Step right up, history buffs and 'Titanic' enthusiasts - Skokie's Westfield Old Orchard Mall is now home to the "largest and most immersive" touring Titanic exhibition yet. Premiering this weekend, "Titanic: The Exhibition" promises to take attendees back to 1912, the fateful year when the luxury liner met its demise.
According to NBC Chicago, this expansive exhibit includes dazzling three-dimensional recreations of a first-class stateroom, boiler room, and most impressively, a full-scale re-creation of the ship's illustrious Grand Staircase. Plus, attendees can eagerly gawk at hundreds of artifacts, which according to Patch, include personal collection donations, artifacts from the Titanic's sister ships, and items from the blockbuster '97 film starring DiCaprio and Winslet.
Tom Zaller, Imagine Exhibitions' President and CEO, appears to have staked his career on the Titanic's undying allure. "Titanic has been a part of my life since the late 90s 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," Zaller stated, as reported by NBC Chicago. Zaller's firm, known for its dynamic showcases of pop culture phenoms like Harry Potter and Jurassic World, seems confident that history's most talked-about maritime disaster will once again pull massive crowds in Skokie.
Tickets to this historical deep dive start modestly at $29 for general admission, with plush options available including "platinum" tickets - these come with treats like a souvenir photo and access to a virtual reality experience, allowing visitors an even closer look at the tragedy. In a captivating twist, guests receive a boarding pass upon entry, combining the role of spectator and passenger as they trace the individual journey of an actual Titanic traveler.
Visitors are in for an all-encompassing sensory expedition. "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. Indeed, from the moment you step through those gallery doors, it seems Titanic's past will not just be displayed, but fully alive and breathing around you.
The exhibition's residency in Skokie is set to run through April, so those looking to experience this blend of education and entertainment should make haste. And for those with a penchant for nostalgia, Zaller reminds us of the exhibition’s previous success in the area, "It’s been more than 20 years since I’ve presented a Titanic exhibition in the Chicagoland area and I’m extremely excited to be returning," he recounted to Patch. With history this immersive, it's a safe bet that the Titanic - and its stories of dreams and disillusion - will draw crowds eager to sail back in time.
