Museum
Vision
National Medal!
The Museum requires face coverings indoors for all visitors, including children ages three and older. Thank you for helping keep our community healthy and safe!
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.
The Museum
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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11.28.21 - 12.04.21
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
We say “thank you” with Member Appreciation Week! Pick up a free Museum activity kit when you visit with festive crafts and activities for all ages. The Museum’s store, Silver Sage Trading, will also provide members 15 percent off most merchandise. Members always free! (more…)
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12.02.21
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
It’s spacious, warm and wondrous inside the High Desert Museum! Thursday, December 2 Adults $10, children ages 3-12 $6 Members always free! Get ready for the Winter Night Series Kickoff! Join us after hours to see the latest exhibitions and enjoy a safe night out. Rimrock Café will be open for folks to grab a (more…)
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12.06.21
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
The glaciers in Oregon are rapidly changing, like most in the rest of the world. Join Portland State glaciologist, Andrew Fountain, to learn about glacier changes in Oregon and the western U.S. and how they may relate to glaciers elsewhere, including Greenland and Antarctica. This Natural History Pub is taking place at the (more…)
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12.07.21
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Come on an adventure! Children ages 3-5* and their caregivers investigate science, art, music, stories and culture in a fun, hands-on manner. Don backpacks filled with exciting objects while journeying through the Museum’s nature trails and exhibits. New themes weekly! Tuesday, December 7 Fire and Art Tour the aftermath of the prescribed burn at (more…)
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12.08.21
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Museum Members, please join us online! Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D., will talk about what’s next for the Museum. Wildlife staff will also offer insight into animals in the Museum’s care. This is a virtual event and when registered, you will receive an email with login instructions by Wednesday, December 8 at 12:00 pm. (more…)
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12.09.21
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Attention Museum members! Ideal gifts await, and during this time members receive 15 percent off! Those coming to exclusively shop at Silver Sage Trading may enter for free. Check in at Admissions. Sale ends Thursday, December 9. (more…)
Changing
Exhibits
9.18.21 -
5.8.22
Natural History, Art
X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out
When many of us think of X-rays, we think of peering beneath the skin to detect an illness or injury. Imagine using the technology to see into vertebrates with the goal of learning evolutionary stories.
10.16.21 -
1.9.22
Art, Natural History
Rethinking Fire
Across the American West, drought, dense forests and extreme weather exacerbated by climate change are contributing to catastrophic fires. Artist Bryan David Griffith has found inspiration from fires to pose valuable questions in the exhibition "Rethinking Fire."
11.2.21 -
4.3.22
History, Art
Carrying Messages: Native Runners, Ancestral Homelands and Awakening
The exhibit highlights the historical significance of running in Native cultures in the Western United States and the ways that some Native people today are drawing on running as a means of empowerment, sovereignty and cultural revitalization.
