In Skokie, a new walk-through exhibition opening Friday invites you to buy a ticket from the White Star Line, step into history and board the Titanic.
You can learn all about the 1912 tragedy -- have your Kate Winslet moment on the grand staircase -- at "Titanic: The Exhibition, opening this weekend at Westfield Old Orchard Mall. According to officials, its the largest and most immersive touring Titanic exhibition.
“Titanic has been a part of my life since the late 90’s when I had the incredible opportunity to dive to the wreck site, and since that firsthand experience, I’ve presented hundreds of exhibitions about the ship, her people and her stories.” Said Tom Zaller, President and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions said in a press release.
"Our exhibition is designed to immerse the visitor in the history of the Titanic in a new way, with incredible media experiences and recreated environments that bring the story to life," Zaller's statement went on to say.
The immersive exhibit includes three-dimensional and physical build outs of a first-class state room, boiler room, full-scale re-creation of the ship's Grand Staircase, and more. It also includes hundreds of artifacts donated from a personal collection, along with props and customers from the 1997 blockbuster film, the release said.
Once visitors are "aboard," they'll receive a "boarding pass corresponding with a passenger on the ship," which gives visitors the opportunity to follow an individual story as they travel throughout the exhibit, officials noted.
"The stories of love and loss culminate in the final galleries, showcasing personal effects and individual anecdotes surrounding a tribute wall where each passenger’s fate is revealed," according to the release.
Music from the era will play throughout the exhibit as well, the release said.
"The lighting, and the noise -- and we have scent machines and all these things that happen … you really feel like you are going back in time," Zeller told NBC Chicago.
According to officials, the exhibit was previously only overseas and in Los Angeles. The Old Orchard location is its Midwestern premiere.
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Tickets start at $29. According to the exhibit's calendar, the event runs through April.
