Inside Look: The Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge TN

Join us as we take an inside look at what to expect when you visit the Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge!

Meredith: Hi, I’m Meredith with Visit My Smokies and today we’re about to board the Titanic Museum right here in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Come along and let’s take an insider’s look.

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Hello, welcome to the Titanic Museum attraction. Now I’m representing one of your first class passengers. My name is Margaret Tobin Brown, but you probably know me as the unsinkable Molly Brown. Today as you enter the museum, you are a guest, but as you leave you’re going to be a passenger so I took the privilege of making you one of my friends on the Titanic. One of the richest ladies on board, Madelyn Aster. So today, we’re gonna take a voyage through the ship as first class passengers. Are you ready?

Meredith: I am. I couldn’t help but to notice, coming in from outside, the ship is massive. Is this to scale?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: No, actually the exterior of the ship is half scale. Now, the rooms inside are full scale. We were able to use the original blueprints.

Meredith: So does everyone get a card or am I special?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Oh you are special, but everyone does get a card.

Meredith: So this is a very interactive place.

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Very. The children love the Titanic.

Meredith: One of the questions I do have for you is the artifacts that we’re about to see. Are they actual artifacts or are they just replicas?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: No, they’re actual Titanic artifacts. We have over 400 artifacts valued at $4 million.

Meredith: So they were on the Titanic?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Everything was on the Titanic. Anything you see in glass or under cases are true Titanic artifacts. This is a beautiful cut out and all the different passengers and the grand staircase, first class dining. Of course, we did have pianos on board. We have five pianos, and then over here is the actual voyage, the actual route that the Titanic took during the maiden voyage.

Meredith: You have quite a few artifacts here. Where did you get these from?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: The artifacts – they were either found floating in the ocean, came off victim’s bodies or carried off by survivors. It’s amazing what was found in the trunks as they were floating.

Now, the grand staircase is to scale. The entire rotunda is just like you were on the ship and, of course, the most expensive part of the staircase is the floor and it was a brand new invention called “linoleum.”

Meredith: It’s absolutely beautiful.

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: It’s gorgeous. It’s the heart of the ship.

Meredith: I understand that there’s a lot of interactive things as well as the artifacts. Can you tell me a little bit more about the interactive part?

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Well everyone’s favorite is the Promenade Deck. You walk out and there’s an iceberg. It draws moisture from the air and grows so you’re able to touch that and then stick your hand over the handrail and we have 28 degree salt water. So you can imagine what it was like to plunge into that water on the night the Titanic went down.

Of course, we have the Captain’s Bridge. All the young boys like to come in here because they get to steer the ship. They also have the Tot-Titanic area where the little ones have a smaller version of the Captain’s Wheel. We have a puzzle, an electronic polar bear for everyone to talk to so just think of your favorite questions and Polar might be able to answer it.

Meredith: I love that when you’re in the museum you feel like you’re actually on the ship as if you were there with the running water that was happening over there as if you were in third class. You can feel the history in this place.

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Now we’re gonna head to the Memorial Room. This is where you’ll find out your fate. I will tell you that you are one of the lucky ones. You do survive and, of course, I’m the unsinkable Molly Brown so I also survived.

But you know, when we struck the iceberg and sank, time stopped. It stopped for the Titanic, just like this watch. It was found on a victim’s body. Stopped at 2:36 in the morning and every day that’s what I do. I stop time and I tell about the passengers that were on board. Not just the unsinkable Molly Brown, but all of them and that’s our way of honoring them every day.

Meredith: Well I thank you for your knowledge and your hospitality to allow us to come in here and just get a little glimpse. If you’re ever in the area, Smoky Mountains, please visit the Titanic Museum. It’s not something you want to miss. Thank you, Molly!

Titanic’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown: Oh, thank you!

For more information about all things to do in the great Smoky Mountains, please head over to VisitMySmokies.com, and if you have any ideas regarding attractions that you would like us to go and check out for you, just leave a comment below. Thank you so much for watching. Take care! Bye bye.