Titanic Museum - Heath Hawkins

I start every review this way. Let me start off by saying that I am a 70 year old trapped in a 28-year-old body. I say that because I am in love with Branson and always have been. I have vacationed in Branson almost every year since birth, and seen too many shows to remember. I consider myself a real Branson critic.

4-11-06 Heath Hawkins: My wife and I attended college at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal, MO. Now there is no question about who the most famous person from Hannibal, MO is. Mark Twain and his boyhood home have been immortalized in print for decades.

Not far behind Twain, Hannibal boasts to be home of another famous American. The “Unsinkable” Molly Brown. Her name also appears on tourist attractions around Hannibal. When I arrived in 1995 I have to admit that I really did not know much about her. In a busy high school history curriculum, her story was either one that was not covered or I had just forgotten. I assumed she was a local celebrity or maybe she was from one of Mark Twain’s many books. It was not until Kathy Bates portrayed her in the smash hit movie of 1997 that I discovered who Molly Brown was.

I must admit that I am a fan of this “chick flick.” I let my then girl friend, now wife, think she was dragging me to see Titanic five times. It was there that I learned that Molly Brown was one of the heroines from the tragedy on the open sea.

From that time on I became interested in knowing more about the Titanic. So many people lost their lives or lost someone very close to them on that ship.

I watched all the History and Discovery Channel specials. I like many wondered what it must have been like to be there as the band played on in the face of impending death. Would I have given up my seat on a lifeboat? How long could I have clung to the one I loved in those fringed waters?

In March of 2006 a brand new attraction and museum opened in the heart of Branson. This museum is for anyone with a curiosity about the Titanic. You will find nothing like this anywhere else in the world.

Museum owner Mary Kellogg Joslyn said, “We want our guests to come away from their Titanic experience with a sense of history as well as an increased awareness of what it was like to be a passenger aboard the ship or one of the heroic crew members who served them.”

You will not believe your eyes when you see the museum. It actually looks like the Titanic has docked right on Hwy 76. The museum/ship is built to a half scale replica of the original ship. Including the smokestacks, this two-story ship rises over 100 feet above Branson.

As unusual as the outside is, once inside it gets even better. The tour took my wife and I well over an hour, and we were in a bit of a hurry as Baby Jaron (3 months old) was not as big of a fan as we were.

The museum boasts of 400 rare artifacts that have a connection to the Titanic. Some are actual items that came from the ship itself. They assure you that all the memorabilia on display are things brought back by survivors or things recovered as debris from the ocean. A few of the items are also from the movie Titanic or they are things that were created in memory of the disaster.

When you arrive at the museum and get your ticket, you will also get a boarding pass with the name of a passenger or crew member on it. You will have the opportunity to read a little about your passenger. It makes the journey a little more personal because at the end of your tour, you will find your name engraved in the wall in a Titanic Memorial Room. There you will see if your person survived or perished.

You are greeted at the start of the museum by an 18-foot miniature replica of the ship. Complete with all the details you would find on the original. You really get a sense of the grandeur of the Titanic.

As you continue on through the winding corridors of this amazing structure you will get a first hand look at the Titanic through the eye of people aboard the ship. Hundreds of items from collectors are on display. Stanley Lehrer, the founder and publisher of the USA Today is one of the biggest collectors of Titanic memorabilia. Much of his collection as well as items from the collection of Craig Sopin are on display. More than 400 artifacts from the ship are available to you to view.

Of course every item is one of a kind. From the two deck chairs to the life vests that were actually warn by survivors are preserved for the public. You will also have the privilege to read correspondence from people on the ship written on actual White Star stationary. One of the most valuable pieces of history in the museum is a menu from the first class dining hall on the night the Titanic went down.

The museum also houses a hall of rare black & white photographs of the Titanic, including many pictures taken of passengers aboard the doomed ship. There are more than 100 pictures in the Father Browne Collection.

There are also lots of interactive exhibits that everyone will find fascinating. As you enter the museum, you can actually touch an iceberg. Throughout the tour there are opportunities to be involved. You can shovel coal into the ships boiler; ring the toll bell to alert the captain of impending danger. You can even try your hand at steering the ship on the bridge or step outside to experience 28 degrees on the front bow of the ship.

One room is completely interactive. Challenges there include: sending an SOS message, climb aboard a realistically sized lifeboat, try to balance on the deck of the Titanic as it slops like the ship did that tragic evening, or even plunge your hand into water the temperature of the ocean the night the ship sank. How long could you survive in the fringed waters?

Other exhibits include a movie in the theatre room about the building of the Titanic, with rare footage. And one very interesting exhibit that is not that old. If you saw the 1997 movie, you may remember seeing the wreckage at the bottom of the ocean. You were actually seeing a reproduction of what the ship looks like on the floor of the North Atlantic. The museum has that replica. It is so eerie to peer into this ghost ship.

Of all the things to see in the museum, I have my personal favorites. I found the exact reproductions of the tiny third class cabin with four tiny beds such a contrast to the opulence and space of the first class room with a large bed, fine furniture and detailing.

Who could forget the Grand Staircase? Recreated with such detail including the huge stained glass dome window in the ceiling. One could not leave without having a picture taken here. I predict this will become one of the most photographed spots in Branson.

There is a maid in costume standing at the staircase. I am not sure if she is knowledgeable about the history or if she is just there to answer basic questions and take pictures. This is one area that I think the museum could have developed further. It would have been really neat to have characters in costume throughout the ship to share more about what you are seeing. That would truly make this a unique experience.

The gift shop was filled with many specialty items. You could even buy a set of reproduction china from the White Star Titanic Cruse Line. There is something for everyone in the gift shop from coffee mugs to Titanic chocolate bars.

The crowd was heavy when we were there. If the parking lot is full when you arrive, I would suggest that you leave and come back when there is space to park. When the lot is full, it is a safe bet that the museum will also be packed. Everything is handicap accessible throughout. You can even take pictures of almost everything on display.

The admission price for the museum is about $17 for adults and $10 for children. I knew I would enjoy it, but I had doubts about the kids. As we toured through, the kids around us seemed to be having a good time, especially with the interactive exhibits. I did hear one mom say, “slow down, we paid good money to get in and I am going look at everything.” Over all, I think the kids will have an enjoyable time and they will undoubtedly learn something along the way.

Though I did not see much about Molly Brown on the tour, I did enjoy every minute. To experience this piece of history is an opportunity that I never expected to have. Branson is very lucky to have a piece of living history like the Titanic Museum.

Oh by the way, my passenger was in first class. He did survived. However, my wife’s was not a lucky. Her member of the Titanic crew did not make it. It was a very surreal experience. Will you live or will you perish?

You can’t miss it. The Titanic Museum is located right in the heart Hwy 76, at the intersection with Gretna Road. The museum opens at 9:00 a.m. every day of the week, year around. For more information visit titanicbranson.com or call the museum at (417) 334-8683. Tell them that Heath from the Branson Critic Online sent you.

What do you think? Your opinion is your opinion. Let me know at hhawkins@waynesville.k12.mo.us.
 

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