Beautiful museum, very informative. Learned a great deal. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed it…read moreoutside on one of the tables.

If you are not into museums or think that they are a place to run through for entertainment, this…read moreis not the place for you. If, on the other hand, a museum is a place of learning, be prepared to spend some time in the Museum at Warm Springs. We were more than a little skeptical of the quality of the museum from the conditions in the parking lot and the building exterior. Once inside we learned that the museum is nearing the end of a long and difficult renovation. Some of the exhibit areas were still closed. The exhibits are well prepared, thought out, and filled with visual and textural information. I really enjoyed the comparisons of the three native cultures. It is interesting how their cultures have survived the upheaval of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and the ongoing efforts to maintain and restore their cultures. We will return to the Museum at Warm Springs within the next year or two to see the finished renovation.

Definitely worth a visit! So much good history to read about here. If you're looking to beat the…read moresummer heat and learn a bit more about Bend this is the spot.

We decided that this week we would explore the Deschutes Historical Museum as part of our weekly…read moreexploration adventure. We were not disappointed! Parking was easy. There is a parking lot at the museum, plus there is street parking. The museum is contained in a 100+ year old schoolhouse. The small gift shop has several books that we want to add to our collection thereby ensuring that we will return multiple times. We spent about an hour and a half studying the exhibits and did not see everything. For me the most interesting part was the railroad contribution to the logging industry. Next time I want to spend more time in the bicycle exhibit. Before we left, we had an interesting conversation with the friendly and helpful museum staff. This is a great place to learn about early Bend history.

This free museum is in a former bank, and showcases Crook County history. It was bigger than I…read moreexpected, and I'm glad we took the time to stop. The museum director was manning the desk and helpfully answered our questions and gave good hiking advice.

One of Prineville 's best kept secrets…read more Outstanding curated collections of pioneer, Civil War, even Revolutionary War relics well displayed and managed. Great staff. Prineville is fortunate to have this next-level expertise.

A surprise hit with our family! I can't believe I almost skipped this place on our trip - don't…read moremake the same mistake! This museum is incredible. It has indoor and massive outdoor exhibits. I'd plan at least 4 hrs here but you can easily spend all day. There's interactive and interesting exhibits on volcanos, the history of central Oregon, the Native tribes, animals (all rescues and include a skunk, bobcat, porcupine, birds of prey, snakes, lizards, otters, turtles, tortoises, free roaming chickens and turkeys, and more) and a really cool raptors show - don't miss this! It's better than the bird show at Disney World. The best part are the volunteers. There's volunteers dressed in period attire, teaching kids leather art, weaving, and games kids used to play. My kids LOVED this. There's other volunteers with animal furs or shells or skeletons that kids can actually touch and learn so much about. And there's Gary, the best volunteer who just knows everything and is the most friendly and helpful person ever. Seriously, he made our whole visit so pleasant. The raptor show is an $8/person add on but so worth it. It's only once a day so get tickets early. I won't spoil it, but sit near the middle/rear near any of the stumps... Also, if you're military, admission is free between May-Sept as HDM is part of the Blue Star Museums program. Don't forget to stop by the gift shop and cafe! All money goes to helping more rescue animals!

Definitely my favorite part of our trip to Bend, Oregon! There's a little something for everybody…read moreat this museum. They have antiques, artifacts, stones, and lots of exhibits to look through. We went through the indoor animals pretty quickly, and then found an 80s themed volcano exhibit, which was very classy. Felt like stepping back in time in 1985. All of the art looked like something out of my high school planner ha ha. We found the pioneer section that talked about different time periods in Bend, Oregon, everything from settlers, miners, indigenous, people, and some more modern things. It was like a time capsule. The ambience was really cool too. Lots of ambient sounds and music. Seeing the animals was really cool. It always warms my heart to see otters playing together, swimming together, and just being cute. Although my wife and I aren't very big fans of animals in cages at zoos, we can tell the animals are really well taken care of here, and since many can't be released back into the wild, we do it as them getting a new lease on life and getting to be admired, adored, and educating people as they pass through Bend, Oregon, and stopped for a visit. Definitely worth the money. Good parking. Service was very good. I can tell the people who run the museum really like what they do.

I finally visited the Petersen Rock Garden, and it was absolutely delightful! I grew up in Eugene,…read morebut somehow never made it there before now. I have photos of my grandparents and mom there in the 1950's. I was thrilled to hear it has been acquired by folks seeking to preserve it and realize it's potential for a community space. I was surprised at how many structures there were around the entirety of the property, and the scale of many were larger than I'd imagined. You can see where part of some structures (and the water features) are obviously still undergoing or waiting for restoration, but I was actually impressed by the conditions having read of it's previous neglect and decline. I spoke at length with one of the guys who is working there, and it seems obvious that it is in good hands. I happily bought a t-shirt at their gift shop, which is located inside the old diner they have been working on restoring. He said that the museum had just finished being restored and would be opening in a couple weeks. Eventually, they envision hosting a community garden and events. I didn't even mention...they have peacocks! You can see them lounging about the property. I have a bit of a soft spot for these quirky roadside attractions like this, or the Prehistoric Gardens, or Enchanted Forest. These are little treasures built by artistic individualists simply for the love of the creative process itself. They've provided delight for generations of Oregonians, and I'm thankful to see people step up to preserve it. It's a $10 suggested donation on the honor system, but you can always donate more if you enjoy your experience! Or buy a t-shirt.

What was going to be a quick stop to check out a quirky roadside attraction turned in to a lovely…read moreafternoon at this beautiful location. We stopped here on a weekday and we're surprised at how many people were visiting. The parking area was packed but there were still some spaces for us. Once we got out and started looking around, I realized why there were so many visitors. This is a truly magical place that a lot of thought has been put into and you can wander here for hours finding new and unique things. It's very dog friendly and we brought our pup everywhere with us. We explored the grounds for over an hour and then enjoyed a picnic lunch at one of the shaded tables while we watched the peacocks wander and children play on some of the people friendly sculptures. The sculptures are unique and created with love. They are made from a wide range of different materials so there are lots of different textures and colors. And every time you think you've seen them all, you find more things to look at. I think one of my favorite things was a little shack kind of out in the very corner that has been set aside for visitors to write their dreams on... I spent a long time in there reading what people had written and imagining who they were and where they came from. It made me cry. We made sure to buy some items from the gift shop and leave more than the suggested donation, but I love that you can come here even if you don't have much and just enjoy the space without any demands on you. I highly recommend stopping by here and donating generously if the mood moves you to keep this place open and available for the world to see.

Everything about the library sysyem was terrific until the planning started for the new library…read more The new library is in a word overkill and a hugh waste of taxpayers' money. And when thinking about the planning for the opening of the new library and the virtual closing of the existing downtown library the planning is in my mind nonexistent. Bend is a city of 100.000 and we virtually have no ibrary at this time. The plans for the remodeling of the existing downtown library are again a waste of $. It is in a word "perfect" as is. I would guess that if the public had any idea of how the $ were to be spent (wasted) the library bond issue would have been voted down! The plan of how to spend the bond proceeds should have been "as needed" instead of spend (blow) it all!

Human Citizens of Bend:…read more How are you so fortunate to have this amazing collection of resources? I came here to say: The staff have always been most helpful. Thank you for helping me with kindness and empathy when I needed it.

Not the biggest library in Central Oregon, but a card in one library in Central Oregon gets you the…read moreright to check out books, etc., from any other library in the 3-county area (Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes counties). You can also check out a pass to go for free to the High Desert Museum. Or join the library band - yes, they do have one and it meets on Wednesday evenings!

From the owner: Public library servicing Jefferson County Oregon.read more

Fun little spot with a ton of historical artifacts relating to Mt. Hood. It's not a huge museum but…read moreyou could spend a good half and hour there looking at everything on display. Their collection of vintage skis is really interesting, as is their Oregon Trail section. Worth stopping by if you like historical sites.

Good center to learn more about the NW. they offer a Steiner cabin tour each year, but for the…read moresecond year I've tried to get tickets, the website failed and no one answered the phone on the morning the tickets went on sale. Bummer for me, but I'll keep trying. Meanwhile, it's a great little museum packed with interesting local history.