6 Places for Kids to See Dinosaurs & Fossils in Kansas

Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park, KS

If you’ve got dino lovers in your house, then make sure to put these 6 Kansas attractions on your family’s bucket list! Some are in Wichita (or nearby) while others are an easy day trip to visit.

Where to See Fossils & Dinosaurs in Kansas

Museum of World Treasures in Wichita KS

Learn more about the way the dinosaurs lived from the fossilized skeletons of Ivan the Tyrannosaurus-rex, Cutie the Daspletosaurus, and Ed the Edmontosaurus, along with a number of other pre-historic specimens. The exhibit also includes a fossil and cast touching station, as well as a case demonstrating how casts and molds of fossilized bones are created. You can also look at fossilized sea creatures of the plains and remnants of the Cenozoic Era.

Also available for homeschool field trips, summer camps, and birthday parties!

Kids under 3: FREE
Kids 4-12: $7.95
Adults: $9.95
Adults 65+: $8.95
Family Day Pass (2adults/2kids): $32.95

Field Station: Dinosaurs in Derby KS

Field Station: Dinosaurs in Derby KS

Spend the day with dinosaurs! This outdoor exhibit boasts over 40 life-sized dinos – walk the paths to learn all about them. Admission also includes Jurassic Golf, live shows, Raptor Maze, Paleo Playground, and Fossil Dig.

Also available for campouts & birthday parties!

Kids 1 & Under: FREE
Kids 2-11: $13.75
Ages12 & Up: $16.75
Golf Only: $7

Sternberg Museum in Hays KS

The Sternberg Museum of Natural History advances an appreciation and understanding of Earth’s natural history and the evolutionary forces that impact it. 

The Fossil Gallery not only holds their popular Fish-within-a-fish specimen, but it also holds both of Kansas’ state fossils, the Tylosaurus and Pteranodon. A majority of the fossils are in Kansas, giving you an idea of what kind of environment the Great Plains looked like so long ago.

The Ice Age Hall displays prehistoric mammals as well as some modern mammals. During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Earth’s climate was undertaking some major changes. With dropping temperatures and more water turning into ice, the flora and fauna had to adjust to the new environment.

Adults (age 13-59): $10
Youths (age 4-12): $7 
Kids 3 & Under: FREE
Senior Citizens (60+): $9 

KU Biodiversity & Natural History Institute in Lawrence KS

Explore the life of the planet at the KU Natural History Museum with four floors of fascinating exhibits, from minute microbes to our 45-foot-long mosasaur, the famous Panorama and much more.

Explore the many fossils on display to learn more about mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, Xiphactinus and other Cretaceous period animals. You can touch the fossilized femur of Camarasaurus, learn about the evolution of plants, discover invertebrate fossils, see our T. rex, the Kansas dinosaur Silvisaurus, mammoths and more.

Adults: $7
Kids: $4

Dinosaurs & Fossils
Museum at Prairiefire Paleontology exhibit for kids.

Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park KS

Step into the ancient world and interact with a creature from the past in ALIVE!, a one-of-a-kind Augmented Reality experience—no tickets required. Learn myth-busting facts about T. Rex, Velociraptor and even a Kansas Pteranodon.

You’ll also discover the Real Story of T. Rex! See and learn about the first Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered and find out what scientists know now about this amazing creature. Meet Barnum Brown, the boy from  Kansas who discovered the first Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Their Kansas City Natural History  exhibit invites you to go back in time ago to see the fascinating fossil remains when Kansas City’s home was on the paleoequator. This engaging exhibit brings to life the oceans, rain forests, palm trees, giant ferns, mastodons, and mammoths!

Entrance to the building, the Innovation Zone, the Great Hall, and the AR (augmented reality) experience are free and available to the public with no reservations required. Due to safety measures, all Virtual Realities are temporarily closed. General Admission Tickets may be purchased online or inside at the Welcome Desk.

Seniors: $5.00
Adults: $5.00
Children (ages 3-12): $5.00
Children 3 & Under: FREE
Veterans: FREE

Fick Museum in Oakley KS

The Fick Fossil and History Museum in Oakley, Kansas shares a building with the Oakley community library. The Fick Museum is free (donations) and has a number of interesting large dinosaur fossils from Kansas, many old tools, mineral specimens, and shell & mineral folk art. 

Admission: FREE

Click here to see where to take kids hunting for your own
fossils & shells in Kansas!

Erin Bartel
Erin is a marketing consultant in Wichita KS. She spends her days helping local businesses and non-profits navigate the ever-changing waters of digital marketing and homeschooling her kids. She and her daughter also own Sassy Squid Ink, an imprint designing notebooks, journals, and sketchbooks. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of 2, Erin's hobbies include bribing herself to exercise, traveling with (and without) her family, and trying to remember where she hid the chocolate.

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