I’ve been a fan of King Tut and all things Egyptian since I was little and first learned about the boy king and the mysterious curse of King Tut. I was excited to check out National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, which is a touring museum event I attended in Jacksonville, FL.

The short review- it’s neat but a bit overpriced. Read on for more details and the longer review.

National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience

Beyond King Tut is described as a “cinematic immersive exhibition that takes guests on a journey to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.”

Their goal is to bring history to life as you journey through modern-day Egypt and back in time to 3000 years ago when King Tut ruled the 18th dynasty.

It’s the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, which is still one of the most amazing and significant archaeological finds due to the fact that the tomb was almost completely untouched.

Grave robbers have plundered most of the tombs and stolen the treasures but the artifacts in King Tut’s tomb were still sitting where the priests had set them to help the king in his journey to the afterlife.

You’ll find no actual artifacts in this exhibit however, it’s more of a multi-media extravaganza of lights, sounds and displays.

Your journey starts with a short video, then you’ll walk through large photographs of the King Tut excavation. There are QR codes you can use to listen to an audio narration on your phone, so bring headphones if you want to hear that part. There’s other audio going on that’s a bit loud so it’s hard to hear the phone.

The room where they uncover the burial chamber is really neat, with a digital sarcophagus in the center. It removes the cover and wrapping piece by piece until you get down to just a skeleton.

There are a few things in the next area that you can touch and play with, like an ancient Egyptian board game. (shown in the photo below)

The room at the end is pretty spectacular, with a large boat replica in the center and videos on every wall and even the floor! The full video here is about 20 minutes long and is worth a watch.

The entire thing took about an hour to go through at a leisurely pace, as long as you stop to look and read things and watch the videos. If you have an impatient child trying to drag you through it, it will last about 20 minutes. I enjoyed it, but not really sure it was worth over $100 for the experience. Children under 4 are free, but our 8-year-old cost almost $30, which again, seems overpriced for a child’s ticket.

Apparently, we went during the “peak” times when tickets were more expensive. Not sure how peak it was, as there were only a handful of people in there. They have a lounge inside where you can purchase drinks and food, which is nice, but you can’t walk around with your drink unless you purchase a special cup for an additional $10.

There’s also an additional VR experience you can add for $18 per person, but we didn’t opt for that.

Beyond King Tut: When, Where and How Much

The Beyond King Tut Experience is a traveling exhibit. Find out what city it will be in next at: National Geographic’s Beyond King Tut : Find Your City

All tickets must be purchased online in advance.

Ticket Prices:

Peak:

• Adult (Ages 16+): $43.99
• Child (Ages 5-15) Timed Entry: $28.99
• Student/Senior/Military Timed Entry: $38.99
• Premium Flex: $53.99
• VIP (ages 16+): $84.99
• Family 4 Pack: $143.96
• Group (8+) Timed Entry – All Ages: $39.99 per person

Off Peak:

• Adult (Ages 16+): $33.99
• Child (Ages 5-15) Timed Entry: $23.99
• Student/Senior/Military Timed Entry: $28.99
• Premium Flex: $43.99
• VIP: $74.99
• Family 4 Pack: $103.96
• Group (8+) Timed Entry – All Ages: $29.99 per person

Plus applicable fees.

Parking: $12

VR Experience: $18