This was a small, well organized collection tucked away in a beautiful location where you feel like…read morea fossil is going to jump out of the mountain right in front of you. (or something like that) When I think of Paleontology, I assume 'dinosaurs'.... and at this museum, I learned that wasn't necessarily the case..... but it was fascinating to see various specimens of familiar animals that have evolved over time.... did you know there was once a 3-toed horse? Some of these kinds of subtleties were a little lost on my kids - especially my 4 year old who kinda got the zoomies looking for a t-rex in this small space.... but the rest of us managed to enjoy it. Definitely worth it if you happen to be in this part of "the middle of nowhere."

We really enjoyed our visit here! The rangers gave the kiddos in our group an activity booklet to…read moredo, and upon completing at least some of the book, they received wooden badges to pin on their lapels, and they were sworn in as junior rangers. The kids loved it. The center has tons of great exhibits and info. As for COVID protocols, they had timed entries with limited capacity. 30 minutes didn't quite feel like enough time but we didn't want to stay for another round just to look at the exhibits closer. Overall an excellent resource and worth stopping here. Oh, be sure to take the brief hike up the hill at the south end of the parking lot! Great views from there and there's a bench at the top. Beware of red/fire ants along the trail.

I've stopped here a few times over the decades. Handy access right off the highway. Usually not a…read morelot of people here especially on a weekday. Some good photography opportunities and a lot of historical artifacts. There is an interesting information center and historical display up on the hill on the other side of the highway. Worth a stop if you've never been there before. There are hiking trails that go off a ways that I have never gone on but the mile or so round trip from the historic house is interesting enough. They do have staff there and offer tours of the grounds although I have never taken advantage of them.

The Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds was a fabulous day trip! We were with a toddler and…read morea baby (in a BOB stroller), so we did all of the hikes except the longer two in the Blue Basin area. We started off in the Foree area and worked our way south. Also, the hikes got continuously more disappointing in this direction. I do not recommend the River Trail, as there is no view of the river (not maintained?), and I also did not enjoy the Thomas Condon Overlook Trail as it had almost the same view as the Sheep Rock Overlook Trail. I definitely recommend picking up a passport to the National Parks as well as getting your cancellation stamp for all 3 John Day Fossil Bed Units at the Visitor center. Though it isn't marked on the map, there are a couple of picnic tables at the visitor center as well. The Cant house was OK, but don't be too sad if you miss it due to the limited hours. Only the downstairs is open for viewing, and there are only three small rooms of exhibits. I loved the Flood of Fire and Story in Stone hikes!

I am currently working on assignment in John Day, Oregon. I had the pleasure of going to the museum…read morewith a guided tour. My tour guide was a tall guy, unfortunately, I cannot remember his name. He was very informative about the museum and about the home. I felt sad at one point because the last person to own the home/business, went for a simple procedure and unfortunately passed away. You can still see the date he left on the calendar. The museum was very informative and some of the patient letters were very touching. This is a very nice gym within the small town of John date. Also, when you go into the reception center/gift shop you will see all of the items people have found in their yards that date back to the early 1900s. I highly recommend visiting the museum with a guided tour.

An important piece of Oregon and Chinese history, a must see!…read more I felt very fortunate to have visited the Kam Wah Chung Museum on my recent trip to Oregon. Seeing how the early Chinese settlers came to the US under harsh working environment, racial discrimination, language barriers and away from their families made me realized how resilient and strong of all these Chinese men. Being part Chinese and an immigrant myself, I could relate to some of their struggles. Located in John Day on the main street, this musem contains two parts. The first part is the museum with glass cased exhibits with illustration of early Chinese settlers and brief descriptions of the lives of Doc Hay and Lung On. The second part of the museum is only available as a guided tour, where you can enter the living quarter and pharmacy of Doc Hay and Lung On. I highly recommend taking the guided tour of the living quarter/pharmacy of Doc Hay and Lung On, as the staff tried to preserve all the original details back in its days. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, and she mentioned each single detail (down to mouse trap) in the house. The front of the house contains a red chair that Doc Hay would take your pulse and determine your health, with the pharmacy right behind his chair. We also saw Doc Hay's bedroom, common kitchen, sleeping quarters and Lung On's room. The most striking part of the tour was when guide mentioned how the Chinese settlers had to lock themselves in every evening to avoid getting shot by drunk white people. They also set up a water pump inside (vs. outside) of the house to avoid leaving the safety of the premise. Despite the harsh circumstances, I saw many posters on the walls of spending good time with friends and making huge fortunes. I admired their optimism and hard work under such extenuating circumstances. Overall, this is an important part of Oregon and Chinese history that you should definitely see. It is wonderful to see deliberate efforts are made to feature the contribution of minorities to the US history. It is also heartwarming and yet bittersweet to witness the obstacles our ancestors overcame to give better lives to future generations. Inspirational and highly recommend!

Who'd have thought that a dowdy old county historical society museum could be so f**kin' scary?…read more Grant County Historical Museum sets itself apart from other small museums in eastern Oregon by focusing on ghoulish curiosities, including two-headed calves and the personal effects of executed criminals. But these historical curios don't hold a candle to the museum's collection of hand-carved mannequins. There is no reasonable excuse for the appearance - nay, existence! - of these life-sized figures, carved with ever-so-much care and attention to look like the grimacing victims of a flash fire. Many of these mannequins have extremely realistic dentures shoved into their lipless mouths, ready to spring to life and chomp some hapless toddler's hand. All are draped into chairs and wagons or propped against corners, lolling corpselike and dangling empty sleeves. Look - I'm a 22-year-old skeptic, and there's no way anyone's going to convince me that the mannequins at the Grant County Historical Museum don't come alive at night and wreck up the place. Don't bring your little kids. Don't bring the elderly. Don't bring anyone with a heart condition. Bring a camera. Because despite the sheer visceral heart-stopping horrors to be found inside this unassuming museum, I highly recommend it.

I'd give this museum five stars even if I didn't have deep family ties to Grant County. The…read morevolunteer was so nice and happily looked in her files for my family. She also shared a few stories about her favorite artifacts, including a very cool walking stick that was borrowed at one point by the Smithsonian. I was last there in the mid 1990s and the place pretty much looks the same. There's a timeless feel to it. The museum definitely has something for everyone.

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.

I found this hidden gem while walking along the river path from my hotel. Stopped in for a very…read morepleasant couple of hours and could have spent longer. It's a well-curated museum. When I visited, it had a fascinating temporary exhibit on laundry. You wouldn't think pioneer-and-beyond laundry to be an interesting subject, but the exhibit led you through a progression of machines, and a history of the people who had laundry services for the town, that made the early days of Hood River really come to life. The permanent exhibits were also well done. This is not just a small-town, slap a few pictures and descriptions on pasteboard kind of museum. Check it out!

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.

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?

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.

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.

Maryhill Museum is smart, striking, and unlike anything else in the region. It's what happens when…read morecuration meets conviction. It doesn't beg for attention. It always earns it. From Rodin to royal archives to Pacific Northwest grit, the collection balances intellect & instinct with unsettling precision. The current light exhibit is not a display. It's an argument. Controlled, deliberate, & designed to reframe what you thought light was for. Nothing here is passive. Every piece is representative of a decision. Perched above the Columbia River like it knows exactly what it is, Maryhill doesn't need to shout. It speaks clearly. And that is far rarer. If you're looking for art that makes you think and helps you grow, this isn't a detour. This is a destination.

Wonderful, unique exhibits! Very friendly, helpful staff. Loved the fashion designer collections…read moreand the back-stories of them. Since the museum has such a wonderful exhibit of chess sets the gift shop should perhaps make an investments and stock a couple of chess sets that are interesting.

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.

Great air museum at the Madras airport. Lots of air worthy WW2 aircraft and artifacts…read more Very clean and orig sized and AC on a hot day!

What a find!!!! Such history! This is worth a detour or even a special trip if you like airplanes…read moreor war history. Wow! We went on a weekday and had the whole place to ourselves. All of these planes (and there are a LOT of planes) are in flying condition and they take them out and fly them on occasion. If your schedule if flexible, give them a call to see when they will be flying and maybe you can witness that spectacle! Anyway, allow a couple of hours to go through the museum and be sure to read all the signage and displays. Wonderfully curated!!!