We received tickets to the Titanic Museum Attraction as part of #ExploreBranson, a promotional blogger tour of Branson, MO, through the US Family Guide. All experiences and opinions are my own.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not much of a history buff and know very little about the Titanic. I’ve never read much about it, and I’ve never seen THE movie. My In-Laws recently visit the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri, though, and really enjoyed their tour. Hubs wanted to visit the attraction, so we were both pleased that it was included as part of our tour. I wasn’t sure how Little Miss would handle it, but knew our older kidlets would enjoy it. The Titanic Museum Attraction was our last stop on our Branson tour. When we arrived, it was perfectly dreary outside!
I was already feeling a bit melancholy, and the rain intensified that feeling.
While my knowledge of the Titanic disaster was limited, I did know that of the 2223 people aboard when the Titanic sank on April 15th 1912, only 705 survived, while 1, 517 perished. That meant that nearly 1 in 3 died. I knew when we each received our Boarding Pass of an actual Titanic passenger/crew member, there was a very real possibility that at least one of the five of our Titanic patrons wouldn’t survive. It was really a sobering thought. We were each given a handheld audio device that you could push the buttons on to hear descriptions of various parts of the attraction.
The Titanic Museum Attraction does not allow photography or videography, so the interior photos I am sharing are from Explore Branson.
When we first entered, there was a gorgeous replica of the Grand Staircase. The staircase replica we faced is a $1 Million replica, and was modified from the original only by the installation of hand rails for safety.
Branson CVB Photo
It was a thing of beauty, indeed.
Not everything you see on your tour is a replica, though. The Titanic Museum Attraction is home to over 400 priceless artifacts.
We had the opportunity to see the quarters of both first class and third class passengers. The starkness of one made all the more startling by the opulence of the other.
Branson CVB Photos
We toured the photo gallery, and while I was content to stand and stare at photos, Hubs and the kids wanted to press on. I could have spent hours in the photos and still not seen them all!
The kids were eager to stand at the Captain’s Wheel.
Branson CVB Photo
From the Captain’s Wheel, we went out on the deck. The deck is simulated to be like it was the night the Titanic struck the iceberg. It was cold and dark, and the stars were beautiful. Despite the beauty of it, none of us wanted to remain on deck for long. From there we were able to experience the sloping decks of the ship’s stern. Three different decks, at 15 minute intervals, demonstrated that it would have been nearly impossible to remain upright on deck. We also were able to place our hand in 28-degree water. There is a countdown clock to show how long before hypothermia would set in. I managed to submerge my arm from fingertip to elbow for about 15 seconds. It felt like the cold literally seeped into my bones and hurt clear up to my shoulder and neck. Only one person,Charles Joughin, reportedly survived the icy waters. According to his own report, he paddled and treaded water for nearly two hours before swimming to a lifeboat that was too full to hold him. He held onto the side, with his legs and feet still in the water, until another lifeboat appeared that could take him aboard.
The cold of the water made it all the more disconcerting to think that of the 1,178 lifeboat seats were carried aboard, 472 went unused. 472.
Speaking of lifeboats, you can sit in an actual size lifeboat and hear true passenger stories.
Finally, in the Memorial Room, you can learn your passenger’s fate. Surprisingly, all five of our passengers survived. One of our passengers, Millvena Dean, was the last remaining survivor of the Titanic. She died in May 2009.
It was with morbid curiosity and fascination that I realized, when our exit of the museum was delayed by a vow renewal ceremony on the Grand Staircase, that the Titanic Museum Attraction has packages available for proposals, weddings, and vow renewals. I had no idea that a ship that sank would provide a venue for such romanticism.
I would recommend the Titanic Museum Attraction to anyone visiting Branson, even if you know little of the Titanic history or aren’t much of a history buff, like me. Since returning home, we’ve actually watched two documentaries on the Titanic, spurred by Mister’s new curiosity about the fatal night. Connect with the Titanic Museum Attraction on Facebook and @TitanicUSA to learn about specials before you book your tickets.
This looks sooo interesting. Sounds like they make it really personal, which is cool. I love to learn about the REAL Titanic (not the biggest fan of the movie.) Sounds like you had a great trip!
I used to be obsessed with the Titanic! I Would love to see this!
This museum sounds fascinating! I love all of the hands on exhibits you mentioned and how they really let you feel like you were part of the story. I am sure that made it so much more intense than just going through a typical museum.