I learned of the Maryhill Museum from a book I recently read about the Central Oregon railroad…read more'war' (not much of a war). One of the railroad barons (James Hill) was vying to become the first to run a line down the nearby Deschutes River to Bend. Hill's son was one of the founders of Maryhill Museum. Beyond the local history, the Maryhill stands on its own as a fabulous museum of art. With diverse collections including a large number of Rodin pieces, a post-WWII French fashion exhibit, Native American art, contemporary outdoor sculptures and most surprisingly, possibly one of the largest and best collections of chess pieces you'll see anywhere. Not only well worth a drop-in visit, you should consider the Maryhill Museum a destination.

Even though this was a little out of the way we wanted to check it out since we were in the area…read more It's a nice drive anyway so nothing lost there. It happened to be their Centennial celebration so it was much busier than usual. Even given that they opened up a lot for parking so there was no issue there. We didn't have any interactions with any staff but there was quite a bit going on here. We noticed some nice pieces outside and checked out what we could of the grounds. Seems like a really peaceful place to enjoy a nice day. There was quite a variety to enjoy. Personally I liked the chess set display the best. There was just so much variety in styles that it was really impressive. We did notice that they also had a cafe here. I was honestly impressed how much they had to offer since it's just a museum that seems to be in the middle of nowhere.

Everything was nice except gift shop worker…read more Everything was nice except the woman working the gift shop on 6/29 Monday at 2pm. I was super impressed with the displays. Felt like it justified the money we paid to get in. I saw this display highlighting this local woman who was one of the first female authors from the area. I was excited to check out the book and went to the gift shop to get it. Not there. I asked the woman working and she blew me off and walked away mid-conversation to go sit down again like it was a joke. I'd much rather support the museum than Amazon. Is anyone listening? Why wouldn't you carry this book?

Small museum but very informative and well kept. Great location if you are in the Dallas / Hood…read moreRiver area and well worth a stop.

I was really excited to come here because planes and cars? Of course! Kind of glad it was hotter…read morethan expected otherwise I'd spend waaay too much time here. I'll start with it's easy to get to and lots of parking. The guys working (or volunteering) there were all friendly, riding around on their cool little scooters (this place is huge). I was astounded by the size of this place. The cars, oh the cars - so many absolutely stunning vehicles here. I don't think I've ever seen such a collection before. It was truly impressive. Then you have all the manner of aircraft as well. But wait, there's more! They have bikes, trikes, scooter, motorcycles, you name it. This place is the most amazing time capsule. They have toys, models, clothes, just so much nostalgia going on here. Absolutely worth every penny. I would recommend giving yourself a good amount of time but even then you are just scratching the surface. This is such an astounding collection of memorabilia. I highly recommend coming here. It's worth it even if it's a little out of the way. Such a good time.

Had a fantastic experience at this 5 acre + museum with lots of amazing old airplanes and cars…read more Well laid out with good signage so you can wander. They offer mobility scooters too! Wonderful gift shop as well. I'm not an aviation buff, but this museum came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. Well worth the money!

Came here on a sunny Sunday to learn some history and it was a great experience. The docent in the…read moremain building was really friendly and gave us some history about the property and The Dalles. We walked around the house and enjoyed the architecture and the collections. Then we went across the yard and saw a bunch of old wagons and cars from the time period - the horse-drawn hearses were quite interesting, as was the electric car from 1902! Outside the building, my kids enjoyed petting the resident cat Midnight, who was mostly friendly. We then proceeded up the hill to see the Anderson homestead, which was also really cool to see. We probably spent just over an hour here and it was worth it.

It's amazing and the history is awe inspiring. We met Leslie and she is so knowledgeable about The…read moreDalles and the historical relevance of Fort Dalles. Thank you so much for explaining everything to us. The carriages were amazing. See you again, soon.

We were making a point to see the tourist stuff for Hood River and this was our first stop along…read morethe way. I didn't expect it to be huge because it had a reasonable price that was pretty affordable. Still, they had a lot of different stuff to check out inside. The woman working was super friendly. It was just fun to see a little bit more about the area since we're usually just passing through. There were a few things outside as well and although not a huge lot I would think it would pretty mush always be easy to find parking. Glad I stopped by to check it out.

We love going to the small museums that dot the landscape across the country. Sometimes they're…read moreweird, but they're always fun and informative. This museum is definitely small, but the entrance payment of $5 each was well worth it. It took a little over an hour to go through it but it was a dive back in time to the present. A reminder of life well lived. The Indians, the farmers, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Mexicans all played a part in what Hood River county has become and all had a little representation in this small gem of a museum. The staff was friendly and informative and helped make this trip down memory lane a pleasure.

We made a plan to check this one out while we were visiting The Dalles. This site is a…read morerefurbishment of the old Elks lodge. Super old building but very beautiful structure. The tour starts out with a 15 minute video on how neon signs are made. Very interesting. There is a local guy that then takes you on about a 15 minute tour of the building and then you are free to roam around after. The tour guide as he explained, his dad started collecting neon signs some years back and that was sort of the impetus for this museum. Right now they are in the midst of restoring the carousel horses from the old Jantzen Beach carousel. The hope is to get that set up again in The Dalles. They have a small gift shop which I picked up a couple of things. All in all I would tour this place again.

This is a beautifully curated museum. HIGHLY recommend and the price is completely reasonable…read more Learned so much from and to be near priceless pieces of history is beyond! I will never look at a neon sign (or argon) the same.

Well worth a stop! We drop by to visit Ada and Laurence once or twice a year. They have huge…read morebarns packed with vintage cars and vintage everything. Including a 100 year old school that was moved to the property. $4 per person...... well worth it. Ada has lived in Bickleton her entire life and the Whitmores are authorities on the early history of this very interesting town.

A fascinating interpretive center in a breathtaking locale. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for…read morechildren, and it's worth the price. It opened in 1997, and has aged remarkably well. There are plenty of exhibits for the kids, like a lumber mill's steam engine. The Native American and geological history of the Columbia River Gorge are engrossingly portrayed. For something indoors, you'd want to spend hours. Appropriately, it has enormous windows so you can take in the views of the Gorge. The documentary videos are OK, but they have an amazing array of artifacts, signs, exhibits- but you're there for the gorgeous vistas. It fits in with the scenery, and a great introduction to the history&geology of the Pacific Northwest treasure that is the Columbia River Gorge.

This is a very small regional museum and takes maybe an hour to get through, including the outside…read moreexhibits. The fullsize replica of the fish "scooper" is pretty cool! They focus on Lewis and Clark and the local indigenous people that lived in the area and how development and trade impacted them. It's worth a single visit for the history, but I won't be back for a second visit.

I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful historical home while visiting Goldendale, WA a few…read moreweeks ago. The docents were very friendly and made our visit enjoyable. The home itself is absolutely beautiful!!! There is a lot to see inside the home as well as the adjoining building which also has some very cool items. This is a must see if you're ever in Washington.