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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


  •  05.05.25
     7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The High Desert boasts some of the darkest night skies in the continental United States. Increasing light pollution emanating from developed areas, however, threatens the health of both nocturnal wildlife and humans. One community is taking the lead in protecting Central Oregon’s dark skies: the City of Sisters. In the last year and a half, (more…)


  •  05.08.25
     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 – 7:00 pm FREE for individuals, friends and family RSVP required. (more…)


  •  05.10.25
     7:00 am - 9:00 am

The Museum provides an excellent habitat for migratory bird species. Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day by joining Museum staff and volunteers to explore the Museum grounds looking for warblers, raptors and other birds. Coffee and light breakfast items provided. Space is limited.  7:00 am – 9:00 am $25, Members receive 20% discount (more…)


  •  05.17.25
     1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Join us for a celebration of Japanese American cultures. Featuring a performance by award-winning artist SORA Shodo, Ikebana workshops with Rachel Alm and paper crane making, this event will provide an opportunity to reflect and provide good wishes for the future. Hosted in partnership with the Japanese American Society of Central Oregon. 1:00 pm – (more…)


  •  05.22.25
     6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Sheep herding and the wool industry have deep roots in Oregon. As part of this history, Jeanne Carver with her late husband Dan, owned and operated the Imperial Stock Ranch since the 1980s. Just a few short years later, the American wool industry began to collapse due to offshoring. They were ranching with a focus (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. 

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