Volo Museum opens Titanic exhibit on 111th anniversary of liner’s sinking

Volo Museum will debut on Friday its newest exhibit, “A Tribute to the Tragedy,” recalling the 1912 Titanic disaster and featuring period clothing, travel gear and lore.

Visitors will be able to explore the sloping decks of the ship’s stern as it sank and feel what the 28-degree ocean waters felt like as they learn about the passengers and crew who were aboard.

“It’s been 111 years since the Titanic was gashed by an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank. But the public’s fascination with this tragedy – with the stories of the people who perished and those who survived – never diminishes,” Volo Museum founder Greg Grams said.

Touted as unsinkable, the luxury liner was on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City when it struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. April 14, 1912. By 2:24 a.m. April 15, the ship had broken in two and both parts rested at the bottom of the ocean. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, 706 survived.

The Titantic been the subject of countless books and films, including the 1997 James Cameron movie featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Visitors to the new exhibit can see the vehicle from which the two stars’ onboard dalliance was fashioned – a 1912 Renault. Also among Titanic-era vehicles in the display is a 1912 Delaunay-Belleville once owned by Evalyn McLean, who also possessed the Hope Diamond, on which Rose’s Heart of the Ocean necklace is based in the film.

Admission to the Titanic exhibit will cost $14.95 for visitors ages 5 years and older. Entry will be limited, with 30 people allowed in each hour, so tickets will be date- and time-specific.

More information about the exhibit is available at volocars.com/the-attraction/titanic.

Regular museum admission is $22.95 per adult, $20.95 per senior, $19.95 for military, $12.95 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children ages 4 and younger.

Separate admission to the Jurassic Gardens dinosaur park costs $15.95 and is free for children 4 and younger. Combo passes, good for both the museum and Jurassic Gardens, plus re-entry the following day, are $34.95 for adults and $24.95 for children.

The museum, located at 27582 Volo Village Road, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.