Journey halfway across the world and check out National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience now open through Jan. 6 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. This extraordinary exhibit allows visitors to encounter Egypt, the fascination of King Tutankhamun and the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery in an up close and personal way.
Guests are truly transported to nearly 3,000 years ago watching history come to life in this limited-time larger-than-life and incredibly unique and engaging format. Nine distinct multi-sensory cinematic immersive galleries take you through the life and death of King Tut. Visitors will take a journey through Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, the boy’s life as a pharaoh, his burial chamber and path to eternity, the discovery and excavation of his tomb in 1922 and all the science around his mummification and tomb artifacts.
With soaring projections and incredible technology, the hour-long Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience is captivating, colorful and sheer wonderment. Wander at your own pace with a plethora of written information and infographs presented along with general audio accompaniment. For additional insights, there is a companion audio tour accessible by QR code and smartphone that takes you deeper into the story.
Years ago, King Tut’s actual artifacts toured the world at various museums, including Chicago’s Field Museum in the mid-2000’s. With all of the artifacts safely stored back in Egypt, this is a wonderful way to experience history without having to travel 6,000 miles. According to Mark Lach, the exhibit’s executive producer, there’s an appetite for this type of presentation. “This is really a new way of storytelling and how people learn and experience things,” he says. “This exhibit tells a story, but still lets it move you.” This format also allows multiple cities to offer this exhibit at the same time. Besides Milwaukee, Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience is currently in production in Jacksonville, Fla.
Visitors can continue the King Tut journey with a highly recommended virtual reality area that takes guests on a spectacular flight over pyramids, into ancient Egypt and down into King Tut’s tomb. The experience takes place on specialized Positron Voyager motion chairs with an advanced headset. More than 80,000 high-resolution photographs of archeological sites were made into 3D models to recreate stunning digital VR versions of the original sites all narrated by a representation of the boy king himself. An additional tour fee is required.
Tickets are now on sale, and prices vary. National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience is open to all ages Wednesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last entry 6 p.m.); Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last entry at 8 p.m.); and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Baird Center
400 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203