What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

High Desert Museum

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Bend, OR
High Desert Museum

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Explore the art, cultures, history & natural world of the High Desert! Experience Wonder

10/24/2026

Roberta (Bobbie) Conner (Cayuse-Umatilla-Nez Perce) has spent her career at the center of tribal cultural leadership. She directs Tamástslikt (Tah-MAHST-slickt) Cultural Institute, the only tribally owned and operated museum on the National Historic Oregon Trail, and she has served as chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Museum of the American Indian.

Bobbie brings this experience and perspective to the High Desert Museum for an evening on tribal sovereignty: what it means, how it shapes the High Desert, and why it matters today.

Save your seat! Link in bio.
Indigenous Speakers Series: Tribal Sovereignty
📅 Wednesday, October 28
🕰️ 6:30–7:30 pm

10/23/2026

Mini masterpieces, everywhere you look. 🎨 The 20-Dollar Art Show fills the High Desert Museum with small works by local, regional and emerging artists, and every artist keeps 100% of each sale.

The Friday night Extravaganza and weekend morning sessions are sold out, BUT the shopping continues. Stop by Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, from noon to 5 p.m. to take home your favorites. No ticket or Museum admission needed if you're just shopping the show.

Can’t make it that weekend? Come on Monday to shop. No admission required if all you want to do is find your favorite mini art.

10/21/2026

Two small striped neighbors share the grounds of the High Desert Museum: the yellow-pine chipmunk and the golden-mantled ground squirrel. Easy to mix up. Easier to spot once you know what to look for. 🐿️

Fall is a busy time for our smaller wild neighbors as they stock up for winter. A friendly reminder: Please don't feed the wildlife. Keeping wild animals wild helps them stay healthy and keeps their natural foraging instincts sharp.

10/17/2026

We love you, Bend. 💜 Free admission continues today (Saturday, Oct. 17) through Sunday, Oct. 18. Join us to take a walk in nature, find a quiet moment, or let your kids be kids. We are here.

One of our young visitors (Henley, age 8) wanted to share a special message, too. 💌

10/15/2026

UPDATE: We love you, Bend. We’re extending free admission for the community through the weekend, Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18. Join us to take a walk in nature, find a quiet moment, or let your kids be kids. We are here.

If you need a quiet place to walk, breathe, and be together, our doors are open. 💜

10/12/2026

Today and every day, we recognize and honor the Indigenous peoples whose stories and traditions are deeply woven into the High Desert.

Tribal members receive free admission to the Museum year-round.

Image credit: "Lil Fat Guys" by Pat Courtney Gold (Wasco), waxed linen basket, 2012, in the care of the High Desert Museum. Pat Courtney Gold was a fiber artist and basket weaver from Warm Springs, Oregon. Regularly on view in "By Hand Through Memory."

10/10/2026

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, which is a good excuse to look up. Here’s just a small sample of who's coming and going this fall.

Some are arriving. Some are leaving. Some are just passing through. Remember to do your part: turn off outdoor lights at night, close your blinds. Because every bird counts.

10/09/2026

In vibrant pinks, teals, yellows, and purples, artist Miguel Almeida's figures draw on Mexican folk art and step right out of the murals, like superheroes bursting from the pages of a comic book. Together, they tell a story about where our food comes from and the people who bring it to our tables.

Presented in English and Spanish, "Miguel Almeida: Las Manos que dan de Comer (The Hands That Feed)" is open thru Saturday, Oct 11. Come see it before it's gone!

10/08/2026

There are two films at the 2026 Bend Film Festival this week that have ties to the High Desert.

"Our Mr. Matsura," Beth Harrington's documentary, follows a photographer you may remember from one of our temporary exhibitions in 2025. Frank Matsura spent a decade capturing Indigenous life in Washington's Okanogan County.

"The Caldera" follows ranchers, tribal members and conservationists in Oregon's remote High Desert, where a proposed lithium mine is raising questions about land, culture, and the future.

Catching one or both films? Let us know what you think in the comments!

10/06/2026

It’s National Bobcat Day!

Bobcats are capable swimmers and may enter the water while hunting or exploring. But being a good swimmer doesn’t necessarily mean being a fan of wet paws.

Timber, the 4-year-old bobcat in the Museum’s care, seems to have approached this particular enrichment opportunity with a healthy amount of curiosity, and some very understandable reservations.

Address

59800 S Highway 97
Bend, OR
97702

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15413824754

Website

http://www.highdesertmuseum.org/donate, https://highdesertmuseum.org/visit-bend-oregon/

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