Best Kept Secret: The Oakes Museum

I was reminded over the weekend of one of the best kept secrets in Central Pennsylvania---The Oakes Museum, located on the campus of Messiah College. The Oakes Museum is a 10,000-square-foot museum of natural history. Here are just a few things you can see when you visit:

• A featured exhibit of the museum is the 200-specimen collection of African mammals—the largest collection of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania—featuring 75 full mounts, including an elephant, hippopotamus, zebra, giraffe and forest nyala.
• With more than 17,000 eggs and 200 bird nests, The Oakes Museum houses the largest collection of bird eggs in Pennsylvania.
• The newest additions to the museum are an alligator from S. Florida and a crocodile from Zambia.
• A collection of Smithsonian-quality African and North American mammals, bird eggs, fish, seashells, minerals, insects and fossils.
• Most of the mammal specimens came from private collections that were donated to the museum.

The museum is open to the public every 1st, 2nd and 3rd Saturday of the month - 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission Prices: $6.00 - Adults; $3.00 - Children (4 - 12); Sr. Citizens (55+) - $3.00; Children 3 & under are free

If you have never visited the Oakes Museum, I highly suggest you plan a family trip. Kids of all ages will be in awe of seeing a giraffe, warthog, polar bear or hippo up close and personal.

Best Kept Secret: The Oakes Museum

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