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

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

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.

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

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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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

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

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

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

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

Excellent museum, we came to get out of the rain and found so much more than a diversion. Porcupine, gray fox, river otter and more were so much fun to see. The history and setup of the dioramas were so immersive and welcoming. I could spend a few days here and I'm not a museum guy read more

This is the best museum I've ever explored. Beautiful, authentic, great sound effects. Caring staff. They say to allow 2-3 hours. I say at least 4. More if you do ALL the reading. Thanks! read more

Though we hadn't included a visit to this museum in our travel plan, we saw it and decided to stop. We 2 (adult son and me) spent over 2 hours viewing the inside and outside displays, as well as seeing the animals. Not a reason to visit Bend, but worth a stop if you have the time or kids; children especially seemed to enjoy it. We visited in February, and it was not crowded. Inside were Native American, pioneer settlement, natural environment, and WW2 displays. One new thing we learned was that the workers and families during the WW2 construction and early operational years of the Hanford Nuclear site were segregated by race. Some of the wall-mounted descriptions were unreadable due to low lighting; we especially noticed this in the Native American exhibit. Outside was a display of a pioneer cabin and outbuildings - including an outhouse. There was also an educational interactive video-game-like device where the player acted as a fire-fighting commander making decisions on countermeasures in combating several fires. Most mammals and birds were apparently rescue animals that couldn't be returned to the wild, including a porcupine, bobcat, bald eagle, golden eagle, and a few types of owls. There were also two river otters in a display that included a view under the water so one could see them swimming. An inside display had snakes, lizards, tortoises, and a tarantula. Each hour, one of the displays had a guided tour. In addition to the above, there was a gift shop and a cafe. AAA discount available. read more

Amazing museum. the camps are so fun and the volunteer program is awesome. The living history section is so impressive. Totally recommend

I finally got to go here after a few years of saying, 'we should do that'. I am so glad we did get to go when the weather was not, it was pretty cool and dry. We got there at 1pm in the afternoon and there were school buses lined up out front loading the kids on. I am glad we missed that, this place isn't that big, so I think we 3 bus loads of kids it might have been a different trip. There was plenty to see and we were lucky enough that the baby porcupine was going on display during the wild life talk. Towards the end they let everyone come up and get within about a foot of it and take pictures. The staff is very friendly and the lady down in Thomas the Otter's den was very nice and told us his story and was very informed, so that was nice. We walked outside and did the trail a couple of times after we went and saw the exhibits outside. At one point my husband and I were leaning over looking at the Golden ground squirrels that cover this place and I said get a picture while it is close on the bush, only to look down and see one less than 3 inches on a branch from his leg! TOO CUTE, that alone was worth the trip. I can't imagine doing this at the peak of summer heat outside, so we picked June to go. I have had my dad at the Smith Rock state park in July and the heat nearly killed him, it was crazy hot and they aren't all that far a part. This is a great place with and without your kids. It was just me and my husband and lot's of fun. Also, when I tried to check in here for Yelp it said I was too far away despite standing in the lobby, and the guy at the front desk asked what we were doing. He had no clue what Yelp was and asked me if it was something a dog does. Hilarious, but when we showed him how it works on the phone, he said he had never heard of any of the places that popped up for surrounding places to go. I told him that is why he needed to Yelp, to discover new places to go. read more

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Before we moved to Central Oregon we always looked forward to visiting the High Desert Museum during our vacations in Sunriver and watching it evolve over the years. Now that we Iive in Bend it seems we only go to the HD Museum when we have visiting friends or relatives in tow and no matter how young or old they are or what their interests may be, there is something to delight everyone. Other reviewers have covered the many assets of this gem of a local "must see" location really well and I won't repeat them here. But if you're wondering if the entry price is worth it, yes it is! One add that I'm not sure others touched on, all of the facility, indoors and out, is nicely accessible to people of all levels of physical ability, not just ADA compliant but seamlessly so for great access everywhere for everyone - universal access as it were. And if you have a visiting friend or relative who might benefit from the use of a wheelchair for longer distances, as walking through the acres of lovely grounds for the buildings and displays there (don't miss the Otter exhibit and the Raptor / Owl building), those are available to borrow either for free or nominal fee at the front desk. Nice little coffee shop / snack bar / cafeteria type restaurant too in the main building with indoor and outdoor seating. A very nice place for a salad, sandwich, slice of pizza or dessert snack with a beverage if you want to take a break because there are several hours worth of things to do here if you take advantage of them all. Highly recommended! Update July 8 2010: Visit the new baby porcupine, just named this week...Q'Will. :-) read more

I love it here. We go often and have a family pass. We will be upgrading to the family plus. We enjoy coming for quick visits which is a great option for locals. The exhibits change regularly and generally have at least one geared towards kids. My girls love coming and feel comfortable exploring. We especially enjoy Christmas at the museum. Best experience with Father Christmas in town! read more

Great museum. Loved taking my kids. The sawmill and the house was awesome. I wanted to give a shout out to Will "the hired hand" at the ranch, he extended himself to the four of my children. I was impressed. He asked them all their names and for the duration of the "training" period he called them by name and patiently showed them how to remove the bark off the trees. Whenever I am in Sunriver I will always stop by. Someone had mentioned it on the reviews... Wear good walking shoes... Lots of walking. I agree. read more

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So well done, an absolute must see. The exhibits are awesome and the otters are so cute read more

The four stars is because of this... *heavy sigh* So, when I was in fifth grade, I was in those crappy smart kid classes. And, if it wasn't enough just getting beat up on the playground for it, our crappy smart kid teacher decided we would benefit from interactive learning if we memorized a character from history and portrayed them at the newly opened "Spirit of the West" exhibit. Tanner Hansen got to be the cool Chinese shop keeper. Lindsay Wright got to pan handle for gold all day. Good for them! I GOT STUCK IN THE MINE. I got to memorize the life of a miner who got divorced and die broke. On top of all that, we had to be there for 8 hours! A WHOLE SCHOOL DAY. I was told we would get docked points if we left and, since I was terrified of academic failure, I pissed my pants rather than leave the mines that were TERRIFYING as a ten year old! So, aside from childhood trauma? This place is WONDERFUL! Sometimes they bring out badgers and they are all, "Okay, we are trying them out with people... you kids want to walk up slowly and say hello? Slow... SLOWER! OKAY, EVERYONE BACK UP!" and it is the greatest thing to see. Ever. They have big cats, they have big birds--- some are rehabilitated and returned to the wild, some are damaged goods and kept for display. The porcupines eat... something that looks like peanut butter and sawdust and they are terribly cute when they do it. And, lastly--- otters are the darnedest creatures! All cute in the water and graceful! However, they bite. Mind the signs and enjoy the wonders of the high desert exhibited in this great place! read more

High Desert Museum - They are much cuter than this picture would make you think.... - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

This museum is amazing! There are many animals to see, shows and talks to attend, play areas for children, and stunning exhibits. There is a cool settlers exhibit now with interactive cooking, cleaning, and even gardening. My family never fails to stop here on our annual trip to SunRiver we love it so much! The museum is clean and updated with a cute cafe and shop as well. Highly recommended. read more

This for me is a must see place to visit to learn more of what makes Oregon so special. Very very family orientated with interactive displays for all ages. The outside working homesteads are staffed with period dressed and talk as they would have 100 years ago. I asked one how are you and he responded as fine as the hair on a frog. They have live animal and aquatic displays with the otters being one of the favorites. It's a working museum and best to check the events calendar on line. read more

The most amazing museum about American Indian culture and high desert animal habitats also the upgrade in the restaurant is amazing from the old days of hotdogs and nachos to upscale wraps salads and custom hamburgers great place for family and friends read more

When I first arrived at the Museum I was greeted by the most wonderful staff. Shortly into my visit a staff lady started following me around as if I was doing something wrong. Then I bought a snack from the vending machine eating outside while the otter guy came through and rudely told me to only eat in eating areas. The lady at the cabins also rudely told me not to try and touch the chickens when KIDS were trying to grab them and touch them and she did nothing about them. The Birds of prey , and Fox exhibit is sickening! Those animals and birds are kept in a small area not big enough to fly around or with the right environment that they need. It is very sad , I do not recommend going here. read more

The High Desert Museum was a pretty fun day trip for us - a good way to get out of the cabin for a while. For $12 admission for adults, you can spend a good half day to a full day wandering through the various exhibits, which are a mix of history and zoological displays. Kids will like this place because they have animals (birds of prey, reptiles, otters, and adorable porcupines) and adults will enjoy this place because of the talks going on during almost every hour. We learned about golden eagles and otters, which was cool. I also liked that you could walk around outside to different areas, such as the wildlife exhibits, which made it a little more fun than being in the same building all day. It also seems like they rotate some of their exhibits so you could come back every so often and find something new. The gift shop is fun too! read more

We had a wonderful time with my parents, 12 year old daughter and 11 month old niece. Lots of live animals on display from birds to reptiles but the river otters really stole the show for us. My 12 year old told me it was the highlight of her year so far. The otters get fed at 1:00 and I highly recommend coordinating your visit to attend. They also have free strollers and wheelchairs for use. The gift shop was great and had a lot of unique souvenirs; my daughter and I both ended up with otter-themed items. Dress accordingly for the weather since their birds of prey, settler's cabins and otter exhibits are all outdoors. We'll be back! read more

High Desert Museum - Three male river otters - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Reserve ahead of time online! Very convenient. On top of masking and social distancing. As fun as it's always been. We stopped at the Cafe for a beer & sat outside by the fire. read more

High Desert Museum - Museums Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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While visiting Bend, OR for a few days we found this 5 star museum. The exhibits were informative and combined art along with education. The wildlife from the high desert added a special experience and saw creatures one does not usually see which included a variety of owls, a magnificent bald eagle and spunky, playful river otters. What a treat. The staff was professional and friendly. We visited during the pandemic and the signage was clearly visible to the visitors and museum very clean. If you are in the area of Bend, OR - stop in and take time to visit this museum. The minimal fee is worth more than this gem of a museum has to offer one in education. We came away with smiles and so many kudos. read more

Absolute highway robbery. They have two exhibits that are worth viewing, otters and birds of prey. The otters slept our entire 3 hour visit and the birds of prey are "temporarily not in view". There is a show of birds of prey but kids must sit still and quiet the entire time, it costs extra and only happens once a day AKA, not even worth trying to see it. Especially considering you already have to pay TWENTY-TWO DOLLARS PER ADULT... for literally nothing. We were accosted by chipmunks. The information display about Native tribes and the land had signs essentially saying we know that we have over simplified this information and it's all wrong. If you know your display is not accurate to history, you need to take it down... you're a museum. Overall, we will never be back. They should be embarrassed to call themselves a museum. read more

Best ever. Take your kids, take your grandparents, take the neighbors next door! You will not be disappointed. We've been all across the country to museums and this one is our favorite by far. Five stars read more

Wanted to take the grandkids to the Miners day fun there but the rates are really high $12 seniors each Kids $9 each plus $2 for Miners add on $46. Ouch. For 2-3 hours of fun. read more

Our grandkids love this place! Their gift shop is awesome ... our kids love it. We have visited many times ... they love the otters!!!!

So much fun! A favorite to go to with my family. The otters and porcupines are my favorite!

What a great museum! Highly recommend for families. Every part of it is fascinating and entertaining. We had a 6 and two 8 year olds and they had a great time. Definitely worth the trip. read more

Perfect educational spot to take kids on vacation. Learn about high desert history and interact with different wildlife critters. The whole place is very well done. read more

One of the best museums I have ever been to. A mixture of Art museum, anthropological museum, zoo, and living museum. Actually throw in a bit of botanical garden as well. Walk-in dioramas of the old west, live animals of the High Desert, Otters, porcupines, a set up of a pioneer homestead and logging operation, it goes on and on. There is a stream running through the property with trout in it, although manmade. The buildings nestle around this creek as an actual settlement might. There is also a birds of prey show that should not be missed. The grounds are immaculate and represent actual biomes of the High Desert, from sagebrush to ponderosa pine to alders along the creeks. Did I mention the trout? Many paths are right along side these creeks so you get a close up. For the reviewer who suggested she might be dumber than she thought, well, she is. Yes there is logging in the area (did she fail to notice the Ponderosa pines she was walking amongst when she was complaining about walking?). Yes it gets hot (go early). And the place isn't that big outside. (Maybe she would be more happy in a mall?) read more

A membership here is perfect because my kids love coming back... And I do, too! There is a variety of attractions that cater to different age groups so there is bound to be something for kids aged 3 through 99 ;-) There is an indoor picnic spot for eating food brought from home, but we prefer to eat outside if the weather permits. The otters are a family favorite. Try to get there before 2p because they often go into their den for a nap in the afternoon. You can still see them through a window in the den, but napping otters are definitely not as exciting as awake otters. Don't forget to visit the ranger in the station in the parking lot if s/he is there! read more