Chicago Museum Lets "Dinosaur" Out to Explore Exhibits

Chicago's Field Museum got a special visit from SUE the Dinosaur after closing its doors to the public amidst coronavirus concerns.

By emily belfiore Mar 19, 2020 2:48 PMTags
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It's time for some prehistoric fun!

On Wednesday, the Chicago Field Museum got a visit from an unexpected visitor: SUE the Dinosaur. 

As an effort to keep spirits high after closing its doors to the public amidst coronavirus concerns, the museum's official social media account shared a video of the friendly dino on Twitter, where she can be seen checking out the museum's "Hall of Birds" and thoroughly pursued the exhibit. In fact, her visit was inspired by the Shedd Aquarium's penguin post that recently went viral. In it, a group of penguins were taken on a "field trip" around the aquarium, which is also temporarily closed, to meet the other animals.

"Once SUE heard about the @shedd_aquarium penguins, we really didn't have a choice," the Field Museum's post reads. Paying homage to her aquatic friends, SUE can be seen excitedly running to the penguin part of the exhibit and giving the figurines a sweet wave.  

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In another post, the museum tweeted, "UPDATE: SUE learns birds are avian dinosaurs; demands we update the Museum map to "Hall of B̶i̶r̶d̶s̶ Tiny Theropods." 

As if SUE couldn't get any cuter, she even gave one lucky museum goer a shout-out after learning that they were upset their plans to visit the Field Museum were canceled. "A special wave from SUE to your kiddo," the Field Museum shared, along with a video of the prehistoric pal waving from behind the museum's information desk. "We hope to welcome you in time!" 

Since announcing that it would be closed to public temporarily, the Field Museum has been using social media as a means to connect with fans during this period of social distancing. To encourage families to continue their quest for knowledge, the museum has been bringing the learning fun to Twitter with #MuseumFromHome.

Like the Field Museum, The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has also made staying connected super easy and fun. On Monday, it launched its new Home Safari Facebook Live series, which aims to provide educational entertainment for young animal enthusiasts that have been affected by school closures. For its inaugural episode, fans got some 1-on-1 time with the zoo's most famous resident Fiona the Hippo.

Taking to social media to tease its first Home Safari Facebook Live, the Cincinnati Zoo posted a picture of Fiona in her habitat and wrote, "While the Zoo is closed, we can still help your children's hiatus from school be fun & educational! Join us for a Home Safari Facebook Live each weekday at 3pm where we will highlight one of our amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home."

For the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic and for tips on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov. To plan your vaccine, head to NBC's Plan Your Vaccine site at PlanYourVaccine.com.