Pigeon Forge, Tennessee – trip report part 4 – Titanic museum
After successfully completing our timeshare sales pitch at Wyndham, we headed up to Sevierville to grab some lunch. Then it was merging into the never-ending traffic jam and heading back towards Pigeon Forge.
While heading up to our lunch destination, we knew that there was going to be at least some traffic on our return. That small estimation of traffic was off by a *bit* as we ended up being stuck in non-stop stop-and-go traffic all the way from Sevierville to the Titanic museum on the north side of Pigeon Forge. Okay, no big deal. We were ahead of schedule and not in a time crunch, so it was more of an annoyance than a problem.
TITANIC MUSEUM
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
When driving south on 441 and entering Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, it’s easy to spot the Titanic museum on the right side of the road. After all, it looks like the famous ocean liner. Technically, the version of the ship at the Titanic museum is only half-scale (meaning that the real ship is twice as big), but it still looks impressive from both the road and standing outside of it and gazing in awe at the structure.
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
Arriving in the parking lot, you’re greeted by a rather tranquil experience. Calm and peaceful music is playing over the loudspeakers, water is spilling over a small fountain near the front of the ship, and the ship itself appears to be resting and docked at a pier from the early 1900s. It’s a sensation of peace and relaxation in sharp contrast to the sheer horror and violence that the ship would later experience during its maiden voyage, and the death of so many passengers and crewmen in those icy cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
Pigeon Forge – Titanic museum – 2018
The outside of the building actually has two different scenes of the ship. First, there’s the ship in port waiting for its passengers and cargo. But when you walk around to the bow (front), you’ll see water and how a fountain splashes water on the bow, making it look like the Titanic is cruising at sea.
THE MUSEUM
The impressive theming continues when you approach the entrance and are greeted by employees dressed like workers on the Titanic. You’re given a card containing a particular passenger’s name and background (so you can look it up at the end and see if they lived or died), and you’re also given an electronic device to listen along during different parts of the self-guided tour.
Of course, the entrance also has a sign that I despise very much —- no photography. None. They don’t allow photography out of respect to the other guests visiting the museum, but they *do* let you take pictures later when you see the scale model of the Titanic built out of LEGOs. After that section though you’re back in the “no photography” zone.
As it was stated, the Titanic museum is a self-guided tour. You begin the museum and learn about the construction of the ship and various elements surrounding it. The tour winds its way and you learn about the sea trials and official launching of the ship, and you also learn plenty about various crew members and passengers. Along the way, you’re likely to encounter an employee or two re-enacting a crew member or worker from the Titanic, and it’s an opportunity to learn more about the ship or a particular event. All in all, the employees did a fantastic job with their appearance, accent, and general knowledge.
At one point in the tour you get to climb a recreation of the Grand Staircase and go to the upper part of the museum. Upstairs you learn more about the passengers before the museum goes into detail about the ship’s sinking on April 15, 1912. For me, the most fascinating experience was stepping out of the bridge and going to the railing of the ship. It’s a dimly lit room to simulate being out in the open sea at night. Off to the right is a giant slab of ice (yes, you can touch it) to simulate the iceberg. At the ship’s railing is a section of water cooled to around freezing. You can put your hand in the water and feel just how cold the water felt when the ship sank and so many people went into the ocean.
Pause for a few moments and keep your hand in the water. Close your eyes and try to imagine just how chaotic those few moments were out at sea in the middle of the night, nearly pitch black conditions, as hundreds of other people are splashing around you, fighting for a way to get out of that freezing cold water and survive. Your clothes are soaking wet, the extreme cold stings your body and extremities, and now the much heavier weight of your waterlogged clothes threatens to pull you under the waves. The cries of desperation and panicking slowly diminish over the next five to ten minutes as people die all around you, some from cardiac arrest, some from going into shock, and others simply from inhaling too much water and drowning. Never would those people have imagined their horrific deaths just three hours prior as they were safe on the ship and sleeping peacefully in their warm and comfortable beds.
Once you leave the bridge, the Titanic museum goes on to show more details concerning the sinking of the ship. One exhibit has decks at three different angles, letting you climb them and see just how difficult it was walking during those final minutes on the Titanic. Later exhibits focus on the survivors as well as the rescue efforts to save anybody else.
Titanic museum – LEGO scale model
Titanic museum – LEGO scale model
Titanic museum – LEGO scale model
Titanic museum – LEGO scale model
Near the end of the museum is a scale model of the Titanic built entirely out of LEGOs. They have the model on display and behind it is a giant screen. Stand there long enough and you’ll see an iceberg approach on the screen and make a simulated hit on the model. Then the lights dim and if you look down, you’ll see another model of the Titanic in two pieces, representing it broken in half and resting on the ocean floor. Make sure you stay here for a few minutes and see the entire presentation. This a great part of the museum. Kudos to the young boy who built the LEGO model by himself.
The Titanic museum concludes with the obligatory gift shop where you can purchase a variety of Titanic-related merchandise. Of course, they also sell copies of the 1997 movie as well. We bought a magnet for our fridge.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Titanic museum is a decent museum (I would have liked to have seen more artifacts), but a high-quality experience as a whole. Fans of the Titanic will love this place, and people with an appreciation for history (or ships/disasters/etc.) will thoroughly enjoy this experience as well. The music and theming for this museum take you back to not only the Titanic‘s maiden voyage in 1912, but to that classic era of early 1900s history and the glory days of ocean liners.
Is this museum worth the full price of admission? Not for me as I’m not a super-fan of the Titanic, but others will justify the price. I will say that the Titanic museum was well worth the sales pitch we attended earlier in the day.
After enjoying the Titanic museum, we headed further into Pigeon Forge and set our sights on the Alcatraz East crime museum.