A Diverse Display of Vertebra Paleontology in North East Tennessee
From the 5-million-year-old fossils of the Gray Fossil Site to the Hands On! Discovery Center's interactive science and art exhibits, we have something for everyone! Including:
- Gray Fossil Site Paleontology Hall
- The Ice Age at Saltville
- Fossil Preparation Lab
- Collections Room
- Fossil Site Viewing Deck
- Archaeology in Northeast Tennessee
- Paleo Tours
The Gray Fossil Site & Museum exhibits also share facilities with their partner museum
Hands-On Discovery Center. See their website here for more on their exhibits and offerings.
Gray Fossil Site Paleontology Hall
Step back in time 5 million years and discover the past while exploring the science of fossils and paleontology. Get a glimpse into the processes, tools, and technology used to unearth fossils right in our own backyard at the Gray Fossil Site. See replicas of extinct animals found on site, explore deeper with computer animated games and challenges, and even dig in a faux dig pit.
The Paleontology Hall provides visitors with a glimpse into the 5-million-year-old
forests of East Tennessee. Greeted with a film discussing the unlikely discovery of
the Gray Fossil Site by Tennessee Department of Transportation contractors in 2000,
visitors will travel back in time, experiencing an ancient ecosystem filled with tapirs,
alligators, rhinos, camels, elephants, saber-toothed cats, and even red pandas!
Filled with interactive exhibits, a dig pit, and touch-screen computer games, there is something for all ages to enjoy while learning about the prehistoric past of this region.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum - 1st Floor
The Ice Age at Saltville
An hour and a half north of Gray, in the Saltville Valley of Virginia, our paleontologists spend a few weeks each summer excavating Ice Age fossils. These remains are only 10,000-40,000 years old, from a time period with a cooler climate than today. Being able to study both Saltville and the Gray Fossil Site allows our scientists to explore how the Appalachian region has changed over time.
In this exhibit, visitors can get a glimpse at the ecosystem our paleontologists uncover in Saltville. The fossils in these display cases come from mammoths, mastodons, dire wolves, ground sloths, giant short-faced bears, and more. Some of these animals are the much younger cousins of species from the Gray Fossil Site.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum - 1st Floor
Fossil Preparation Lab
After fossils are excavated outside, they come inside to the fossil preparation lab. Here, our paleontologists set to work preserving the fossils. On the second floor of the museum, visitors can peek into the windows of the lab and look in on what the crew is doing.
On the tables around the lab, visitors will see the various tools and materials used to clean, reassemble, and strengthen the fossils to prepare them for storage and research. Also on these tables are the fossils themselves: the bones of mastodons, tapirs, rhinos, and more, partway through the preparation process.
The people that work in this room are a combination of museum staff, university students, and volunteers. Museum guests can hear a detailed description of the work done in the lab by joining the Paleo Tours that are offered throughout each day.
For more information about the lab work done by ETSU and museum staff see here.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum - 2nd Floor
Collections Room
Once our fossils have been preserved and reassembled, they go to their new permanent home in the collections room. Here, fossils are labelled, organized, and distributed among the cabinets and shelves around the room. From the windows, visitors can look in on a room filled with more than 30,000 cataloged fossils from the Gray Fossil Site and other fossil localities from the Appalachian region.
The crew in the collections room work diligently to catalog the fossils with all the appropriate information that will be needed by researchers who come here to study them. Also frequently spotted in this room are the researchers themselves, professors and students in the process of identifying, describing, and interpreting fossil remains.
The people that work in this room are a combination of museum staff, university students, and volunteers. Museum guests can hear a detailed description of the work done in collections by joining the Paleo Tours that are offered throughout each day.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum - 2nd Floor
Fossil Site Viewing Deck
The Gray Fossil Site is a roughly five-acre deposit of ancient dark clay full of five-million-year-old fossils. The site’s location here in town not only makes it a convenient and accessible place for scientific work, but also an incredible place for the public to visit.
From the deck behind the museum, visitors can look out at the excavation pits that our paleontologists have opened over the years. During the dig season (generally May-October), the field crew is outside actively digging up the remains of tapirs, rhinos, mastodons, and more. Out on the site, the field crew also collects bags of sediment and washes them over screens to clear away the clay and reveal the smallest fossils. Museum guests can even get an up-close view of the operation by joining the Paleo Tours that are offered throughout each day.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum- 2nd Floor Outside Walkway
Archaeology in Northeast Tennessee
The Archaeology Exhibit showcases artifacts from the rich history of human habitation
in Appalachia. In the Early Native American People in East Tennessee, visitors can
view the Objects from Everyday Life and A Vibrant Crossroad collections and learn
about the history of use and trade of cultural artifacts by regional Native Americans.
The nearby gallery wall features photos from local archaeological excavations that
have involved staff and students from the ETSU Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Exhibit Location: Gray Fossil Site Museum- 2nd Floor
Paleo Tours
With the 5-million-year-old fossils of the Gray Fossil Site right in our backyard, our museum is home to an incredible paleontological operation. On the Paleo Tour, visitors are guided through the steps of that process, learning along the way about the hard work and research that goes into discovering, preserving, and researching the amazing fossils of this ancient Appalachian ecosystem.
On the tour, you’ll follow the guide out onto the fossil site itself to see what the dig crew has been working on in the excavation pits. Then, you’ll come back inside to learn about the work being done in the fossil preparation lab and collections room. With new discoveries being made all the time, there’s always something new to learn about!
Paleo Tours are offered each day at 9:30, 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30.