Ground breaking for the education annex at the Gray Fossil Site began early March 2010. Our team of paleontologists monitored the ground moving process to keep an eye out for the discovery of more fossils. Dr. Wallace stated there were no major finds during this stage of construction.
Children and adults alike will have the opportunity to learn about natural history in an exciting and engaging environment with the new 7,000-square foot annex. The building will feature a rooftop outdoor classroom with a weather monitoring station, a cafe, an indoor wet lab, and a second outdoor classroom.
Active fossil preparation lab and research collections facilities on location: Availabile To Other Institutions
If you're curious about the fossil site and want to learn more, the Gray Fossil Site Patch Program is for you! Participants will dig out on the spoil piles, go behind the scenes in the Lab and Collections, excavate a plaster jacket in miniature, create a fossil cast, make a sinkhole in a cup, create their own trace fossils, and more! This program is open for participants in grades 1-3 and 4-6, and costs $10. The cost of the program includes a collectible Gray Fossil Site patch in your choice of either Tapir or Red Panda. The cost for adults who wish to participate in the program alongside their children is $5.
Please call museum office for available dates and times before submitting form. Contact Emily Monroe, 423-439-3640. We also do Overnight Birthday Parties!
The 2011 Teacher In-Services focus on the science of the Gray Fossil Site by guiding you through various activities, teaching you about the history and discovery of the site, and helping you learn more about what makes our site special and unique. Activities will include an Introductory Presentation, Tour of the Museum Exhibits, a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Preparation Lab and the Collections Range, Wet Screening on the Fossil Site, Gray Fossil Site Sediment Picking, Surveying, Digging on the Spoil Piles, Casting, Sample Classroom Activities, and Feedback and Evaluation. Throughout the day we will focus on the activities that bring the fossils all the way from the site to you as a museum visitor. If you ever plan a visit to the museum in the future with your class or your family, your behind-the-scenes knowledge will be a great asset. *We will pay special attention to the ways that a fieldtrip to the museum correlates with the Tennesse Science Standards and the National Science Standards
Gray Fossil Museum Shop is your place for official Gray Fossil Museum clothing and gifts.
ETSU’s Natural History Museum & Visitor Center introduces visitors to the 5-million year old Gray Fossil Site, discovered in 2000 by TDOT highway crews. The museum offers tours of an ongoing fossil dig, interactive exhibits, and education programs for people of all ages. The museum also features temporary traveling exhibits that change three times a year and is open daily 8:30 am until 5 pm except for 3 major holidays: Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving Day. For more information, visit www.grayfossilmusem.com or call toll-free 1-866-202-6223.
Pleistocene fossils from Saltville, Va and late Miocene Fossils from Gray Fossil Site, TN.
Permanent and temporary exhibitions, teacher workshops, fossil site tours, summer camps, scout badge programs, educators guide, lectures
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