Welcome to Trailside Museum. Here you'll embark on a journey through Nebraska's rich past, exploring the animals who used to call Nebraska home. Then investigate Nebraska's geology and the rock layers across different parts of the state containing fossils and preserving history.
Ice Age Mammals
Learn about the creatures who lived on the great plains during the Ice Age through fossils and other displays in this exhibit.
Clash of the Mammoths
See the unique fossil of two Ice Age bull mammoths that died with tusks lock in combat just 13 miles from Trailside Museum, and learn about the two feuding paleontologists for whom they’re named.
Encounter Center
Young visitors can enjoy hands-on science exploration with a variety of natural history based interactives like a fossil sandbox, coloring tables, and touchable fossil specimens.
What is a Fossil
As you explore this exhibit you will learn what fossils are, about direct and indirect fossil evidence, and what makes a pseudo fossil.
Bone Slabs
Learn about the creatures like the Aletomeryx and Stenomylus preserved as fossils found in bone slabs from a deadly ancient waterhole at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument of Nebraska.
Hidden Prairie
This temporary exhibit explores the diversity of plant and animal life found in one square meter of prairie. Hidden Prairie is inspired by the work of prairie ecologist Chris Helzer.
Rocks & Minerals
View a variety of rocks like agates native to Nebraska as well as other minerals exhibiting natural fluorescence.
Cretaceous Sea
Nebraska was covered by a shallow, warm inland sea from 75 to 100 million years ago. This exhibit shares some of the creatures and geology of that ancient time.
Geology of Western Nebraska
Explore the geology of areas like the Badlands, Pine Ridge, and the White River Valley. The rock layers in these locations contain the fossils and stories of different eras in time.
