Museum/zoo. Lovely setting with indoor and outdoor exhibits. We enjoyed the Native American exhibit, especially since my daughter is learning about the PNW tribes in schools. The river otters are a big favorite for everyone and the X-ray exhibit of fish was cool. read more

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Fantastic museum. There are a variety of exhibits presented, and all of them were extremely well presented. A great place to take kids and families. read more

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This is a beautiful and interesting museum. This was our fourth visit and was prompted by the fact that is was a free day at the museum. The museum opens at 10:00 AM. We arrived at 11:00 and were directed to an overflow parking area. We started our visit at the Andy Warhol Endangered Species Art Exhibit. I hope to get back and view it once more with fewer people before the exhibit departs. We wandered through other exhibits before going outside to see the otters. We arrived in time to watch them being fed. After eating lunch at the cafe, we walked to the Settlers Cabin and Sawmill where a docent was explaining how the sawmill operated. We did not see much of the Settlers Cabin because of the mud; but, spent some time watching the chicken. There are many other fascinating things to see and do. One of my favorites is to sit on a bench in the forest and listen to and watch the ponderosa pines sway in the breeze. In all we spent three and a half hours at the High Desert Museum and still did not see everything. We will return. read more

A well done immersive experience. We love the settlers exhibit and the indoor outdoor walk. The otters are absolutely adorable and we we're thankful to know that the animals are rescued. I wish the "cages" were bigger. However this is a really fun and educational experience! read more

Bend, Oregon. Highlights: Predatory Avians (Birds) & Nature. Parking/Roads: Paved. Handicap: The parking & indoor exhibits are good for handicap/sick folks. The museum generously provides walkers for us. The outdoor exhibits consisting of homesteading, nature & various wildlife might pose issues as the grounds is a good size with short inclines. The land isn't flat & the climate is extreme during the seasons so use wisdom of your various health situations to determine if this is a good (bad) idea. I struggled to enjoy the exterior during the summer dry heat needing plenty rest and time to catch my breath. There is plenty of shade to cover from the sun's devastation, but, it was also the beginning of wildfire season w/ brush fires in a good distance. If you paid attention in the news, Sept 2020's fire season has decimated Oregon (Cali & Washington). Hours: Generally, Sun-Sat 9-5. Cost: $17/adult w/ various pricing for seniors, kids & students. Distance: DT Los Angeles, CA 800 miles @ 13 hours. DT Portland, OR 170 miles @ 4 hours. DT Seattle, WA 335 miles @ 6 hours. DT Boise, ID 320 miles @ 6 hours. Adjacent Attractions: Bend is Central Oregon's largest city w/ museum, markets, walmarts and food spots of all kinds from unhealthy to organic junk. Lava Butte Cinder Cone, Lava River Cave & the Newbury Volcano is southward a few minutes away. Crater Lake, and Fort Klamath Museum is a few hours southbound. Klamath Falls the town has many things a few hours south. Burns, Rural Oregon & John Day Wilderness w/ all it's hot springs is eastward. Museum: Consists of three main hallway exhibits consisting of permanent art, history, culture & wildlife featuring a porcupine. The museum also have various exhibits at different points and I came with a Native American Photographer w/ mad skills (no pics allowed). Decent sized gift shop w/ nothing special or different that screams Central Oregon or old school themes. The exterior is quite large & I learned a lot about the landscape/topography. A good chunk is devoted to educating on wildfire & how the older generations were able to prevent, prepare and work around such devastating nature that is caused by lightning more so than cigarettes or campfire or a pyro-technic machine like good ole Californians. The exhibit also highlights why brush fire was necessary to maintain the natural habitat, the soil and foilage. It was crazy to think that wildfires is mother nature's filtering & waste management response to the environment/habitat. The northern sector was devoted to homesteading. Cabin and the old way of life. Very similar to any other homestead museum but different due to the regional climate & potential conflicts w/ Natives or other hostiles. Southern portion was a small area for a pond and a bunch of cute little critters called otters. Very playful & responsive to humans. The little cuties bring smiles to everyone's face & popular w/ kids. The SE corner is a habitat for predatory birds. Big badass birds such as ealges & the such. I love large birds. Hawks & eagles are amazing. Large, freaky, perfect eyesight & majestic in it's approach to the no non-sense lives they should live in the wild. Birds of all kinds are meant to resemble freedom & the imagery of flight beyond the naked eye is often depicted as so. Unfortunately, these hawks and friends are caged. They are imprisoned, perhaps, due to their own safety & inability to thrive in the wild, but it's still sad. The parable humanity has used as a symbol of freedom & independence are... Caged... The irony. I loved this museum. Diverse in the exhibits. Informative & pragmatic w/ the info to learn & apply to our lives for those who seek to be one w/ nature from a holistic/spiritual perspective. Travel safely my friends. @cigarcpa read more

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Enjoyable! We came in at 4:00p, one hour before the museum closed. We were given the option to get 30% off the general admission price of $15 or pay full and we could also come back the next day and enjoy the museum all day. Since we already have plans for the next day we took the afternoon rate of 30% discount. Our hour was nothing short of amazing at the artful exhibits and alluring animals! We started at the Hall of Plateau Indians Desertarium. The teepee exhibits were cool, we were not allowed to enter them but we could see the inside and it had all the basic needs you need in there, it looked fun inside like for camping! Then there were the feathered headdresses display that are only worn by chiefs and warriors. So neat and beautiful! We then headed to the Desertarium. We spent time here the most. I enjoyed the smaller wildlife that lives in the High Desert such as Gila monsters, desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, turtles, burrowing owls and all kinds of crawly critter! We didn't have time to visit the outdoor bigger animal exhibits. The Spirit of the West Gallery had a display of amazing exhibits where we were immersed in the history through time. Our journey began with a walk past a Northern Paiute shelter and a fur trapper's camp where all the historical details are depicted in incredible detail. We then continued through the Hudson's Bay Company fort, alongside an Oregon Trail wagon, through a hard rock mine, past a settler's cabin and into the boomtown of Silver City. The exhibits were life-sized and we could even walk in some of them. Unforgettable! Wish I could go on with my review with more stories to tell and photos to show but this was one of the best museums I've had a chance to visit. Enjoy the permanent exhibits and the changing ones. This wasn't part of our stop but we were glad we came. Fun experience and definitely worth visiting... and make sure you have more than an hour when you visit! This is both a museum and a zoo and is located just 5 mins south outside of downtown Bend OR. Review #1118 read more

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So much fun! So much to see and do and experience! Well worth the cost of admission - we were blown away!

Came here for a second time and enjoyed it immensely. Lots to see and do, both inside and outside. The outside is really nice, with streams, a living history pioneer area, an authentic wagon from the Oregon Trail, exhibits with live animals, and more. The kids loved it and we'll do it again I'm sure. read more

Wonderful local favorite! I love taking my little family here once or twice a year. My personal reason is to see the otters and other live animals (e.g. fox, birds, reptiles). I'm not big on history and museum type things but I love animals. It's a great place to take visitors to learn about local history and for young kids to run around and see cool things. There's something for everyone. Tip: If you're local and have a library card, check out the Discover pass to get yourself and three other people in for free. read more

Museum is great but DO NOT BUY from the gift shop. Overpriced items, expired items, broken items. I was there one week and wanted to by honey sprays. There were all expired. I informed the person at the register who thanked me for alerting them. A week later I was back with another visiting family member. Those sprays were still there all expired. I purchased a sand art frame. They showed me how to add and subtract air to make the sand flow using their demo. They send you home with one in a box. When I opened the box, it was only 1/4 full of water. I read the instructions, put more in as instructed and it still did not work. I laid it on it's side hoping to wet the sand more and about 1 minute later out of no where it cracked. They won't exchange it because it is "broken"... though it was broken "not working" when I bought. it. If you like something in the gift shop, just google it. Sure you will find it elsewhere for less with a better exchange policy if you get something not working. read more

If you have kids, this is a must. We brought our 10 year old granddaughter to Bend for a weekend getaway. I was searching fun things to do and I found this place. Boy am I glad I did. We spent the day walking the property and the museum. Lots of interesting facts. This is an indoor/outdoor activity, so dress warm if your are busting during the fall/winter season. read more

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The previous reviews say it all! Go to this museum and plan on at least three hours. We went last weekend on a whim and weren't really expecting much. We only had two hours between activities and couldn't get to the outdoor exhibits but were blown away with everything inside! We took video and a few selfies so I don't have photos but if you can get there before the Vistas del Cielo is gone, we would highly recommend it. We will definitely visit the next time we're in Sunriver. read more

Got here around 3 PM. Not as crowded. I only had a couple hours to walk the entire museum but I'm glad I got to see everything! My favorite exhibit was Autzen Otters. Loved watching the otters play and swim. They are so adorable! Would definitely recommend this place to anyone traveling to Oregon. read more

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This was really fun and unexpectedly full. The wildlife makes it a particularly great experience.

Really enjoyed walking around the High Desert Museum. A nice way to enjoy something in Bend. There is a lot of history here and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful as you walk around and see the exhibits. Make sure to give yourself extra time- the area is huge. We spent a good amount of time in the old prairie area. My niece and nephew were very intrigued by how they lived back in the day. And also kudos to the characters who were excellent and really interacted with the people and stayed in character. Definitely a must see - great 'roadside attraction' read more

High Desert Museum - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Such a well curated and interesting museum in such a lovely setting. We are members and we take our two year old at least once a week. He loves seeing the animals and the exhibits! The staff is always very friendly and informative. I saw another review saying how sickening it is to see the birds and animals cooped up. However if you actually READ the plaques by the birds of prey you'll see that they have all been rehabilitated and have reasons why they cannot be in a normal habitat. I would definitely not classify their habitats as cruel or unkind. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area!! read more

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The High Desert Museum is popular and is well-reviewed here on Yelp. So, I'll be brief. Reasons to visit: - Bobcat - Owls (great horned, barred, barn, little cute ones) - Eagles (bald, golden) - Other birds - Rattlesnakes - Other snakes - Tarantula - Gila monsters - Other lizards - Tortoises - Aquatic cats (aka otters) - People* * This last group of animals is particularly important. They take care of the other animals and are awesome. This place is great. Do make sure you attend a live animal talk or two. Along with the animals, there are plenty of historical & nature exhibits and other things to see. Nice gift shop, too. My wife and I are now members. read more

High Desert Museum - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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If you're in the area or passing through I'd say to stop at least once to check it out. Part of what made our little road trip more fun was stopping at places like this to enjoy their offerings. Honestly, this place is a little depressing. It's cool to see animals, but it also makes me sad. There are several different attractions to see both inside and out. It's a nice stop for about an hour. See some interesting historical and regional items, take a few pics. Staff seemed just fine to us. I think it's great to explore what your own state has to offer for tourism. read more

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If you are driving through the area...STOP BY THIS AMAZING/HISTORIC museum, I promise it is so worth it!! 135 acres of natural wonder + historic exhibits. Very family friendly and they even have a FREE KENNEL service for fury children so they do not have to be left in the car!! Experience wild birds, the high desert landscape other wild animals as well :) LOVED this museum, a MUST stop for tourists!! 5/5 rating!! read more

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In my opinion this is one of the coolest thing Bend, OR has to offer. It was one of the first places I checked out when I moved in the area, I've visited for a couple of their special exhibits, and recently got to take my boyfriend here when he was visiting. I mainly love seeing the animals that they have. I love the otters and the bobcat the most. I don't know if I'd enjoy this place as much as I do if it weren't for the animals, even though they do have a lot more to offer. There's more to see than you think at first glace. The inside is nice but the outside is my favorite and there's a lot of room to walk around and lots of things to see. I know we spent at least a couple hours here but we could have spent more if we weren't getting close to closing. It's not a place I necessarily check out often but whenever I realize it's been awhile since I have, I plan to see it again soon. It's educational and a lot of the installments are really beautiful. It's definitely worth checking out whether you live in the area or are just passing through! read more

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The High Desert Museum provides an engaging history of the people of the Northwest, as well as an outdoor component that presents the natural history of the area. read more

This was a fabulous Museum with so much to see! There are animal exhibits as well my favorite was the otters but they had birds, a fox and lots of others as well. Very informative and take your time to see everything there is a lot outside as well. Make sure to ask about discounts you can save a lot of money if you are low income (get EBT) have AAA or are a veteran etc just ask. We were lucky to be able to drop in and not buy our tickets ahead of time since they weren't to busy. (They were limiting admittance for Covid) if your coming by or staying in the area I'd say this is a must see! Totally worth it. read more

This was described as a must-see for Bend OR. I'm injecting some honesty here. You will learn little about the High Desert visiting this museum. I see it as a pleasant place to spend an hour or two with kids. I thought that the shows were actually the grabber here, but we went to a show on animals of the high desert and it started with a question to the audience: what do you think of when you think of the desert? Answer: sand. Yep. We're oughta here. And we turned in our tickets for the raptor show before we left the building. Maybe someone with a couple of three year olds will find it riveting. read more

High Desert Museum - Otters - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Wonder museum, extremely clean and really cool exhibits to visit. The birds of prey, sea otters, logging tools, and the Burning Man exhibit we're all fascinating and we stayed way longer than expected and didn't even see everything that they had to offer! Amazing cultural site just outside of Bend, Oregon! read more

A must for anyone living or visiting the Bend, Redmond area. We took our 15 year old granddaughter here and she loved it! We all especially enjoyed the raptor show. It is very informative and well produced. Another fun exhibit was the otters. They were quite entertaining just going about their usual otter business. The museum itself has so very much to see. We could have easily spent another hour or two. We'll be going back in August with more visiting family. read more

Hi, This was my third visit to HDM over 7 yrs. Please don't listen to the naysayers. Each time has been a little different. I visited yesterday with my 9 yr. old granddaughter. In addition to regular admission we got tickets for the Raptors in the Sky "show. We first toured the inside exhibits. The western settlement presentation was very well done, including the mining tunnel,, and frontier town set ups. Utopia exhibit including the Rashee's Rolls Royce and related material showed an interesting chapter in the history of Oregon. I was delighted with the improvements to the seating area for the Raptor show. The benches were a great improvement to sitting/ kneeling / standing in the dirt around the open meadow. The bird presentations were excellent and their flying routes took your breath away as they cruised at head level through the seating area. Just magnificent. My granddaughter captured some of their beautiful passes in slo-motion on our phone. At the q & a after, the handlers and birds were informed / well behaved, respectively and it was an experience to see them up close! We wandered over to the otter exhibit and found a volunteer speaking to the group about the otters. It was about 12:30-12:45pm and the otters were very active both in the water and on the grounds of the enclosure. Delightful. There were many great picture taking moments. Back inside about 1:00pm we wandered through the Desertorium and found most of of the critters were out and active, tortoises, snakes, lizards,, turtles, the fox, the porcupine, so I think the best time of day for the inside area is probably after noon. The bird show is at 11:30 and only once a day, so let that be your guide. Be there no later than 11:00 if you plan to see it. Unfortunately the Birds of Prey exhibit was closed out of concern for the Avian Flu that is currently in the area. The other outdoor exhibits e.g. settlement village and sawmill are worthy of a visit if you want to revisit history. We have enjoyed every visit and hope all of you will find it worthy. read more

The High Desert Museum is a must see for anyone who may enjoy a relaxed day learning about the history of the local area and seeing some cool animals. Plus there is an authentic early 1900's town in the back outside area that is ideal for school-aged children. I was also impressed by the bird show where they have birds of prey fly right over your head. (The bird show is for an additional fee in addition to museum admission.) When you get hungry, there is a café on site that serves yummy, healthy food. I highly recommend the Turkey Club sandwich with chips and guacamole on the side. If you prefer to bring your lunch, they allow outside food brought in and have a separate dining area for people to eat their sack lunches. A must see is the exhibit on the Native American history in the age of technology. It was engaging and really interesting to see the perspective of modern influence and how the long standing culture was maintained around the convenience of technology. The kids loved seeing the indoor and outdoor animal exhibits of a porcupine, a bob cat, reptiles, fish, a tarantula, etc. We missed seeing the otters but otherwise saw almost everything in about 3 hours. read more

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This was a highlight of our trip to Bend! My kids ages 10, 8, and 6 went and loved it. They all said it was their favorite excursion.

DEAR ALL-STAR TEAM High Desert Museum, I would like to thank ALL of YOU for Creating Such an Amazing Museum. The attention to detail You have taken to include Fine ART, Truly Moving Historical Documentation and Presentation, and Animal Care and Exhibition was So Fantastic. Each and every corner of Your amazing property was filled with learning and immersive experiences. I would like to Thank John and The Entire Birds of PREY Team for allowing their BeautifuL Raptors to fly all around Us. Being that close to These True Beauties... was a moment I will always remember. :) Thank You for teaching Us how we can make changes in Our community to help these Majestic Creatures. Thank You So very much...We will be back. ***:)*** Love Always, Stephanie read more

It was fun for about 45mins then everyone was bored! The staff are lovely and informative. There are some live animals to view and they are well cared for. We arrived just before they opened and it was already crowded with people waiting. This became worse once inside. Nothing is more uncomfortable that being in a crowded room with tons of people and a heater blasting!! My cons: they open at 10am but the cafe and gift shop don't open until later. When you have kids and seniors in your group this did not work out well. Our group was hungry and the only options were vending machines with junk food. Since no one wanted to wait to be able to see what they serve...we decided to leave. The kids wanted souvenirs but the gift shop still wasn't open. My son literally was crying at the gate to the gift shop and the employees are just sitting around inside waiting to open. My advice to the museum is to have everything open for your guests!! You lost money because our big group left and ate elsewhere. You also lost sales in the gift shop as well. Overall not good business! read more

This place gets my vote for the best museum in Oregon. Located just south of Bend, close to Sun River. It is a must see if you are visiting Central Oregon. This museum has a great mix of pioneer (homesteader), cowboy and Native American exhibits as well as a large outdoor area with animals. Inside they have a portion of the museum where you walk through the development of the west. One section is on the plains, then you go through the coal mine, the western town, etc. My favorite thing to do is go to the Bird of Prey show. They have a number of animals on exhibit (hawks, owls) that fly over the audience and it is part comedy act, part education. They also have a sea otter and porcupines outside. Lots of fish, lizards and snakes inside. Awesome kids area with a puppet theatre and other dress up items. Large art gallery as well. Antiques, photographs, woven baskets, it is all there. What this museum does exceptionally well are special programs. They have a saw mill and it is operational a few days during the summer. Typically on Father's Day. One time when we visited they had a special program on Smoke jumpers and the guys were there with all of their equipment and were great with the kids. There is a homesteaders cabin that you can walk through and try your hand at pumping water or beating rugs. They also keep some wild horses there that they get from the high country and are sold at auction. Very nice restaurant on-site with better than average food options. Fantastic store with artwork, jewelry, quilts and tons of toys and books. read more

High Desert Museum - High Desert Museum, Bird of Prey show - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

After many years of not having time to stop here even after several friends said it was worth the stop we finally did. Outstanding example of a desertarium with several mini lectures by scientists throughout the day. Mr. Kerr, founder and director until this year, created and educational visionary benefiting the many that now decide to stop by. You will get a first class education on the entire circle of high desert life. Loved the hands on lumber mill and homestead with local performers completing the drama. Enjoyed the Birds of Prey and fish lectures. AAA 10% discount. Otter exhibit closed but there is still a ton to see. We enjoyed both talks we were th read more

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We are locals and have been here several times. It is a pleasant experience and has been improved over the last few years.The animals are all rescues and cannot be returned to nature. Although they are well cared for I would like to see a larger habitat provided for them. Prices are a little high for this location but the information is geared around the high desert history. Worth seeing. read more

Honestly- I haven't been there in awhile- but sometimes popping in to just stare at the animals for awhile while studying can brighten my day :) read more

This Museum is the best I've ever been to, the variety of exhibits with live animals, natural history, a ranch a farm with farm animals, and a steam operated sawmill that is typically open 2-3 days during the summer. It take very special knowledge to operate it, and if a part breaks you better know how to fix it! During the summer they typically have have an outdoor flight show with 4-5 Birds of Prey / Raptors being flown free in a large clearing in the woods. This flight show is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There are also curator led encounters with the variety animals, weather permitting. Their website is very informative. www.highdesertmuseum.com read more

We liked this place a lot. It's nestled well back into the woods, so it is well insulated from urbanity. Admission was on the high side at $20, but there was a lot to say for the exhibits. Those considering going should bear in mind that it isn't just a Central Oregon museum, but one of the entire Western high desert country. It has a lot of art, some for sale, and some even pretty good. There was some sort of future exhibit that looked like the Enterprise's holodeck with no program running; we could not tell what it was supposed to be about. Lots of Oregon history, including an exhibit on Rajneesh and one of his Rollses. The Native story is told in cooperation with regional tribes, and there are a lot of 1800s artifacts both white and Native. The animal part was the only disappointment. The porcupine looks truly lonely, as does the fox. The staff are polite, but we were somewhat misled in that we were told of a talk in the birds of prey area. We inferred from that advisement that the birds of prey area was actually working. It's not; they're stashed away to protect them from bird flu. I applaud this, but think they should tell people that rather than let them find out the hard way. read more

Must stop if you're in the area! Such a variety of things to see and do. Great place for families with kids...lots of activities for them to do. My favorite part was the early 1900s settlement in the back. Very cool artifacts and there was even a woman in the homestead dressed in period clothing sitting by the wood stove inside the cabin. The sawmill was pretty interesting to see too! Reminded me of Little House on the Prairie :-D I also really enjoyed watching the otters...they're so playful. The animals are spread throughout the property and buildings (many rescues that can't survive in the wild). There's a bobcat and porcupine in the main building along with reptiles in the Desertarium, otters out back near the Settlers homestead and Birds of Prey building. There's also American Indian artifacts on display, photography gallery, classes, presentations, etc. You get a map and event schedule when you pay admission. 10% discount for AAA members, although regular admission is totally worth it! They also have a cafe and gift shop on site. Highly recommend. read more

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This place was absolutely amazing. I love museums but some of them cost a lot and offer little. I could have spent all day here. There were so many exhibits and things to learn and see and do! They have a little bit of everything for all ages. They have animals, birds of prey, reptiles, turtles. They have artifacts. They have flowers. They have a pioneer village where my daughter got to pretend she was a pioneer child - complete with washing clothes on a washboard, watering a garden with left over water, and playing on stilts and other pioneer toys. The otters were really fun to watch too. I was definitely NOT ready to leave when the rest of my party was. Next time we are in Sunriver, this will be a stop for me, and no one is making me leave early! LOL. This is worth every dime. You won't be disappointed. It is large and expansive and it is money well spent. read more

I l enjoyed my visit here a lot. The raptor show was great, the otters were adorable, and the grounds were beautiful Enjoyed everything about it with the very notable exception of the "Wild Horse" talk delivered by a young woman who admitted she knew nothing about the topic, but was saying what she was told. And what she was told to say was unmitigated BLM horsesh&@. Sadly, tourists from the Midwest aren't going to know better and will believe that pro-rancher, anti-horse crap is true. Had to walk out, even though I know it wasn't the poor woman's fault. Do better read more

First of all I am not a big museum guy, Field Museum in Chicago, Smithsonian in D,C, any plane or military museum, but that is probably it. So when my friends, a bunch of them, told me to come here, I thought why not. Also I thought I would be in and out of here in an hour. We left after 2 and a half hours and I could have stayed longer. So this is a big place. There is the main museum, which houses a variety of art, animals, and high desert collectibles, some American-Indian artifacts, plus a mock-up 1900ish old western town. Outside the have another mock-up town with a working mill; runs once or twice a year, and folks that are in character. That was actually pretty cool, chatted with those folks for a bit. Next their is the otter house and a bird of prey center housing a variety of predators. Anyhow plan ahead, look at the schedule on their website, they have a bunch of stuff that would probably entertain or educate a variety of folks of all ages. The small cafe also had a nice menu with good food and it offers a few beers and wines as well. Overall, I was very impressed and I will revisit once our path bring us back to the Bend, Oregon area. Guys it is definitely worth checking out!!!! read more