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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


  •  11.20.24
     10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Senior Day   Visitors 65 and older are invited to enjoy the Museum for FREE. The Museum will also be open to the general public. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm  FREE for seniors 65 and older (more…)


  •  11.28.24
     10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! The Museum will be closed today so Museum staff and volunteers can enjoy the holiday with their families. (more…)


  •  11.29.24
     11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Silver Sage Trading Winter Sale  Kick-start your year-end shopping at the Silver Sage Trading Sale! You do not pay admission if your destination is Silver Sage Trading!  11:00 am – 4:00 pm daily (more…)


  •  12.02.24
     7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service The geology of the John Day basin records a rich history of changing environments, including deep oceans, subtropical rainforests, temperate forests and sagebrush steppes. While volcanic and tectonic activity built the land we see today, the John Day River and its tributaries have helped to expose these rocks. (more…)


  •  12.04.24
     6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Featuring Donald “Del” Laverdure – enrolled citizen of the Crow Nation, member of the Ties the Bundle Clan Join us for an enlightening discussion led by Del Laverdure, where we will explore the mental and behavioral health challenges faced by indigenous communities and opportunities for healing and growth within these communities. Del will facilitate a (more…)


  •  12.06.24
     10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Silver Sage Trading Winter Sale  Kick-start your year-end shopping at the Silver Sage Trading Sale! You do not pay admission if your destination is Silver Sage Trading! This is the LAST DAY for the sale.  11:00 am – 4:00 pm daily (more…)

Changing
Exhibits

3.2.24 -
1.12.25

Art, History

Sensing Sasquatch

Native peoples of the Plateau have long known about, encountered, depicted and told stories about Sasquatch. Sensing Sasquatch explores Sasquatch’s past, present and future in the High Desert region through an Indigenous lens. Works by five Indigenous artists will be on view, including: Phillip Cash Cash, Ph.D. (Nez Perce, Cayuse), HollyAnna CougarTracks DeCoteau Littlebull (Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Cree), Charlene “Tillie” Moody (Warm Springs), Frank Buffalo Hyde (Nez Perce, Onondaga) and Rocky LaRock (Salish).

9.20.24 -
2.9.25

Art, History

Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship

Featuring nearly two dozen works from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation, this exhibition highlights sculptural and two dimensional works by one of the Northwest’s most celebrated artists, Rick Bartow (Mad River Band of the Wiyot Tribe, 1948 - 2016.

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.

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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