The Picture Perfect Prehistoric Road Trip Every Kansan Should Take
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Clarisa
Author
Do you and your family love dinosaurs and ancient creatures? This fabulous field trip filled with fossils is one prehistoric road trip perfect for any age. Bring your friends for a walk through the past on this Kansas trip spanning back millions of years. Let’s get this prehistoric party rolling!
We've started on the East side of Kansas, but feel free to make this trip from either direction or even split it up into multiple days.
First up on our list is the Museum at Prairiefire, which has a rotating dinosaur exhibit we always catch when it's in season. Additionally, their buddy here is on display year-round in the main hall, always with a smile on his face.
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Kansas University has a history museum that holds many treasures, some of them being prehistoric fossils and models from so long ago it's impossible to count accurately. They also host day camps as well as sell museum passports that can be used all over the place, even outside of Kansas.
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Wichita has its own museum, partially hidden by all the hustle and bustle of the city. They have treasures from all eras, but we're here for the giants that once roamed the earth.
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Next up is Rock City, and though there aren't any dinosaurs around, these giant spheres of rock have been cooking for a long time. They used to be part of one huge rock, but that one slowly washed away over years and years of time to reveal these spherical boulders that now cover this area in climbable surfaces. Please, do touch!
One of our favorites, this list wouldn't be complete without the Sternberg Museum. They are the forever home of the famous fish-within-a-fish fossil piece, which I can't imagine was a good look for the larger fish. Imagine getting your dinner and dying right afterwards as you swam away!
There's a lot to see and learn at this museum. Prepare for an experience that both adults and children will love and find fascinating.
There's a lot of rock out here, some rising to 70 feet tall and full of tiny fossils. Though you're not allowed to dig any of the stone yourself, we can watch the fossils come out naturally as the wind and rain erodes it away.
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Last but not least, Keystone Gallery is another great place to see natural Kansas fossils as well as others in many shapes and sizes. If you're wondering why most Kansas museums have aquatic fossils, it's because much of our state was covered in an ocean millions of years ago! Nature is truly amazing.
Here’s a link to the road trip map you see below.
If you’ve already seen all of these wonderful museums, then we’ve got another list for you to browse through, even though it’s not full of prehistoric artifacts.
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