The exhibits open to the public are on the third through the sixth floors of Dyche Hall on the University of Kansas. Walking up the stairs into the main entrance placed us on the fourth floor. A handicap entrance is just to the right of the main entrance, very close to the elevator. Students man the museum entry, offering to make change if needed for the recommended $4 donation for admission. Money is dropped in a fishbowl that sits on the entrance desk.
The fourth floor is the panorama of North American plants and animals, starting with the tropical areas on one side of the door all the way around the room to the artic areas on the other side of the door. Each section is well labeled so that varieties of animals can be easily identified. My dad and I spent more time in front of the section most similar to Kansas as the animals and plants were known to us.
The fifth floor displayed a dinosaur that had been discovered in Wyoming. Snippets of information on this particular beast and the skeleton discovery set in the display. In order to complete the display, some of the bones were artificially made, but could be easily distinguished from the real bones.
Along the back wall of the sixth floor was an open view of the panorama on the fourth floor. The remaining displays on this floor focused on Kansas birds, mammals, and reptiles. My dad watches birds, so was fascinated with the full display of birds found in Kansas. He quickly identified the breeds that frequent his bird feeders and shared stories on their eating habits. I had not realized the variations in skunk breeds in Kansas and did not know that that mixed breed of a dog and coyote was officially called a coydog (usually a female dog and male coyote). I liked the snake display, including live snakes, but my wife quickly walked by this section.
The sixth floor also hosts a live bees hive with a tube allowing the bees entrance and exit to the hive. The bees coming into the hive use the bottom of the tube and bees leaving the hive travel along the top of the tube. A camera inside the hive records the activity and displays it on the television next to the hive.
My favorite section was the third floor with all fossil dinosaurs, invertebrates, ancient birds, mammals, reptiles, and fishes. During the pre-historic eras, Kansas was underwater. Fossils have been preserved in the limestone and as recovered, are displayed in the museum. The mammoth display was awesome. I also liked the display explaining how the fossils were found in the limestone.
Several times we almost tripped on students who were sitting on the floor. Some art class must have had an animal assignment as plenty of students were at the museum drawing various animals or birds. Some of the artwork was pretty good!