Branson’s Titanic Museum Brings History to Life!

Posted by By Debra Pamplin at 14 July, at 14 : 02 PM Print

I have always been interested in certain historical events, and like many folks, the tragedy of the ship, Titanic, has held my attention for years. Of course, once the movie was released, I was right there to watch fictional characters, Jack and Rose, be able to find true love, just to have cruel destiny rip them apart.

As a fan of the movie, I thought that just the dates and happenings to the ship post-iceberg were factual. I was surprised to learn from the museum guides that a handful of statements and comments throughout the movie were in fact real statements from passengers of the real Titanic. It was learned that the owners of Macy’s I believe, (hope that is right), were on the fatal ship and the wife stayed behind with her husband.  As in the movie, the band played right up until the end, and one member of the band, when recovered, was still clenching his violin. In the movie version, the captain went down with the ship, and this too was true to history.

Upon entering the museum, guests are given the option to purchase audio equipment. I highly recommend this, as so much extra detail is provided with this single piece of equipment. It is similar to a telephone, and each button on the hearing device coordinates with many different  “stations” within the museum. If you are at station two, pushing the “2″ button will provide plenty of useful information about that displayed item.

Pictures, personal items belonging to the ship’s passengers as well as audio of various survivors reliving the event are all part of the greatness of the Titanic.

Many of you might be thinking you would enjoy the museum, but you wonder about your young kids being bored. It is highly unlikely that they will, based on the “experiments” the Titanic Museum has to offer. Towards the end of the museum, there is a section of the room similar to the front of the ship, and it is designed to represent the moments before the iceberg struck the side of the ship. The cold, starry night surrounds this area, giving a glimpse of weather conditions on that April night, 1912.

Also for the kids is a freezing cold water display. There is a timer beside, allowing kids and adults alike to see how long they can keep their finger in the ice-cold water. When Katie tried this, she kept her finger in for just a very few seconds, and an adult, with a child-like comment, loudly announced that he could beat 10 seconds. So, parents, don’t embarrass your kids by being like that guy!

And of course, no kid’s trip to the museum would be complete without the slanted decks. There are three inclined decks, at various degrees, to show the difficulty the passengers would have had, as they tried to climb to the top of the ship, while it was raised in the air. The kids will have fun holding the hand rail and see if they can climb to the top of each display.

Don’t forget about the ship’s mascots. Two adorable spaniels are on display and are strolled around through the museum and to the outside area where pictures can be taken. They represent the dogs on board Titanic, and were Katie’s favorite part of the tour.

There is a room of the museum that is my favorite. It houses a short film, displaying a remake of events of that night. Also, all around the walls of the room are minute-by-minute accounts of what happened from the sighting of the ice burg until the rescue ship arrived in New York with the remaining passengers.

I am going to return to the museum without Katie, just to be able to take it all in again. There are so many interesting tidbits and historical objects and data available, that I believe it takes more than one tour to see and hear everything.

I think that the Titanic Museum is a great experience for all members of the family, and should be attended by all at least once. I also would recommend this to any parents that are homeschooling their children. This museum is the ultimate hands-on learning tool to one of the most memorable events of history

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