Artifacts from the Titanic are fascinating relics. If you want to see some of the items that have been recovered from the Titanic's wreckage in person, you have many options, between the exhibitions and museums.
Seeking out Titanic exhibitions
If you want to see some great artifacts that have been collected from the Titanic, you can visit one of the traveling exhibitions, or you can head to the permanent exhibition in Nevada. Here’s the lowdown on each of these exhibits:
Traveling exhibitions: The traveling exhibitions, called Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, are owned and operated by Premier Exhibitions, of which RMS Titanic, Inc., is a division. More than 20 million people worldwide have viewed these exhibitions. Go to RMS Titanic, Inc., website for details on current touring Titanic artifact exhibitions. Each exhibition is different, but each includes dozens of artifacts of note — and always an iceberg that visitors are encouraged to touch.
The permanent exhibition: The largest and most important artifact exhibition is stationed permanently at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the Luxor website’s Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit page, you can find out all about this exhibition.
The 25,000-square-foot exhibit features numerous items from the Titanic, including luggage, the ship’s whistles, floor tiles from the first-class smoking room, a window frame from the Verandah Café, and an unopened bottle of champagne with a 1900 vintage. In addition, the exhibit features a piece of Titanic’s hull and a full-scale re-creation of the Grand Staircase, as well as a newly expanded outer Promenade Deck, complete with the frigid temperatures felt on that fateful April night.
Taking a stroll through Titanic museums
A select few museums offer Titanic artifacts. Here are a few notable ones:
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum (Belfast, Northern Ireland): This museum has an exhibition called Titanica, which provides a great deal of information about the Titanic’s construction.
Titanic Museum (Branson, Missouri): This museum is a half-size replica of the ship (only two steam funnels); a giant iceberg stands next to the front door. To get in, the museum says, visitors have to successfully navigate the iceberg. Visitors can stroll through replicas of the lobby, cabins, and Marconi wireless room (where they also can send an SOS message). The museum features an 18-foot, one-of-a-kind Titanic model.
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada): This museum has an enormous collection of wooden Titanic artifacts. It also houses what have come to be called the “Shoes of the Titanic Unknown Child.” This pair of leather shoes was discovered on “Body No. 4,” a 2-year-old unknown male child found in the waters of the sinking site. The museum also has other artifacts in its permanent Titanic exhibition, including railroad tycoon Charles Hays’s gloves.
The Titanic Museum (Indian Orchard, Massachusetts): This museum belongs to the Titanic Historical Society. Although it’s small, the museum boasts some memorable Titanic artifacts, including original Titanic blueprints (donated by the builders of the ship), John Jacob Astor’s life jacket, and the original Titanic wireless that received the warning transmission saying where the fatal iceberg was located.
Merseyside Maritime Museum (Liverpool, England): This museum presents the original 20-foot-long builder’s model of the Titanic, a survivor’s life jacket, a bank note, a ventilation grille, tie pins, a watch, spectacles, and a lifeboat nameplate.
Titanic — The Experience (Orlando, Florida): This large museum offers “guided tours led by trained actors in period dress portraying actual Titanic notables.” It also offers full-scale re-creations of the Grand Staircase, the Verandah Café, a first-class parlor suite, and the Promenade deck. More than 200 Titanic artifacts are on display.
Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee): This museum is owned and operated by the Branson Titanic Museum Company. This exhibition has more than 400 artifacts on display, as well as re-creations of the Grand Staircase and hallways, cabins, and parlors. Visitors can also put their hands into 28-degree water and simulate shoveling coal into a burning furnace.
