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The Flint Hills Discovery Center is a municipal heritage and science center located in the city of Manhattan, Kansas. Featured within the facility are exhibits detailing local history and preservation of the Flint Hills, an immersive 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.

Mission statement

 * "The Flint Hills Discovery Center inspires people to celebrate, explore, and care for the Flint Hills"

The Flint Hills Discovery Center promotes education on the preservation of the Flint Hills and surrounding tall grass praire. The facility intends to be a region wide attraction, benefitting the area educationally and economically through outreach programs and serving as a gathering place for the community and area to drive interest in touring the area.

Exhibits
The Flint Hills Discovery Center features numerous exhibits in various forms. These exhibits are arranged in nine topical zones. On the main floor, exhibits flow with chronological order but visitors are welcomed to view them in any order. Much of the exhibit space was designed and implemented by Hilferty and Associates of Athens, Ohio and Split Rock of St. Paul, Minnesota.

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 praire - details on biological diversity on the grasslands and how local flora and fauna 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 developement 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 Prarie: Tides of Time
Located on the first floor, Tallgrass Prarie: Tides of Time is an immersive theater featuring a commentaried video outlining the primary mission of the facility. Certain special effects are incorporated into the theater to give the audience an elevated sensory immersion. Donna Lawrence Productions of Louisville, Kentucky produced the film.

Second floor exhibit zones

 * Stepping Into the Praire - a specialized interactive playground for youth and parents, with a tunnel that offers an underground experience, multiple interactive exhibits and a workshop area with engaging activities for parents and their children.


 * Science in Kansas - a temporary exhibit with a focus in ongoing energy, agricultural and climate change research. The exhibit is a product of Flint Hills Design, in collaboration with the Kauffman Museum of Bethel College. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation through the Kansas NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The space will rotate exhibits every eighteen months.

Temporary exhibition gallery
Also located on the second floor, the temporary exhibition gallery features four month, rotating exhibits that expand on exhibits from the first floor with a primary focus on the areas of the environment, ecology and culture.

Forces, the current exhibit, focuses on the settlement and foundation of the Manhattan area. Featured within the exhibit are artifacts loaned from Kansas State University, Fort Riley, and the Riley County Museum. The exhibit showcases the roles of the three entities and their impact on the developement, structure and culture of the Manhattan area between 1853 and 1917.