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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


  •  10.24.25
     6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Nez Perce language expert, storyteller and educator Harry Slickpoo Jr. works to preserve, share, and promote Nez Perce lifeways. As the Collections Specialist for the Nez Perce Tribe Hitéemenwees Research Library, Slickpoo uses cultural items to support the continuation of living cultures and Native languages today. Learn more about Slickpoo’s work and the resilience of (more…)


  •  11.03.25
     7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

A healthy garden begins with healthy soil. But what’s the recipe for good soil? A mix of plants, animals, fungi, moisture and an understanding of your soil’s individual history are necessary to support a productive garden. Join Garrett L. Duyck, Basin Resource Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to learn about soil management in (more…)


  •  11.08.25
     10:00 am - 4:00 pm

November 8, 2025 – June 28, 2026  In the 19th and 20th centuries, maps and advertisements functioned as powerful enticements to attract colonists to the High Desert region. Drawn West explores a century of salesmanship, when artists and cartographers alike crafted an image of the West that depicted both truth and fiction. Selected from the Museum’s collections, (more…)

Changing
Exhibits

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?

7.5.25 -
9.20.25

Art

Art in the West

Art in the West is an annual juried fine art exhibition and online silent auction featuring art that celebrates the landscapes, wildlife, people, cultures and history of the High Desert—a region that stretches from the eastern slope of the Cascades and Sierras to the Wyoming Basin and Colorado Plateau. Featuring nearly 120 pieces from 80-plus nationally and regionally acclaimed artists, Art in the West blankets the walls of the Museum.

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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