April 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Along with James Cameron’s epic movie of the same name, re-released in 3D, commemorative events are plentiful and will go on all year, near and far. Here are some of the main venues:
1. Titanic Spiritual Ceremony, Halifax
Amid the hoopla, you have to remember first and foremost that many people lost their lives as a result of the disaster. Within days of the sinking, the White Star Line dispatched the first of four Canadian vessels to search for bodies. The first two vessels to search for bodies were the Halifax-based Mackay-Bennett and Minia, which recovered 306 and 17 victims respectively. Halifax has more than 40 events lined up for the centennial, including a candle-light procession from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on April 14 and an interfaith service to be held April 15 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 121 victims are buried.
Destinationhalifax.com/titanic events
2. Titanic Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The Titanic was designed and built in Belfast, so it’s not surprising that the city has built a mammoth attraction, costing $122 million Cdn. It is housed in a six-floor building with nine galleries. It opened March 31 and has been generating good buzz for its insightful exhibits covering the construction of the ship, its launch, maiden voyage, sinking and the subsequent government inquiry.
Titanicbelfast.com
3. Titanic Tours, Liverpool, England
The legendary ship was registered by its owners, White Star Lines, in Liverpool. A two-hour mini-coach tour hits the key spots, such as the home of crew members like Captain Edward John Smith. Also see the new exhibit, Titanic and Liverpool: The Untold Story at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
titanictoursliverpool.com, liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime
4. Titanic, Return to Cherbourg, Cherbourg, France
Titanic picked up almost 300 passengers at Cherbourg on its final continental stop, many of them emigrants to North America. The Cité de la Mer Museum has opened a new space called Titanic, Return to Cherbourg, 100 years later. The new exhibition dedicated to the history of European emigration to the New World at the start of the 20th century. the construction of Titanic, working life on the ship and the passengers’ perspective. The exhibition is housed in the Art Deco ferry terminal building, a unique architectural example of its time.
normandie-tourisme.fr
5. Titanic: The Experience, Orlando, Florida
After the 1997 movie was released, Titanic was hot. In a strip mall in the Sunshine State, this attraction was opened with replicas of the grand staircase, first-class cabin and Verandah café. It now has hundreds of genuine artifacts recovered from the ship, plus the “Titanic Dinner Show� every Saturday.
titanictheexperience.com
6. Titanic Branson, Branson, Missouri
This museum, housed in a two-storey building shaped like the Titanic, says that its goal is to put a human face of the tragedy by focusing on the stories of individuals connected to the ship. As well as viewing artifacts from the ship and exhibits, you can stick your hand in 28 F water to see how cold it was the night of the sinking, sit in a replica of one of the lifeboats or buy souvenir T-shirts or mini tea sets.
Titanicbranson.com
7. Luxor Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Las Vegas’s connection to the Titanic is as fuzzy as Orlando’s or Branson’s, but the Luxor does have a permanent Titanic exhibit with one of the biggest original artifacts ever salvaged — a 15-ton chunk of the starboard hull — and some of the smallest, like gaming chips.