February is for lovers. Warm fires in a Great Smoky Mountain cabin and stories that make you want to snuggle even closer. The true story of the RMS Titanic and the passengers on the ship that went down on April 14, 1912, is one that will make you hold tight to your loved ones and perhaps inspire joy with the heartwarming tales of heroism and sacrifice for love. Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge offers an experience like no other to learn about the voyage of the ship that was deemed “unsinkable.”
Located at 2134 Parkway in Pigeon Forge, Titanic Museum is hard to miss. The ship-building was designed half-scale to the original luxury cruise liner, which was 882 feet in length, and at the time, the largest man-made moving object on Earth. The museum ship seems to be in motion cutting through the sidewalks and onto the streets of Pigeon Forge – towering above and beckoning visitors.
Titanic Museum Attraction: Cedar Bay Entertainment LLC owns and operates the Titanic Museum Attractions in Branson, MO and Pigeon Forge, TN. Cedar Bay is a privately owned-and-operated entertainment and development company and headquartered Branson, MO, the site of its first Titanic Museum Attraction. Get discount tickets here as a guest American Patriot Getaways!
“Unsinkable”
“There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers,” words spoken by Phillip Franklin, White Star Line vice-president, 1912, according to BBC.com.
The rust-colored remains rest in two parts, the stern around 2,000 feet (600 metres) from the bow and facing in opposite directions.
More than 1,500 people – 70% of the passengers and crew – perished on that night. The ship – the most luxurious at the time – sank within three hours. Learn why as you tour through 20 rooms and listen to passenger stories. Feel the icy water, hear the captain’s commands on deck, send an SOS.
“Feel their spirit presence in the galleries where over 400 personal and private artifacts are on display. Many are on display for the first time in the world. This collection is valued at more than $4.5 million,” according to the Titanic Museum Web site.
Be a Passenger
Each guest entering Titanic receives a boarding pass for an actual Titanic passenger or crew. You are first class or third class or perhaps an ensign or a maid.
Inside the ship, “passengers” and “crew” experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, cabins and Grand Staircase of the Titanic while surrounded by more than 400 artifacts directly from the ship and its passengers. Visitors touch a real iceberg, walk the exact replica Grand Staircase and third-class hallways, reach their hands into 28-degree water, and try to stand on the sloping decks.
Walking through the ship is a romantic trip through the museum as you take the self-guided tour and learn how your passenger ate, slept, worked and played on the voyage, a trip of a lifetime. The Titanic, a White Star Liner ship, set sail from Southampton, England and was headed to New York City when it hit an iceberg about 370 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Rare Artifacts on Temporary Display
Through April 10, two additional and rare artifacts are on display at the Pigeon Forge museum. Titanic survivor Helen Churchill Candee gave a silver brandy flask and a pendant – a family heirloom – to a Edward Kent as he escorted her to the lifeboats. Mrs. Candee believed Mr. Kent would survive before she would. The items were in Kent’s jacket pocket when his body was recovered from the cold sea.
The flask and the pendant remained in the Candee family until her granddaughter put the brandy flask up for auction at the Henry Aldridge & Son Auction House in England. Both artifacts will remain at the museum until April 10. They will then be auctioned off in London, according to a Titanic Museum press release.
Your Ticketholder’s Fate
At the end of your two-hour Titanic journey, discover your passenger or crew’s fate in the Titanic Memorial Room where 2,208 names line the wall.
Among the passengers and crew were some famous folk and more than one love story.
The passengers included Isidor and Ida Strauss, German-Jewish immigrants and co-owners of Macy’s department store, almost always traveled together. Isador was offered a seat in a lifeboat but he refused to disobey the order of women and children first. Ida, in turn, would not leave her husband, reportedly saying, “Where you go, I go.”
Financier John Jacob Astor IV, who was the great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. He helped build the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and died on Titanic.
Margaret Brown, known after her death as “the unsinkable Margaret Brown,” was a child of Irish immigrants and an American socialite after marrying J.J. Brown and he discovered a significant gold mine and they became millionaires. As her nickname implies, Mrs. Brown survived.
Benjamin Guggenheim – heir to the Guggenheim family and known as the “Silver Prince” for his mining leadership of the precious medal. The Hartford Courant wrote of him:
Capt. Edward John Smith – the ill-fated first and only captain of Titanic. He went down with the ship.
The Band on board also was famous – though posthumously (Brailey, Bricoux, Hartley, Hume, Krins, Taylor and Woodward). They were seen as heroes because they played to keep the passengers calm as the ship was sinking.
Honeymooners, Brides to Be, Sweetheart Month
Among the 24 honeymooners were, John and Nelle Snyder and Victor and Maria Peñasco Y Castellana – all in their early twenties. Maria and her maid were secured in a lifeboat and were rescued. Victor perished but his body wasn’t found. A law in Spain required 20 years to pass before a person could be declared dead if no body was produced. Maria had to have created a false death certificate and funeral in order to inherit her husband’s fortune.
The Snyders were among some couples on Titanic who were allowed to get on a lifeboat despite the only women and children order. They survived and lived long lives in Minnesota.
Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge is honoring all the couples and brides to be during February – Sweetheart Month. In the spirit of the love on board, at the Titanic Museum, you can propose, get married, or renew your vows on the Grand Staircase – an exact replica of the breathtaking centerpiece of the actual ship, according to “Titanic, The Artifact Exhibition.”
Grand Staircase
The heart of the ship, the Grand Staircase descended seven of the Titanic’s 10 decks and included oak wall paneling, elaborate railings and iron scrollwork. Wide, sweeping steps and landings provide a spectacular area where the original guests of the RMS Titanic made their appearances. Surprises await – such as what the floor was made of – something considered most expensive for 1912 – the museum site declares.
Don’t you think February is the perfect time to declare your romantic intentions?
Along with knowing your passenger walked the Grande Staircase, find out what your passenger’s quarters were like – did he have a full view and a private promenade? Did she stay in a bunk room with other passengers? Were meals served in a grand dining room or in steerage? With whom did he dine?
Meals aboard Titanic varied by class. First-class passengers feasted every meal on delicacies such as foie gras pate and Waldorf pudding. Dinners consisted of up to 13 courses with wine-pairings and lasted four or five hours.
Third-class passengers, on the other hand, ate more simply on hearty meals such as stews, roast pork, biscuits and boiled potatoes, according to History.com
A first-class menu – and sold at auction for $88,000 – was recovered for lunch on April 14, 1912. There was poached Atlantic Salmon topped with a rich mousseline sauce. There was filet mignon, chicken Lyonnaise, lamb with mint sauce, roast duckling, creamed carrots, Waldorf pudding and French ice cream. Followed by cigars, coffee and port for the gentlemen.
Kid-friendly, Too!
So you wanted a romantic getaway, but feel bad leaving the kids out of the fun of The Great Smoky Mountains? Kids are absolutely welcome at the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge.
There’s lots to do and see including a 56,000 Lego brick display!
A 10-year-old autistic boy from Iceland had a dream to build the world’s largest Titanic model with LEGO® bricks. It took 11 months. The Titanic Museum the boy’s masterpiece on display for its USA debut, as an exclusive, featured attraction.
Of course, the big kids love this display too! It is awe inspiring.
Book Your Romantic Getaway
Ready to head to your romantic vacation in a beautiful Smoky Mountain cabin and visit the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge? Check out Pigeon Forge cabins for couples and discount tickets for our guests, including the Titanic Museum.
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