Sternberg Museum of Natural History
2405 Vine St, Hays, KS
Hays, KS
The famous fish-within-a-fish fossil and towering sea reptiles show what Kansas looked like when it lay beneath a warm inland ocean.
The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays holds one of the finest collections of Cretaceous marine fossils in the world, drawn largely from the chalk beds of western Kansas. Tens of millions of years ago this part of the continent lay beneath a warm inland sea, and the creatures that swam and sank in it, giant fish, toothy marine reptiles, flying reptiles, and more, were preserved in the soft chalk that erosion later exposed.
The museum's most famous treasure is the fish-within-a-fish, a large predatory fish that died shortly after swallowing a smaller fish whole, both fossilized together in a single dramatic specimen. It stands as a signature of the collection and a vivid window into the deep past, telling visitors that where wheat fields now roll, an ocean once teemed with life.
What Guests Love
- The renowned fish-within-a-fish fossil, a large fish that died with a smaller fish inside it
- Giant marine reptiles and other creatures from the ancient sea that once covered Kansas
- A walk-through diorama of the Cretaceous world, popular with kids
- Learning that western Kansas was once an ocean floor, right where the fossils were dug
Worth Knowing
- The museum is family friendly and works well for a range of ages
- It makes an easy, engaging break from a long Interstate 70 drive
- Plan a couple of hours to see the fossil halls and exhibits
- It pairs naturally with nearby Fort Hays for a fuller day of western Kansas history
Details
Hays, KS
Learn about Sternberg Museum of Natural History
The Sternberg fossil-hunting legacy
The museum is named for the Sternberg family, whose members were among the most accomplished fossil hunters in American history. Working the chalk badlands of western Kansas and sites far beyond, they collected specimens that ended up in museums around the world, and their skill and persistence built a foundation of Great Plains paleontology.
That legacy lives on in the museum at Fort Hays State University, which has grown into a leading natural history institution. Its collections continue to draw researchers, and its public galleries turn the region's fossil riches into a story anyone can follow, from the ancient sea to the modern High Plains.
The sea that covered Kansas
During the Cretaceous period, a vast shallow sea known as the Western Interior Seaway split the continent, and western Kansas lay near its center. The sea swarmed with life: enormous fish, long-necked plesiosaurs, powerful mosasaurs, sea turtles, and, overhead, the flying reptiles called pterosaurs. When these animals died, many settled into the fine lime mud that hardened into chalk.
Erosion over the ages later cut into those chalk beds, exposing the fossils in the badlands and bluffs of western Kansas. The museum's marine reptiles and fishes, including the celebrated fish-within-a-fish, come largely from this landscape, so the specimens on display were dug from the same country visitors drive through to reach Hays.
Walking into the Cretaceous
Beyond the mounted skeletons and specimens, the museum is known for immersive exhibits that bring the ancient world to life, including a walk-through Cretaceous diorama with life-size recreations that especially delight younger visitors. Additional galleries explore other aspects of natural history and the living world.
The combination of world-class fossils and engaging, family-friendly presentation makes the Sternberg a standout stop. It is the kind of museum that can turn a rest break off the interstate into one of the more memorable parts of a Kansas trip.
Hays and western Kansas
Hays is a lively regional center and home to Fort Hays State University, giving the town a mix of college energy and High Plains practicality along Interstate 70. Its history reaches back to the frontier fort that gave it its name, and the nearby Fort Hays State Historic Site preserves that era of soldiers, cattle drives, and railroad expansion.
The surrounding land was long the range of Plains nations, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, who followed the bison across the western Kansas grasslands, and the Pawnee to the northeast. That deep human history, set against a landscape that was once an ocean floor, gives the region an unusually long and layered story.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Evergreen Inn Motel & RV Park
Honorable Mention20001 W. US Highway 54, Pratt, KS
91 miles away|Learn More ›
Prairie Lodge Motel
Honorable Mention1219 Old US Highway 56, Council Grove, KS
153 miles away|Learn More ›
Things to Do Near Hays
Fort Hays State Historic Site
About 3 miles
Preserved buildings of a frontier Army post that guarded travelers and railroad crews on the western Kansas plains.
Downtown Hays
About 2 miles
A historic downtown with dining, shops, and the college-town energy of Fort Hays State University.
Monument Rocks
About 60 miles southwest
Towering chalk formations rising from the plains, made of the same Cretaceous sea deposits as the museum's fossils.
Cathedral of the Plains
About 15 miles east, in Victoria
A grand limestone church built by German-Russian immigrant settlers, one of the landmarks of the region.