'Titanic: The Exhibition' sails in to Skokie in February

More than a century since it sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, the story of the "Titanic" still captivates people.

"Titanic: The Exhibition" will bring an immersive retelling of the doomed ship and its passengers to Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie starting Feb. 16, 2024.

Past Chicago-area exhibitions in 2000 and 2002 on the luxury liner, which on its maiden voyage sank on April 15, 1912, drew more than 1,300,000 people.

"Titanic: The Exhibition" will detail the chronology of the ship from its creation through its ultimate tragedy, as well as a Discovery Gallery re-creating what discovery teams have seen in dives to the "Titanic" site.

The interactive exhibition offers hundreds of artifacts, including those that survived the sinking of the ship, props and costumes from the 1997 film "Titanic," and detailed recreations of interiors such as the millionaires suite, boiler room, exterior promenade deck and the two-story Grand Staircase.

While period music plays throughout the exhibition, visitors will receive a "boarding pass" that corresponds to an actual passenger aboard the "Titanic." As people explore the displays, through artifacts and individual anecdotes they can eventually discover their passenger's fate on a tribute wall.

In addition to the Discovery Gallery's raised glass floor simulating walking among the broken china on the ocean bed, the multimedia presentation includes underwater photography of the site and a film related to forensic research of the Titanic's sinking.

"Titanic: "The Exhibition," currently on display in Los Angeles, is produced by Imagine Exhibitions and Fever. Imagine Entertainment currently has "Downton Abbey: The Exhibition" running at Old Orchard through March 31.

Tickets go on sale Dec. 6, starting at $29 for adults with discounts for children, seniors, military members and groups. A waitlist with access to tickets before public sale is available through Fever at feverup.com.