SEATTLE — More than 170 million years of history are coming to life in Seattle’s SODO district.
Dinos Alive Exhibition: An Immersive Experience is set to open on April 7 and joins Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience on the same block. In fact, the same warehouse.
Bill Vipond of the SODO Arena Group says the more the merrier.
“This is great for SODO. This was a COVID-torn industrial warehouse area where we lost a lot of tenants,” he said.
Vipond said the success of the Van Gogh exhibit brought much-needed foot traffic to the area and by default boosted local businesses and restaurants.
Dinos Alive Exhibition transformed the vacant side of a 77,000-square-foot warehouse with new lighting and state-of-the-art technology that brings more than 80 life-size dinosaurs to life.
“They are all motion activated so they will react when you walk up to them,” Vipond said.
John Zaller is the executive director with Exhibition HUB, the group behind the exhibit, and said a wildly successful run in Los Angeles paved the way for Seattle’s exhibit.
“It’s a great way to experience Seattle as we start to open up further and we are really excited to bring this to SODO,” Zaller said.
Dinosaur fans young and old can spend time with both famous and lesser-known species such as the T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and Suchomimus. Virtual reality allows visitors to explore the dense jungles of the Jurassic era and see the dinos in their natural habitat. There are dinosaurs you can ride and a high-tech drawing area for children where they can scan and project their dinosaurs to bring them to life along with the scenery.
You can also dive into the prehistoric depths of the seas with the latest video-mapping technology. A mesmerizing digital aquarium will take you back hundreds of years and bring the ancient creatures to life all around you.
The technical team is putting in the finishing touches this week with a scheduled opening on Thursday, April 7. Tickets are being sold in advance on the exhibition's website.