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Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Titanic: The Exhibition. This is the very popular international touring museum that chronicles the history of the RMS Titanic. I attended the exhibition that is currently in Charlotte, North Carolina after I snagged a great price for tickets here. Today, I want to give you my review of the entire experience.
Titanic: The Exhibition really is comprehensive in all the information it gives you about Titanic. I went in thinking I knew a lot about the doomed ship, but I learned so many things I did not know. It is very educational in a very interesting way. You’ll learn a lot whether you don’t know a lot about the RMS Titanic or you know a lot.
Titanic: The Exhibition is a walkthrough exhibit (so make sure you wear comfortable shoes!).
Making of the Ship
It starts with the making of the ship. In this section (and in all sections) they include facts up as well as lot of artifacts and replicas.
You learn a lot about the people behind the Titanic, too.
Titanic: The Onboard Experience
Speaking of replicas, after you learn about how the ship was made, you start seeing replicas of the ships. I loved walking through a hallway replica where you see the different cabins. It really makes you feel like you are walking through the ship.
And of course I loved the replica of the Grand Staircase.
It of course made me think of the iconic moments from the 1997 Titanic movie. But it was also just an impressive replica. You can get a photo there.
That was a replica I was expecting, but there are other great replicas, too. For example, I really loved the replica of the first class parlor suite.
I was impressed with how opulent it looked.
You also see a cabin the third-class passengers stayed in.
This really gives you a contrast of what the experience was liked for the first class versus the lower classes. Other ways you see this is when you get to see the China used during meals for the first class versus second class versus third class.
I also loved the Promenade Deck replica.
They use really neat special effects to make it feel like you are looking over the railing at the water.
Titanic Sinking
But of course, we all know this is a doomed ship. So then you start learning about the distress signals and the sinking of the ship. I learned so much here. It really brings home how preventable the entire tragedy was. You also get a chance to “touch the iceberg”, which was really interesting.
The ice was incredibly cold and really made you think about how it must have felt for passengers to feel the waters that night.
I also really liked the display of newspaper headlines about the sinking. They are displayed on the walls and it is really fascinating how it was reported.
It made me think of relatives of mine who were alive then and it made me wonder what they must have thought when they heard the news.
Now, at the beginning of the exhibit, you get a boarding pass you can take home from an actual passenger on the ship. This is where you can find out if your person made it or not. I was going through the exhibit with three other people. Two of our assigned passengers made it and two did not. It was interesting to learn about these passengers and their fate. It really brought home how tragic it was.
Titanic Wreckage
After you learn about the sinking, you learned about how the Titanic was discovered in 1985 on the ocean floor and the wreckage that was found.
You get to walk over glass as if you are walking over the wreckage. I will say that was my least favorite part of the exhibit. I did not particularly enjoy the sensation of walking over glass, as I felt as though I might fall through. But this is just me. You may have a different opinion.
Titanic Locally
One of the neat parts of the exhibit was the end where they tied the exhibit back to the Carolinas (as I mentioned earlier, I attended the exhibit in Charlotte, North Carolina).
You learned about different people from the local area who were affected by Titanic, and in the case of the Carolinas, I learned a super interesting thing I did not know, which was that the Hatteras Weather Bureau Station picked up one of the very first distress calls sent by the Titanic.
Titanic Movie
Also, for those of us who love the Titanic movie from 1997, there is a section about that movie, too, including costumes from the movie.
Other Exhibit Standouts
I loved that there were benches throughout the exhibit.
If you needed a break, you can sit for a moment. I especially liked taking a break on the deck replica. It was very relaxing. You could really picture guests on the ship sitting on the deck and enjoying the peacefulness of the ocean, unaware of what was to come.
Speaking of which, you can go through the experience at your own pace. My family took about an hour and half but we love to stop and take a lot of pictures (plus, we took advantage of those benches!).
For other people, it can last around an hour. What’s nice is they don’t rush you through. So you can explore at your own pace. You will need to schedule a time to visit (and if you have flexibility on what time you pick, you can save money on specific times; for example, when I booked here I saved money by booking a 4:00 appointment rather than say a morning appointment).
Conclusion
Titanic: The Exhibition is an amazing exhibition. Everyone in my family enjoyed it. You learn a lot in an immersive and interesting way. Whether you know a lot about the doomed ship or nothing at all, you’ll learn a lot. I especially loved the parts where you felt like you were actually on the ship. We highly recommend this experience.
So if you can get to Charlotte this summer, you should definitely go. You can get tickets here.