Beyond King Tut: the Immersive Experience

I wish I could learn about every history lesson through an immersive exhibit. My senses are still buzzing with all of the gorgeous imagery and sounds of riches, spirituality, and gold-plated intrigue from National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut: the Immersive Experience.

Out of a handful of core memories formed in first grade, I remember choosing a DK Eyewitness book on mummies from my first visit to the school library. And after going through it once, I continued to reach for it again and again and again throughout the year. There’s a lot of curiosity and intrigue surrounding Ancient Egypt—there’s a universal and ageless appeal to learn more.

Last weekend, Chad and I got to visit the Beyond King Tut exhibit at Milwaukee‘s Baird Center. It felt like a full-circle moment for the curiosity that sprouted for me in elementary school, and has sparked an interest to revisit the history now as an adult.

Beyond King Tut was incredible—we transported into the magic and mystery of Ancient Egypt, through National Geographic’s archives. Not only was it satisfying intellectually and emotionally, but it was also fun and stimulating to each of my senses.

The experience

Beyond King Tut began with a video introducing the star of the show: Tutankhamun, known as King Tut, the Ancient Egyptian boy that became pharaoh at nine years old and mysteriously died at 19 and was all but forgotten until his tomb was discovered in 1922.

From there, the exhibit took us down darkened hallways and across nine galleries. There were photos and videos and lots of information about King Tut, his tomb discoveries, the spiritual beliefs of his burial, his treasure and artifacts, and the incredible archeological and scientific leaps made in the relatively short time since he resurfaced.

King Tut’s experience is a 3,000 year story in the making, only known to us for 100. This was captured so well throughout.

The exhibit ended with a gorgeous immersive video that filled an entire room with engaging illustrations, different from every angle. It was a show-stopper, and a really wonderful conclusion to an informative gallery.

We were gifted VIP tickets, which also included the VR experience at the end. This was fun: we were strapped in and got to soar around the Egyptian pyramids and down into King Tut’s tomb, exploring the artifacts and hearing about his legacy from his point of view.

Many thanks to Beyond King Tut for having us! I highly recommend visiting and experiencing the immersive wonders for yourself. If you’re in Milwaukee, the show is at the Baird Center (formerly the Wisconsin Center) through January 6.

Visiting the exhibit

For tickets, head to www.BeyondKingTut.com.

The visit is a timed entry and takes about one hour. The final entry is one hour prior to show close.

In Milwaukee

When: Through January 6, 2024
Location: Baird Center, 400 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee WI 53203

Hours of Operation

• Wednesday & Thursday: 11 am – 7 pm
• Friday & Saturday: 11 am – 9 pm
• Sunday: 11 am – 6 pm
• Monday & Tuesday: Closed