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
-
02.22.25
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Everyone gets in free! 10:00 am – 4:00 pm MADE POSSIBLE BY (more…)
-
02.22.25
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Patterns at Play: Fractals in Nature February 22, 2025 – October 5, 2025 When you look closely, the natural world is packed full of patterns. From clouds and tree bark to shells and cacti, nature is alive with repeating shapes. Scientists call them fractals. Patterns at Play: Fractals in Nature invites you to take a (more…)
-
02.27.25
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
A quieter time for children and adults who experience physical, intellectual and/or social disabilities to enjoy the High Desert Museum after hours. Explore the Museum’s newest exhibitions and revisit your favorites. Sensory packs are available to borrow with headphones, fidgets and more. 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm FREE for individuals, friends and family (more…)
-
03.01.25
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Summer Hours BEGIN! The Museum will now be open from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm! General Admission: $20 Ages 65+ $17; College Students with I.D. $17; Ages 3-12 $12; Ages 2 and younger free (more…)
-
03.03.25
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Silver Sage Trading will be closed for inventory. (more…)
-
03.03.25
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
McMenamins Old St. Francis School
Invasive mussels are aquatic creatures that grow in dense clusters on streambeds and underwater structures. Tiny though they are, these animals harm riparian ecosystems and push out native species. Luckily, the most menacing invasive mussels have not entered Oregon — at least not yet. In 2024, the discovery of quagga mussels in Idaho’s Snake River (more…)
Changing
Exhibits
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.
12.7.24 -
4.6.25
Art
Neighbors: Wildlife Paintings by Hilary Baker
Featuring more than one dozen contemporary works, accomplished painter Hilary Baker explores the complex relationship between manmade spaces and native wildlife. Highlighting iconic architecture and wildlife as both prominent and enigmatic, each work invites an encounter and raises questions about our own proximity to wildlife.
2.1.25 -
9.7.25
Art, History
Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland
Featuring more than 30 large-format photos from the dawn of the 20th century, this exhibition showcases Frank S. Matsura's (1873-1913) masterful attention to detail photographing Indigenous families near his studio in Washington state's Okanagan County near the Canadian border. Matsura, a Japanese immigrant, connected with the Indigenous tribes in the cultural and geographic "borderland."
2.22.25 -
10.5.25
Science, Natural History
Patterns at Play: Fractals in Nature
Fractals are never-ending patterns that repeat the same shape at bigger and smaller scales. From mountain ranges and the galaxy to snow crystals and brain neurons, fractals big and small exist all around us. Step inside this fun, funky and family-friendly exhibit. You can learn to build a fractal, listen to the sound of sonic fractals, relax in a bean bag chair and watch an animation create new fractals right before your eyes. Are you ready to be mesmerized?
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.

