Step aboard the Titanic at new exhibit in New Orleans

Axios

02-05-2025

A new immersive Titanic exhibit now open in New Orleans allows visitors to experience the doomed voyage from a passenger's perspective.
Why it matters: It's been 40 years since the ship's wreckage was found at the bottom of the Atlantic.
The big picture: When you enter " Titanic: An Immersive Voyage" at the Scottish Rite Temple, you are given a ticket with the name of a passenger or crew member.
You start with a re-creation of the bow of the ship, where you can take a selfie as you shout, "I'm the king of the world," like Jack in the 1997 "Titanic" blockbuster.
You can also visit the grand staircase, see china from the first-class dining room and explore other artifacts from the Titanic and its sister ships.
The real showstopper is a 35-minute movie experience where you sit in full-size replicas of the ship's lifeboats and watch the sinking unfold.
The intrigue: Artifacts include an abandoned gold watch found on the deck of the Titanic as it was being evacuated and a replica of the "Heart of the Ocean" necklace, according to John Zaller, an executive producer at Exhibition Hub Entertainment.
Zoom in: You can do a virtual reality experience for an additional fee and explore the wreckage.
The exhibit ends with a memorial wall, where you can see if your passenger survived.
Catch up quick: The Titanic sailed from England on April 10, 1912, in route to New York City.
It hit an iceberg four days later off the coast of Newfoundland and sunk a few hours later.
About 700 people were saved, History.com says, while more than 1,500 died.
Most of the ship remains on the ocean floor as a memorial, according to NOAA. The wreckage was discovered in 1985.
Between the lines: The sinking led to several changes in the maritime industry, as outlined in the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Before the disaster, ships didn't have to carry enough lifeboats for all souls onboard. Now they do.
Ships also must have a public address system to communicate with passengers.
Zoom out: The New Orleans exhibit spans two floors of the building, which was previously home to the Van Gogh and Monet exhibits.
The Scottish Rite Temple is owned by the late Joe Jaeger's estate, Zaller says, and had been vacant since 2015, when the New Orleans Freemasons moved to a new building.
If you go: Ticket prices fluctuate, with cheaper options on weekdays. They average about $20 for children and $30 for adults. More prices.
What's next: Zaller says the Titanic exhibit will be in New Orleans through at least this summer and then he'll look at bringing other exhibits to town.
Options include a Lego exhibition, dinosaurs and a kid-friendly one called " Bubble Planet."
"And we're developing a couple new ones every year," he tells Axios New Orleans.