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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01.09.22
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Don’t miss the final day of Rethinking Fire! The exhibit explores the ecological role of fire and the human impacts on forests amid a changing climate and the rise of intense wildfires. Artist Bryan David Griffith uses fire itself to create original paintings, sculptures and site-specific installations, transforming the gallery into a visually stunning, reflective (more…)
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01.10.22
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Bull trout, listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999, were declared virtually absent from the Upper Deschutes River. With advances in DNA technology, it is possible to determine if populations still exist in the headwaters of the Deschutes basin. Join Jodi Wilmoth, Native Fish Society Steward for the Little (more…)
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01.11.22
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, January 11 Warmth in Winter – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW What keeps you (more…)
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01.13.22
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
It’s spacious, warm and wondrous inside the High Desert Museum! Thursday, January 13 Adults $10, children ages 3-12 $6 Members always free! 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 brew or bite. The Museum store, Silver Sage (more…)
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01.15.22
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Can you imagine putting on six layers of clothing each day? In 1885, your local dressmaker would help ensure that you look comfortable and stylish. Thanks to the telegraph, the boomtown of Silver City, Idaho boasted that its fashions were only a week behind those of Paris! Come learn about clothing and fashions from Silver (more…)
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01.18.22
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, January 18 Pokey Porcupine – CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW With a coat of (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.
the West
Through Memory
Ranch
Birds of
Prey Center
Otter Exhibit
