Titanic The Artifact Exhibition is returning to Michigan at The Sloan Museum in Flint this winter. The exhibit opens on January 21, 2017 and runs through May 21, 2017. The exhibition was previously at The Henry Ford in the summer of 2012.
Review of Titanic The Artifact Exhibition
Saturday, we went to The Henry Ford to see the Titanic The Artifact Exhibition with friends. The day we visited, the museum was crowded with a very full parking lot, lines at the ticket counter, to enter the museum, and at the food stands, but once you were inside the museum, the crowds were not too bad. However, even with timed entrances the Titanic exhibit was very crowded. I think it would be more enjoyable if it was less crowded.
If you are familiar with the Henry Ford Museum, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is mostly in the special exhibit room. It has also expanded into the area between the exhibit room and the “Your Place in History” exhibit in front of the Dymaxion House. The new exhibit facade is finished to look like the hull of the Titanic.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
There is no photography allowed in the exhibit, so I do not have any pictures to share. They do give you the opportunity to purchase your picture on the grand staircase or at the ships rail. We skipped the photo opportunities to avoid the temptation to buy the pictures.
Boarding Passes
When you arrive at your designated time, you enter a “boarding queue”. As you enter, each guest is given a passenger card that describes a real passenger on the Titanic. The card includes information on your passenger: name, age, traveling companions, traveling class, cabin number (if known), and why they were on the ship. For our party, all of the females received a female passenger and the males a male passenger. I don’t know if that was intentional or a coincidence. As you exit the exhibit, they have a memorial wall with the name of the survivors and those who perished and you can see the fate of your passenger. In our family, all three of us survived. Our friends were not so lucky with only one of the three surviving.
Titanic Recreations & Artifacts
They had recreated several parts of the ship: a first class cabin, hallway, grand staircase, and crew cabin. There were numerous artifacts from the ship ranging from welding screws and mechanical components to ships dishes/cookware, personal effects, and much more. Throughout the exhibit there were numerous stories of people on board the Titanic. I learned that numerous people were only on the Titanic because a coal strike resulted in the cancellation of earlier ships.
The exhibit was fairly crowded and we often had to wait to see certain artifacts. There were only 20 tickets remaining for our time slot when I purchased our 2p tickets at 10:40a. If you can, I recommend visiting on a weekday. However, I would still go on a crowded day rather than skip the exhibit.
The exhibit had numerous rooms and had many signs up to read about the artifacts and passengers. It took us about 90 minutes to go through the exhibit. On a less crowded day, it should take a little less time since you wouldn’t have to wait to see different artifacts.
Taking Kids to Titanic the Artifact Exhibition
Should you take your kids to see Titanic The Artifact Exhibition? My daughter and her friend both enjoyed the exhibit – but not the lines to see different artifact cases.
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Before taking your kids to the Exhibition, I recommend familiarizing them with the story of the Titanic. Both my daughter and her friend were familiar with the story after having read Tonight on the Titanic (Magic Tree House, No. 17)
. Since that time, they have read and re-read Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #7: Titanic: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic
. My daughter’s friend has also checked other books about the Titanic out of the school library.
The exhibit ends in the gift shop. I suggest either having a souvenir budget or preparing your kids ahead of time that you won’t be buying anything.
See the Exhibit at the Sloan Museum
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is coming to the Sloan Museum in Flint for Winter 2017. The exhibit runs from January 21 through May 21. It is definitely worth the drive to Flint. I am considering a trip to see it again now that my daughter is 11. Plus, we have never been to the Sloan Museum.
Admission to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is $14/adults, $12/seniors (60+), $11/youth age 2-11, $10/ASTC Members (AAHOM & UM Museum of Natural History are ASTC memberships), $5/members, free children 1 and under. Discounts are available for Veterans, Military Families, and Teachers: $7/adults, $6/senior (60+), $6/youth (age 2-11).
