Hi-Desert Nature Museum building with roses in the front
Happy Thanksgiving text surrounded by a yellow background and orange and white pumpkins

HOLIDAY CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT

In accordance with the Town of Yucca Valley’s holiday schedule, the Hi-Desert Nature Museum will be closed on Thursday, November 28, 2024 and Friday, November 29, 2024.  We will reopen with normal business hours on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

Upcoming Events

Second Saturday STEM Workshops - Join us at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum every 2nd Saturday of the month to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects designed for children ages 9-14. $10 per workshop 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Space is limited so be sure to register early. Check our website for more information at www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org.

Join us at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum every 2nd Saturday of the month to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects designed for children ages 9-14.  Each workshop will focus on a different topic and project.  The next workshop will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

Every two-hour workshop runs from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is led by HDNM Education & Engagement Coordinator Zach Fleming-Boyles.

Workshops are $10 each and pre-registration is required.  Same day registration is available if spots are available.  Click on the “See All Events” tab to register!

This event is free, and registration is not required.  

Abuelita's Kitchen Mexican Food Stories Documentary Screening and Food Tasting Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. Two women are in their kitchens, one stirring mole and the other carrying a plate of food.

The Hi-Desert Nature Museum is pleased to welcome Sarah Portnoy, Filmmaker and Professor of Food Studies and Food Justice in the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at University of Southern California for a screening of Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories.

Ms. Portnoy will be available during a Question & Answer session following the screening.  She will be joined by an abuelita from the documentary (TBA), who will be providing a food tasting of traditional Mexican food dishes.

This free event does not require registration; however, space is limited.

What's On Display

Abuelita's Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories

On Display September 21 - December 14, 2024

Hi-Desert Nature Museum is pleased to present Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories, a temporary exhibit exploring the impact of Mexican and Mexican-American women to the culture of Southern California through the traditional dishes they pass on to their families and communities. The exhibit features 10 indigenous, mestiza, Mexican-American, and Afro-Mexican grandmothers who have cooked, preserved, and passed on Mexican food culture while creating communities and cultures that are unique to Southern California.

Through a documentary film, audio stories, photographs, kitchen artifacts, and family recipes, this exhibit reveals each abuela’s unique relationship to Mexican cuisine, their birthplaces in Mexico, and their current homes in California.

Exhibition Support
Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories was developed by USC professor Sarah
Portnoy with support from California Humanities and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. The exhibition tours through Exhibit Envoy, a nonprofit.

Ana Guzman stirs a pot in her kitchen
Blanca Matias laughs as she holds tamales

Spotlight on Geology

Our new geology spotlight highlights local rocks, gems, and minerals as well as geological processes.  How does wood become petrified?  What is a speleothem?  Where can I find a sand concretion?  The answers to those questions and more can be found in our new spotlight.

Spotlight on Geology will be on display November 2023 until September 30, 2024.

Cut piece of petrified wood

Our Giant Rock: A Touchstone in the Mojave

Our Giant Rock: A Touchstone is an interactive touchscreen exhibit that encourages visitors to discover and explore the nuances that make Giant Rock a unique and cherished Morongo Basin landmark. Giant Rock is most notoriously known for the ‘giant’ personalities who lived near and even under it. However, it has also served as an intermediary for certain stories and events.  The exhibit provides a series of interpretive narratives explaining these nuances while incorporating some never-before-seen images, documents, publications, and videos which help illustrate Giant Rock’s history.

This exhibit is made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A giant rock spliced into two pieces
Image of a computer screen showing the Our Giant Rock digital exhibit
A man and woman stand looking at a map and computer screen

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