The Fort Worth Museum of Science & History has a very special exhibit currently. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit" is only here through March 24, and I encourage you to get on over there and see it before it's gone!
The Titanic exhibit begins with the planning & construction of the ship. See actual plans, hear ship-workers accounts and learn all about Captain Smith. The sad story is that he was retired yet asked to lead the Titanic's maiden voyage.
As you walk thorough recreated rooms, from First Class Staterooms to the third class bunkrooms, you learn all about how they traveled across the ocean. It's a stunning reality to see the gorgeous private bedrooms and smoking rooms and ballrooms for the rich and then find out that third class passengers had 2 bathtubs for the 700+ passengers on their deck. See personal artifacts from recovered jewelry to dinner ware to tiles from the Grand Ballroom.
The exhibit takes you down to the "boiler room", where the atmosphere is dark, cold and you hear the engine sounds. It's a vast change from the light and happy one a few decks up. Actual tools and coal recovered from the ship can be seen here. Learn about how the ship was powered across the Atlantic, even during a coal shortage.
As you walk through the timeline of events that occurred that fateful April night, you can't help but see how this horrific accident could have been avoided. A cold room is recreated to make you feel as if you are on the ocean and you can even touch a big block of ice, the temperature of an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
What we enjoyed the most about the exhibit was how passenger's stories are told - it brought the exhibit to life for us. When you see the tickets, shoes, jewelry, etc. of a passenger and then hear who they were and why they were on the ship, you can't help but feel sorrowful for their fate. As you enter Titanic, you are handed a "passenger card" that details who they were, what class they were in and their personal story. At the end of the exhibit, you can locate your passengers name to see if they were rescued and survived or not. Very happily, 3 out of 4 of our families', "passengers" did in fact survive.
This exhibit was perfect for my 10 & 12 year olds - they were drawn to the artifacts and hearing the stories. It enabled them to really understand the history better by seeing actual pieces, touching the cold iceberg, and learning about their passenger's fate.
The museum has timed entries to the exhibit, which I happen to love, as it doesn't get too crowded. And it is an additional cost to see the exhibit. Also, no photography is allowed. Audio tours are offered for $5 and there is a comprehensive gift store at the end of the exhibit as well.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is at the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History thru March 24, 2013. The exhibit costs $10-26. There is special pricing for the Fort Worth Stock Show (Jan 18 - Feb 9, 2013) - $11-15.
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