A half-scale replica of the front half of the Titanic, this museum attraction does much more than display hundreds of artifacts from the sunken ocean liner. It really gives you a feel for what it was like to be onboard the ship — before and after disaster struck. You can see a recreation of a third-class cabin (as water rushes ominously down the stairs toward you) as well as a first-class cabin (the same one depicted in the Oscar-winning movie). And you’ll actually get to walk up the grand staircase, built to scale from the original blueprints.

After you talk with the captain on the bridge, walk “outside” to feel a wall of ice and dip your hands in water kept as frigid as the Atlantic was on that fateful night. Interactive exhibits include a station where kids can send an SOS, as well as a series of three sections of deck tilted at progressively steeper angles that illustrate just how hard it would have been to hang on as the ship got closer and closer to sinking. Costumed crew members make the experience even richer by sharing lots of colorful tales about the folks onboard. Each guest receives a passport upon entry, and at the end of the tour, you can check to see if your alter ego survived or perished. Note: Tickets are timed and they often sell out early, so call in advance to make a reservation.