Home

Experience
Wonder
Visit Today
Learn More E. L. Wiegand
Ponderosa Playscape
New natural play area now open
Learn More Frank S. Matsura: Portraits
from the Borderland
Explore Indigenous representation through Matsura's detailed photography
Learn More Patterns at Play:
Fractals in Nature
Are you ready to be mesmerized?

About the Museum

Plan Your Visit

Check out current exhibits and daily programs, find directions, rates, hours and more.

Kids & Families

Explore Together

Learn about kid-friendly exhibits, activities, camps 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

please select a datetime

  •  07.05.25
     8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Photo by Todd Cary Exhibition Opening – Art in the West July 5, 2025 – September 20, 2025 Art in the West is an annual juried exhibition and silent auction featuring traditional and contemporary art that celebrates the landscapes, wildlife, people, cultures and history of the High Desert—a region that stretches from the eastern slope of the (more…)

please select a datetime

  •  07.16.25 - 07.17.25
     6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Grab your headlamps and join us outside at the High Desert Museum to celebrate sundown, the transition between day and night when nocturnal wildlife stir. Learn how a dark night sky free from artificial light pollution is critical for wildlife. This family-friendly event will include telescope tours, insect discoveries, bat watching, a constellation tour, food (more…)

please select a datetime

  •  07.29.25
     12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Full steam ahead! See the 1904 Lazinka Sawmill in action and how lumber was processed on-the-go at the turn of the century. 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm FREE with Museum admission (more…)

please select a datetime

  •  08.14.25
     5:00 pm - 7:00 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. 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm FREE for individuals, friends and family; RSVP required (more…)

please select a datetime

  •  08.23.25
     5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

The High Desert Museum’s signature fundraiser returns Saturday, August 23! Join us on Saturday, August 23, for the 36th High Desert Rendezvous — the High Desert Museum’s beloved annual fundraiser! As one of Central Oregon’s longest-standing fundraisers, Rendezvous is a testament to our community’s enduring support of the Museum’s mission to wildly excite and responsibly (more…)

please select a datetime

  •  08.28.25
     12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Full steam ahead! See the 1904 Lazinka Sawmill in action and how lumber was processed on-the-go at the turn of the century. 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm FREE with Museum admission (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.

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?

5.3.25 -
6.1.25

Art, Natural History

Kids Curate 2025

Kids Curate returns in the Desertarium gallery! This year third and fourth graders from La Pine Elementary focused on the diverse perspectives of fire — from an agricultural tool to community threat to natural process. Come enjoy the students’ charcoal and acrylic paint artworks based on what they learned over months of special in-class visits as well as field trips to the Museum.

Spirit of
the West
Learn More Experience the vibrant history of the West as you explore its people, their challenges and successes. Permanent Exhibits
By Hand
Through Memory
Permanent Exhibits Discover the journey of the Plateau Indian Nations as they traveled from reservation confinement to the 21st century. Learn More
Miller Family
Ranch
Permanent Exhibits Living historians bring 1904 to life as they maintain the cabin, barn, willow corral and sawmill and care for their animals. Learn More
Donald M. Kerr
Birds of
Prey Center
Permanent Exhibits See some of nature’s most spectacular aerial predators up close: owls, hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures. Learn More
Autzen
Otter Exhibit
Permanent Exhibits Our three river otters define “play” in their newly-renovated exhibit. Learn More
Desertarium Permanent Exhibits View High Desert reptiles, amphibians, spiders and burrowing owls. Learn More Galleries Changing Exhibits Temporary exhibits on art, history, nature and culture. Learn More
IntroIntroIntroIntroIntroIntroIntro

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. 

+

+