau have long known about, encountered, depicted and told stories about Sasquatch. Sensing Sasquatch explores Sasquatch’s past, present and future in the High Desert region through an Indigenous lens. Works by five Indigenous artists will be on view, including: Phillip Cash Cash, Ph.D. (Nez Perce, Cayuse), HollyAnna CougarTracks DeCoteau Littlebull (Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Cree), Charlene “Tillie” Moody (Warm Springs), Frank Buffalo Hyde (Nez Perce, Onondaga) and Rocky LaRock (Salish).
9.20.24 -
2.9.25
Art, History
Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship
Featuring nearly two dozen works from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation, this exhibition highlights sculptural and two dimensional works by one of the Northwest’s most celebrated artists, Rick Bartow (Mad River Band of the Wiyot Tribe, 1948 - 2016.
11.2.24 -
6.29.25
History
Blood, Sweat & Flannel
Flannel is more than a fabric. Flannel shirts, jackets and undergarments have played an important role for laborers in the High Desert. Workers have donned flannel as they logged trees and roped cattle. Later, grunge counterculture adopted flannel as a nod to nonfashion. Blood, Sweat & Flannel explores the region’s labor history though the lens of the beloved fabric.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services named the High Desert Museum as one of six recipients of the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.
The Museum was recognized for providing dynamic programming and services through community outreach, working to create programs that offer rich educational programming and expand museum access.
