San Diego: Titanic show to stay open late to mark ship’s sinking

The San Diego Museum of Natural History invites Titanic fans to mark the moments when the luxury liner hit an iceberg (11:40 p.m. April 14, 1912) and then sank (2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912).

“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” will stay open from 9:30 a.m. Saturday until 3 a.m. Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship’s deadly plunge. Visitors are encouraged to bring flowers, candles or other mementos to honor the more than 1,500 passengers and crew members who died.

The deal: During what the Balboa Park museum calls Titanic Centennial Week, tickets cost just $19.12 each for adults and children. Only on Saturday will there be announcements made noting the time of the iceberg strike and a moment of silence when the ship sank; visitors may buy tickets as late as 1 a.m. to enter.

The show includes pieces of the ship’s china, bottles of perfume and other artifacts and re-creations related to the Titanic. Other activities planned this week include:
-- Actors in period costumes posing as passengers and crew members to talk about life aboard the ship;
-- Volunteers demonstrating replica radios like those on the Titanic;
-- A schedule of Titanic-themed films from National Geographic and others (alas, not including the feature-length James Cameron movie) will be shown.

When: The discount ticket offer is good through Sunday.

Details: Tickets usually cost $27 for adults, $21 for students 13-17, and $18 for children 3-12. The flat rate of $19.12 for all categories also includes general admission to the museum. The Titanic show continues through Sept. 9, but this would be a fun week to go -- for the deal and the extra events.

Contact: San Diego Museum of Natural History’s Titanic Centennial Week, (877) 946-7797.