Spring Break: Columbia Gorge Discovery Center Free for Kids

Looking for a great family outing during Spring Break? Visit the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. Kids through high school age receive free museum admission during Oregon and Washington Spring Break with paid adult admission from March 25 through April 23.

Enjoy the Kids Explorer room craft activities, and a fun scavenger hunt through the hands-on, multi-media museum exhibits that illuminate the cultural and natural history of the Gorge. Enjoy the wildflowers on the hiking trails and be wowed by the raptors in a live presentation.

Children (and adults) will learn and have fun at the same time learning about Ice Age geology, Lewis and Clark, Native American culture, the Oregon Trail, the Historic Columbia River Highway, renewable energy, and more. View the newest exhibit, “A Community Forgotten: Uncovering the Story of The Dalles Chinatown.”

Enjoy a tasty lunch from the Basalt Rock Café 11 am. To 2 p.m. and stop by the Columbia River Trading Co. museum store.

Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum is the official interpretive center for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.  The museum is wheel-chair and stroller accessible. A paved nature trail circles the pond next to the museum, where you have the chance to see beaver activity, raptors and blooming wildflowers. Take the Riverfront Trail for miles of hiking and biking along the Columbia River.

Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is located off I-84 exit 82, at 5000 Discovery Drive, The Dalles, Oregon, 97058.  The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, phone (541) 296-8600 ext. 201, or visit http://www.gorgediscovery.org.

Information courtesy Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

Top 10 True West Western Museums for 2016 Announced

Hundreds of museums celebrate the American West (including more than a few east of the Mississippi). But which ones stand out?

True West magazine’s September 2016 issue has the answer in the feature “The Top 10 Western Museums,” on newsstands August 09, 2016.

For a dozen years, True West magazine has recognized the best Western museums in America for their dedication to their mission of keeping the Old West alive in our communities and nation.

I recently visited one of the top ten True West Western Museums for 2016, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum in The Dalles, Oregon. They were recognized for their superior exhibitions and ability to reach all generations through their creativity in interpreting the West while fulfilling their institution’s mission.

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum is honored for its extraordinary exhibitions and dedication to local and regional history. The museum has partnered with Nevada State Museum to display the traveling exhibit “John C. Frémont: Pathfinder of the West.”

Spur Award-winning writer Candy Moulton and the editors of True West picked the winners for this annual award based on the extraordinary efforts of the museums over the past year to create and host new temporary exhibits, as well as maintain dynamic permanent exhibitions.

The Top 10 True West Western Museums for 2016 include:

10. Autry National Center of the American West, Los Angeles, California

9. Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan, Oklahoma

8. Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, Oregon

7. Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Heritage Center, Toppenish, Washington 

6. Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada 

5. Days of ’76 Museum, Deadwood, South Dakota 

4. Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, Houston, Texas

3. Cody Firearms Museum, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming 

2. Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas

1. Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Kansas

True West magazine is in its 63rd year of leading the way in presenting the true stories of Old West adventure, history, culture and preservation. For subscriptions and more information, visit http://www.twmag.com or call 888-687- 1881.

When You Go
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum is located at 5000 Discovery Drive, The Dalles, Oregon. For more information call 541-296-8600 or visit http://www.gorgediscovery.org.