The Flint Hills Discovery Center is a

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physica ...

and science center located in the city of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. Featured within the facility are exhibits detailing local history and preservation of the

Flint Hills The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of ...

, a theater, a specialized interactive playground for youth and parents, and a temporary exhibition gallery. The facility also promotes various educational outreach programs for youth and adults and serves as a venue for special events.

Exhibits

The Flint Hills Discovery Center features exhibits that explore the ecology, history, and culture of the

in Kansas and Oklahoma. It also hosts traveling and temporary exhibits on related themes. The permanent exhibits are arranged in nine topical zones including an immersive theater experience.

Main floor exhibits zones

*''Shaping Winds and Water'' - a brief overview of the geologic formation of the area and the eventual formation of the grasslands. *''Blowing Winds in a Tallgrass prairie'' - details on biological diversity on the grasslands and how local

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

contribute to the area. *''The Underground Forest'' - details on the biologic diversity within the soils, how soils come to be and how they are maintained. *''Winds of the Past'' - an overview of native North American settlers and their interaction with the Flint Hills region over time. *''Where the Air is so Pure'' - an overview on the impact of European immigrants, the displacement and relocation of the native North Americans, and the increased land development for cattle ranching. *''Voices of the Flint Hills'' - a videographic editorial of the opinions from area citizens on numerous subjects including water use, wind power, controlled burning, and cultural inspiration within the region.

''Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time''

*The Horizon Ranch Flint Hills Immersive Experience Theater is an immersive theater that features ''Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time'' a short introductory film that highlights the ecology, history, and culture of the Flint Hills. The film includes

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wo ...

to give the audience an elevated sensory

immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux#Immersion, Léo Quievreux * Immersion (album), ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian gro ...

Second floor exhibit zones

*''Prairie Playscape'' - a specialized interactive playground for youth and parents that was renovated in 2022. It offers multiple interactive exhibits in three themed areas - exploring the land, working the land, and sharing the land.

Tallgrass Gallery

*The Tallgrass Gallery is a 2,000 square foot exhibition space that hosts a variety of traveling and in-house produced exhibits.

Prairie Garden Terrace and Trail

*An outdoor exhibit highlighting unique building and landscape features as well as topics important to the Flint Hills.

Annual Events

The Discovery Center hosts several annual events throughout the year *

Kansas Day Kansas Day is a holiday in the state of Kansas in the United States. It is celebrated annually on January 29 to commemorate the anniversary of the state's 1861 admission to the Union. It was first celebrated in 1877 by schoolchildren in Paola. ...

- a celebration of Kansas on January 29 *Flint Hills Festival - festival focusing on the history, culture, and resources of the Flint Hills *National Day of the Cowboy - celebration of the cowboy held on the fourth Saturday of July *Community Day - free day held in August *Breakfast with Santa - holiday event celebrated the first two Saturdays in December *Family New Year's Eve - family friendly new year celebration on December 31

References

External links

Official websiteFHDC in the City of Manhattan
{{authority control Museums established in 2012 Museums in Riley County, Kansas Science museums in Kansas Manhattan, Kansas Nature centers in Kansas Natural history museums in Kansas