26.11.12

Titanic Museum Visit


     The foghorn blared as we drove up to the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, MO. We received our boarding passes and entered the ship shaped museum for a glimpse back in time. 100 years ago the Titanic sailed for the first time and sank. The museum shares the stories of the actual passengers who were aboard then. In fact, the name of one of the passengers is on each of the boarding passes.

My pass was for Elizabeth Nye, a 29 year old second class passenger. 


     As we walked through the museum we watched for mention of the passengers listed on each of our boarding passes and at the end learned their fate when the ship sank. Joseph's passenger was the Reverend John Harper. One of the crew members recommended this you tube video to get a bigger glimpse of this amazing man. My daughter found a beautiful purse that was carried onto the lifeboat by the lady whose pass she held, ironically she escaped in her nightgown but managed to grab her purse!

     The crew members were knowledgeable about each of the passengers and along with several informative narratives, they easily conversed with us and answered our questions. We also each received an individual audio device as we boarded which was programmed to share about various artifacts and events on that tragic voyage. We spent several hours listening, reading, and looking at the pictures and memorabilia.

     One hands on exhibit let you experience the bitter coldness of the water and time how long you can tolerate one finger in it. There is also a chance to feel just what an iceberg feels like. Another room had sample decks set at various angles to represent how it felt as the ship was sinking. I found that a bit creepy to consider, but it was one of my son's favorite parts.

     My oldest daughter shared that she liked seeing the various items that different people took off the ship with them. She also enjoyed the discussions with the staff/crew members. She tried tapping Morse code SOS in dots and dashes.

     When we first entered, the huge model exhibit gave a hint of the size and details of the actual ship. First class staterooms were recreated and looked like fancy bedrooms, but the third class rooms were cramped with four tiny beds smaller than our top bunk in the camper.

     One display shared about Molly Brown, though the crew member shared that much of what was said about her during her lifetime was not true. I'm interested in watching the movie, now.

     Pictures weren't allowed, but you can see some at their website.

   
     Disclaimer: We were given tickets for our family of five in exchange for sharing about our experience. No other compensation was provided.
Jennifer

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11/26/2012

    Fun post. I've been to Branson several times but not in the last few years, so this is a newer attraction. Were you there for Christmas shows?
    I saw Debbie Reynolds in the Unsinkable Molly Brown years ago... pretty Hollywood but fun in parts. Later seeing The Titanic, reference to Molly Brown seemed a lot tamer, so not sure if the movie of her life was all correct either. But I think the overall flavor of it was. Thanks for sharing... Pam, Apples of Gold, http://wordglow.wordpress.com

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    1. We have enjoyed some Christmas shows and seen a lot of pretty lights. Now I need to see some reviews of that movie before we watch it with the kids. We haven't watched The Titanic with the kids, though we watched it when it first came out.

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