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SUE: The T. rex Experience

SUE: The T. rex Experience

September 5, 2020 – January 10, 2021

Step into the world of SUE the T. rex to uncover the mysteries about the life of this fearsome fossil. 

Come between two titans with full-scale casts of SUE and T. rex’s nemesis, Triceratops. Experience a unique multimedia show transporting you to the Cretaceous forest alongside SUE. Learn how the fossil was unearthed and how scientists continue to make discoveries about SUE, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever discovered.

Use all of your senses to take in SUE's world. Take a whiff of their putrid breath, watch SUE tromp through the Late Cretaceous forest, feel the texture of dinosaur skin, and hear the subsonic rumble of a T. rex. See the fossils of animals, plants and dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, and come face-to-face with a full-size, fleshed-out replication of a ferocious T. rex battling the duck-billed herbivore, Edmontosaurus.

Get to know SUE at the Science Center of Iowa, the first stop on the exhibit's North American tour. Get advance tickets for Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and select dates.

SUE can't wait to eat, er, meet you. 

Reserve Advance Tickets

Programs, Events & Promotions

  • Recurring: Storytime with SUE – Join SCI for virtual read-aloud programs designed for our early childhood audiences. Storytime events will be added below as they are scheduled!
  • December 12: Santa-saurus at SCI – Snap a photo with a festively-dressed T. rex while you explore SCI’s decorated exhibits. On Saturday, December 12, “Santa-saurus” will make appearances throughout the morning and afternoon and be available for fun and silly holiday photos (photographer not provided). This family-friendly Santa experience replaces Breakfast with Santa for 2020. No additional tickets are required, but we recommend reserving advance tickets for either 9:00 am-12:00 pm or 1:00-4:00 pm.
  • NYE 2020: Countdown to Extinction 
  • Ready for 2020 to go extinct? Help us send off this *unprecedented* year with activities including a massive “asteroid impact!" Learn more
  • #SelfieWithSUE – Unearth a dino-mite prize pack! Use the hashtags #SelfieWithSUE, #CATCHdsm and #SUEatSCI when posting your selfie to social for a chance to win a one-year SCI membership and $200 Catch Des Moines Visa gift card! Winner will be chosen at random and notified the week of January 11, 2021.
  • Why SUE? Why now?

    "We jumped on this opportunity not only because we know that, no matter your age, we can all gaze at dinosaurs and be instilled with a sense of awe and wonder – but also because it is an exhibit that we felt confident we could open safely amidst this 'new normal' that we are adapting to. As always, our plans during this pandemic are rooted in science." - Curt Simmons, SCI president and CEO

    Learn more about our COVID-19 safety precautions