During your visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, explore the history exhibits that examine how the ice age affected the Columbia Gorge, early explorers including Lewis and Clark, the unique flora and fauna of the region and its 11,000 years of cultural history. Dining and shopping is offered in Basalt Rock Café and the Columbia River Trading Company. The museum is wheelchair accessible and family friendly.
Exhibits
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center boasts a variety of multi-media exhibits featuring interactive displays. Beginning with the stunning River Gallery, you’ll be enchanted with the award-winning architecture of the museum constructed with stone walls, natural wood, and towering pillars of Douglas Fir. The 40,000 square-foot museum overlooks the scenic vista of the Klickitat Hills and the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
Cargo-Lewis and Clark Expedition
Based on 16 years of research, Cargo, Equipment and Supplies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is a unique exhibit that explores why and how Lewis acquired and packed so much for the journey and how difficult it was to transport the 30 tons of supplies and equipment across the continent on the Corps of Discovery. Experience the expedition as you step inside a canvas tent that provided shelter for up to six men, feel the weight that crew members routinely carried, aim a flintlock rifle or smell the medical herbs used along the trail.
Discovery Center Exhibit
The Discovery Center exhibit wing provides a closer look at the mighty Columbia River which is the source of a unique and spectacular diversity of vegetation, wildlife and ancient ways of life. Discover the role the Ice Age played in populating the Americas. The Center’s Ice Age Exhibit examines why everything reached mammoth proportions during the Ice Age, how and why people migrated during the time and why Ice Age theories are complex and incomplete. Learn about the raging Missoula floods and volcanic upheavals that carved the Columbia Gorge. Exhibits focus on early exploration of the Columbia Gorge, flora and fauna, the Oregon Trail, Native American basketry, river dams and early transportation.
Wasco County Past and Present
This exhibit interprets the history of Wasco County and The Dalles. At the time it was established in 1854, Wasco County was the largest organized county in the nation and the gateway to the interior of western North America. The 130,000 square mile county went from the summit of the Cascade Mountains to the summit of the Rocky Mountains and included eastern Oregon, southern Idaho, western Montana and Wyoming, including areas now a part of Yellowstone National Park. Wasco County was involved in significant events in American history including early missions, the Oregon Trail, Indian wars, the gold rush, and the last competition of the railroad barons. See images of the ancient Celilo Falls, the Columbia River, and explore Wasco County from the mid-1800s through the 20th century, including Fort Dalles, steamboats, salmon canneries, pioneer settlement, agriculture, and saddle leatherworking by the George Lawrence Company.
Raptors of the Gorge
Raptor demonstrations are presented twice daily from Spring through Fall. This is a “live” show with birds of prey on the glove, featuring a variety of raptors found in the Columbia River Gorge which may include eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons. Visitors will learn how birds of prey hunt, their unique characteristics, and other interesting and educational information about these remarkable creatures.
Nature Walk
The 54 acres that surround the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center are teeming with plant and animal life. Stroll along the Center’s paved interpretive trail that winds around a pond framed with cottonwood and willows, leading to a scenic overlook of the Columbia River. From early spring to late fall the grounds are graced with over 100 blooming, indigenous plant species resistant to the dry, windblown environment. Towering pine trees and Oregon white oak provide a rich backdrop to the wildlife that live in the area, including geese, eagles, hawks, herons, raccoons, coyotes, and deer. Historic building replicas and interpretive markers along the trail are keyed to a brochure that will enhance your experience and identify more than 40 plant species on the Native Plant Discovery Trail.
Basalt Rock Café
Enjoy a quick bite or light lunch at Basalt Rock Café Tuesday through Sunday, offering soup, salads and deli sandwiches as well as cold and hot beverages.
Shop the Columbia River Trading Company
Be sure to stop by the Columbia River Trading Company. Gifts and keepsake including the works of local artisans, jewelry, toys and games, Pendleton Woolen Mills products, local food and wines as well as a wide selection of reading materials including guidebooks, DVDs and history books about the unique region are available to purchase.
- The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is wheelchair accessible.
- Stop by the Center’s theater. Featured films play in the theater throughout the day. Check the program schedule when you arrive to plan which films you would like to see.
- Family friendly with a Kids Explorer Room.
- Do not forget your camera. There will be exciting photo opportunities along the Nature Walk and throughout the museum.