Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN
When I learned that I had won a free family pass to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN, I was pumped! I love winning free stuff, and I love the Titanic. And I adore the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area. That started the fun search for a cabin and plans for our vacation. Thanks to MNMSpecial for hosting the awesome giveaway!
Proud of the great time we were making on our way to Pigeon Forge, we assumed we’d be there by 4 pm. We were so wrong. About three miles away from the Titanic Museum, traffic hit a stand-still. So, for the next thirty minutes, we debated what we should do. We’d already made reservations for the tour, so we couldn’t change those. And Miss Sasssy Pants had a surprise awaiting her after the tour (we were taking her to Joe’s Crab Shack).
We continued on and finally reached the Titanic Museum. What I wasn’t expecting was the wait in line. I understand that they try to stagger the amounts of people who come in at a time since it’s a self-guided tour, but I would have liked to have known that ahead of time. I’m such a planner, and I definitely checked the site for all the FAQs. This wasn’t listed there at all. With a hungry, tired toddler, it would have been good to know ahead so I could have given him a snack.
That was probably the ONLY complaint I have. Otherwise, despite our frustrated 19 month old, we really enjoyed our experience.
The highlights of our tour:
- For a small extra fee, you can rent an audio device that will help you with your guided tour. The added bonus is that they even have tracks specifically for children. Miss Sassy Pants found this exhilarating.
- The staff is all dressed in period clothing as if they are part of the Titanic crew. I loved this, and I loved those that really stayed in character with accents, etc.
- At the beginning of the tour, we were asked to line up shoulder-to-shoulder so that we could be greeted by the captain. He was really great at introducing himself and talking about the boarding passes we’d each been given. These passes included the name and information of a person who was actually on the Titanic. By the end of the tour, we were able to find out who had survived and who had not made it through that fateful night.
- They had a really cool “iceburg” that we could touch. Additionally, we were able to put our hands in 28 degree water to feel what the Titanic passengers would have felt if they’d fallen into the water.
- There were multiple “kid” areas and ways to keep their interest. For the Animal, it was difficult, but they did have some trivia spinning wheels that he enjoyed spinning. In fact, if anyone else touched it, he got VERY angry. Miss Sassy Pants enjoyed testing her knowledge of the tour with these as we went along.
- One room housed a huge timeline of the night the ship sank. As I am a very linear and visual person, I appreciated this display. Aaron and I stood in awe (for as long as we could) and thought about how long the passengers did and didn’t have.
- The Titanic Museum even had three small Titanic bows at different angles for the kids to try to stand on. To see the final angle – when the boat was obviously sinking – seriously put things into perspective. Miss Sassy Pants thought it was funny to try to climb it. In a few more years, I suppose she’ll understand how frightening that would have been for someone realizing that their life could be ending very soon.
Overall, I highly recommend the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. Aaron and I kept saying that had we been able to take more time, we would have enjoyed it even more. But even at a kid’s impatient pace, we saw and learned a lot.
Our tickets to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN, were won via a giveaway. I was under no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.
