While the Denver Museum of Nature & Science continues to operate at 25 percent to help slow the spread of COVID-19, it will offer temporary exhibitions, special events, virtual programs, direct-ship science experiments, and dozens of educational programs for curious minds of all ages. Below are highlights for the coming year. Reservations and a complete list of offerings are at dmns.org. Schedules subject to change.
TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
🦖 SUE: The T. rex Experience, Feb. 12 – April 25
Step into the world of SUE: The T. rex Experience to uncover the mysteries about this fearsome dinosaur.
Stand between two titans with full-scale casts of SUE and T. rex 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 your senses to take in SUE’s world. Watch SUE tromp through the Late Cretaceous forest, feel the texture of dinosaur skin, and hear the rumble of a T. rex. See 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 in this immersive experience for visitors of all ages at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. SUE can't wait to eat, er, meet you.
⏳Stonehenge, March 12 – Sept. 6
Explore where, when, why, and perhaps most intriguing, how Stonehenge was built.
After centuries of speculation, we are finally forming an understanding of Stonehenge thanks to archaeological excavations and advances in scientific techniques. Evidence from Stonehenge itself, along with remains from its surrounding landscape shed light on the people who constructed one of the most world’s most famous monuments.
The people who built the first Stonehenge 4,500–5,000 years ago were among Britain’s earliest farmers, living in the sacred Salisbury Plain. The Stonehenge that stands today was built an estimated 500 years later around 2500 BCE. While there are many known henges—or monuments—what makes this second iteration of Stonehenge unique is that most of its stones were brought from Wales, which lies 150 miles to the west.
Immerse yourself in Stonehenge’s story – one of change and evolution – through hundreds of artifacts and modern science.
🔢 Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze, June 4 – Sept. 19
“Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze” is an immersive experience about math that’s hardly by the numbers. The exhibition beautifully illustrates how patterns surround us in nature. They form the veins in a leaf, the spiral of a nautilus and the spots on a giraffe. The key to unlocking these patterns is math. Guests enjoy fun hands-on activities to spot patterns in music, art, architecture and even their own bodies. The centerpiece of this math lesson is a giant mirror maze — a sea of equilateral triangle chambers that feel as if you’ve stepped into a kaleidoscope. The maze itself is a pattern, combining repetition, symmetry and tessellation. “Numbers in Nature” adds up to a wonderful new way to look at the world around you!
🎸 Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World, Fall 2021 – Spring 2022
“GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World” takes you on a fascinating exploration of the science, sound, history and pop culture behind the world’s most popular instrument.
The exhibition celebrates many facets of this iconic instrument, from its origin and continued evolution to the music it creates and the cultural impact it has. Explore STEAM concepts like sound waves, frequency, mathematical scales, engineering, and more through a wide range of hands-on experiences.
Take in the exhibition’s collection of more than 70 instruments—ranging from the rare and antique to the wildly popular and innovative. And don’t miss your chance to strum the world’s largest playable guitar, measuring in at 43.5 feet long and certified by the Guinness Book of World Records!
🎥 PHIPPS IMAX® THEATER
Beginning Friday, Jan. 15, Phipps IMAX Theater will reopen with limited capacity and an exciting line up of films. For schedule and tickets, visit https://www.dmns.org/visit/imax/.
🐠 Hidden Pacific 3D, Jan. 15 – March 11
Travel to the Pacific Ocean and explore the Palmyra Atoll, Midway Atoll, and Rose Atoll, leaving you with a deeply felt appreciation for these extraordinary places and their critical role in the overall health of our Earth home.
🗻 Into America’s Wild 3D, Jan. 15 – March 11
Take a cross-country journey to some of the most beautiful but undiscovered landscapes of America, from the lush coastline of Oregon and the wilds of Alaska to the ancient canyons of the Southwest and the rolling hills of the Appalachian Trail.
🐶 Superpower Dogs 3d, Jan. 15 – March 11
This award-winning documentary is an inspiring IMAX® adventure highlighting the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world’s most amazing dogs. Chris Evans (known for his role as Captain America in the Marvel Avengers films) narrates the film.
