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Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, KS

Photo: Xerxes2004, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day PickHistory Buff

Flint Hills Discovery Center

315 S 3rd St · Manhattan, KS

Why you should go…

The Flint Hills Discovery Center is a city-run heritage and science museum in downtown Manhattan that opened in April 2012. Exhibits cover how wind and water shaped the hills, the deep root systems of The Underground Forest, and Native American history, and the theater shows Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time with sensory effects. Kids can climb through the Prairie Playscape upstairs, and the Tallgrass Gallery hosts rotating exhibitions.

  • #science museum
  • #tallgrass prairie
  • #kids museum
  • #flint hills

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Flint Hills Discovery Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Museum of Art + Light

    Under $25

    A three-floor downtown museum pairing fine art galleries with Mezmereyz, a huge walk-through room of immersive digital art.

    Right next doorMore like this

  • Stay
    Local Gem

    Manhattan Conference Center

    $50+

    A downtown event center attached to the Hilton Garden Inn, with a grand ballroom and an indoor pool for hotel guests.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Eat & Drink
    Local Gem

    Radina's Bakehouse

    Under $25

    An artisan bakery and coffeehouse in downtown Manhattan baking breads and pastries daily, served with Radina's own roasted coffee.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Holiday Inn Express & Suites Manhattan

    $50+

    A downtown Manhattan hotel with an indoor pool and free hot breakfast, near the Flint Hills Discovery Center.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Wolf House Museum

    Free

    An 1868 limestone boarding house furnished as an 1880s home, with a restored parlor, dining room and bedrooms.

    0.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Free

    Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

    Free

    Kansas State's free art museum, showing regional painters like John Steuart Curry and Birger Sandzen beside traveling shows.

    1.2 mi awayMore like this