I’ve been wanting to visit the Titanic in Pigeon Forge for a while. Our Marketing Director had heard that the Pigeon Forge Titanic attraction was a great experience and our team thought it would be beneficial to check it out and let you know what it‘s like. Two of us ended up going. I was really excited about all of the fun we would have at the Titanic in Pigeon Forge, but as soon as I arrived I knew that this experience would be different. The Titanic in Pigeon Forge isn’t like any of the other Pigeon Forge attractions.
I pulled up with a huge smile on my face but as soon as I stepped out of my vehicle I noticed the gentle lull that the beautiful music being played in the parking lot of the museum brought to the crowd. This was no ordinary Pigeon Forge attraction. The Pigeon Forge Titanic serves as a memorial of sorts. It reminds us of the lives lost because of one of the most infamous shipwrecks in history.
I want to point out that the mood isn’t sad or dark, it’s just respectful. The staff does an excellent job at helping people understand the importance of our beloved Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge.
Upon entering we were each given a boarding pass. It had a name of a real Titanic passenger on it. At the end of our trip we would find out if our passenger survived the Titanic shipwreck. I was given the name Bertha Moran. Bertha was 22 when she boarded the Titanic as a 3rd class passenger.
Walking into the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge we were immediately introduced to the story of the beautiful Titanic ship. We saw pictures of how it was made, the crew, passengers boarding, items aboard, and more. We got to see first hand some of the beautiful table settings onboard the Titanic, and the menu which include caviar (we both grimaced at the thought.)
During our Pigeon Forge Titanic museum tour we learned random facts like how many animals were on board the ship, and how many baths were available to all of the 3rd class passengers (only two.)
In the middle of our Titanic museum tour we encountered the grand staircase that is well known for being the staircase that the beautiful Rose came down as she met her family for a meal in the movie Titanic. Most people who have seen the movie know the scene.
We also visited several rooms that represented different parts of the Titanic ship. We saw a lounge for first class passengers, a room that reminded me of a small ballroom, and the bridge of the ship where children took turns steering.
The rarest of items that we encountered during our visit to the Pigeon Forge Titanic museum is the only lifejacket actually tied to a passenger on the Titanic during the shipwreck according to museum owner Mary Kellogg-Joslyn. The lifejacket went to the wife of the richest man aboard the ship, Madeleine Astor. The piece is reportedly insured for 1 million dollars.
My favorite part of the Pigeon Forge Titanic museum experience was getting to touch a real iceberg. It was probably twice my size, tough, and very cold. Then, we got the opportunity to put our hands in freezing cold water. I put both in for just a few seconds. It was so cold that our hands hurt for a good 30 seconds after we took them out of the water. The Titanic crew member that assisted us let us know that passengers had about 15 minutes swimming in that water before hypothermia attacked their bodies.
The museum featured fun learning stations for children that I found myself highly intrigued by. Even though I was wearing high heels, I climbed the example bows of the ship that were set at differing angles based on how the ship sank. I couldn’t climb the third bow. It was way too steep.
Once we learned about the sinking of the ship it was time to find out if our passenger survived. Bertha, my persona, lived. Unfortunately my friend’s person did not survive the Titanic shipwreck.
After we learned of our persona’s fate on the Titanic ship we were given a glimpse into the exploration of the shipwrecked Titanic. We were shown the video discovery of the Titanic and got to play with simulated underground exploratory computers.
Once we finished our tour of the Titanic in Pigeon Forge we came upon the gift shop. We decided to browse around and came upon a very interesting piece of jewelry. It was a cheap faux rendering of the necklace in the movie Titanic. I was told by a crew member that the story of the diamond in the movie is not a true one. Still, the shop had a real necklace that cost over $100 that could be purchased. They also had a rare one of a kind necklace made of Saphire that is valued at over $250,000. We asked if it could be purchased and the answer was no. Someone had already tried, and failed.
You might also enjoy this post:
Pigeon Forge 2010 Events
