My Favorite DayIn My Backyard--Science Museum of Minnesota

Yep, this is actually a picture I took, while in a submarine somewhere in the North Atlantic. I go to great lengths to entertain my son and get good pics.

We just went to the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. If the exhibit comes to your part of the world, you just must go. We began by watching an IMAX film about the explorers quest to find the wreck and what it's like to go down there and explore. Absolutely fascinating. Then, on to the exhibit.

When you arrive at the exhibit, you're given a boarding pass. This pass details an actual passenger on the ship. It was easy to begin to feel like you actually were on the ship. As you progress through the exhibit, the story is told with real artifacts and glimpses into personal lives. The highlight for Young One was the real ice wall shaped like the fated iceberg. The rooms that detailed the sinking were noticeably colder which added to the experience. Imagine how cold they were as the ship sunk. We watched with fascination a video of the sinking. I was amazed at how quickly it happened and also how many warnings they ignored.

The unsinkable ship. The audacity. We talked over and over again about how nature always wins.

The recovered items were haunting. Dishes, shoes, eyeglasses, clothing, and many other personal items. All almost one hundred years old. All preserved in the icy shipwreck tomb.

At the end of the exhibit, there is a passenger list. You can find out whether your passenger survived. Mine did, and she was one of four wives on the "Widow Ship" the Carpathia (the rescue ship) who was reunited with her husband. It was eery to stand there and look at the sheer number of names that did not survive.

Should people be visiting the Titanic wreck site? I'm not sure. It is a grave site. I believe it shouldn't be plundered, but I'm fascinated, like so many others by it's mystery. The story, the history, it's all mesmerizing.

We had such a good time, but the only thing that was missing was my camera. I know I couldn't have taken pictures inside the exhibit, but I would have liked to capture my mom and son as we wandered that day. If you're ever in town, do not miss this museum. It's fantastic.