I was surprised by many things during a recent visit to Branson. I was surprised how much I liked the town and its residents. And I was also surprised that my favorite attraction (of the ones we visited) would be the Titanic Museum.
At first blush the Museum seemed a little too corny. A museum about a ship sunken in the Atlantic located in a mid-western American city? And the museum is shaped like the ship itself, complete with the iceberg that sank it? Really?
Fortunately I overcame my original instincts to avoid the place and am very glad I bought those entry tickets, as this was a fascinating 3 hour visit. The museum covers two floors and gives a most comprehensive and gripping narrative about the Titanic and those aboard it. For example, did you know that the Titanic was primarily intended to be a mail ship between America and Europe? Did you know there were more than a half dozen dogs aboard when she sank? Or that the iceberg’s damage was not one of puncturing the steel plates of the ship, but rather of stripping off rivets which allowed water into the vessel?
The entire story of the Titanic unfolds — from it’s planning and design, construction and launch, to that single fateful journey from Great Britain to its end on the Grand Banks. Of course the human element of those passengers who traveled on her and those who served their guests needs is examined in some detail, including a look at who did and didn’t survive.
The fascinating story of the Titanic unfolds as you proceed through the museum, which is filled with hundreds of original artifacts and copies of the ship’s features (e.g. scale models of a bedroom in each of the three classes).
Photography inside the Museum is forbidden, so all I have to show you are these photos of the exterior, but I highly recommend a visit to this museum to those traveling to Branson.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
