Titanic Permanent Museum

[augusta]

I hope many of you were fortunate enough to have seen the traveling exhibit of the Titanic when it was, uh, traveling around. It was really great.

I picked up a pamphlet a couple weeks ago announcing the opening of its permanent place - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!

It seems strange that its final home is there. I guess they had the room, the tourist traffic, and the money to do it.

They say they rebuilt the famous staircase to scale, and you can feel what it felt like to steer the ship's wheel. Their website is at: www.titanicpigeonforge.com

[Tina-Kate]

I felt like a total loser. I went down on the next-to-last day it was in Toronto...only to find they'd packed up early & left. I guess they didn't have the turn out they expected.

I'm still ticked about it.

[kssunflower]

Basically the same thing happened to a friend and I when the exhibit came through KC. We got the dates mixed up and tried to go one day after it ended and were very disappointed. And to think now it's out in the foothills of the Smokies, an area I used to travel to frequently while in Georgia.

[Fargo]

Now I have to get a laminated road map of Tennessee as well.

[Mouschter]

Had to jump in on this one..
I have been a Titanicaphile since I was 7 and saw the pilot episode of "Time Tunnel" which has led me to a BA in History and beyond. This is not the first Titanic permanent exhibition, there have been two in existence for a number of years, one in Orlando and one in Branson. But truly the first place to start American Titanic tourism is almost in Lizzie Borden's backyard: just head a few hours west to Indian Orchard, MA outside of Springfield and visit the Titanic Historical Society Museum in an unprepossessing backroom in a jewelry store owned by Edward Kamuda, the dean of American Titanic scholarship and publisher of the Titanic Commutator.
I have been to the Orlando attraction, but not the Branson one. Last year I went to Indian Orchard for the 2nd time and discovered that the new facility will have the THS's blessing. This is important, for the Kamudas are of the opinion(as is discoverer Robert Ballard) that no salvaged artfacts since the discovery should ever be exhibited. So bear in mind that the traveling exhibitions(as well as Orlando and Branson I think) DO contain what many people feel are items pilfered from a grave site. Would we dive on the USS Arizona to salvage dead sailors buttons? We go to museums all over the world and view Egyptian tomb items. How long is the cutoff date? I honestly don't know...The Titanic salvagers offered Titanic coal from the debris field in the 1990's for $25 a pop and I admit I was tempted when I was younger. The salvagers argue that in 50 years the wreck will have desinegrated so salvage now or it will be lost forever. I haven't come to terms with it myself, but bear in mind you are making an ethical decision when you decide which attraction to see...
Well, I've been too serious and have left out all the fun parts. Most of these attractions have recreated staterooms, the Grand Staircase, and make good use of optical illusions. For example, in Orlando you can go out on a darkened deck(with stars up above and the authentic cold temperature) and thru the use of mirrors on both ends it looks real. I also saw the same effect used in a traveling exhibit done with the bunkers in the engine room.
There are usually actors playing various individuals from the voyage. In Orlando I had a great conversation with a Captain EJ Smith clone. Unlike the one from Cameron's "Titanic" he was the spitting image...

[kssunflower]

Yes, I did forget there's one in Branson, Missouri - not too far from me.

[Stefani]

I have one of those pieces of coal. I bought it at the traveling exhibit in Tampa years ago. There is another traveling exhibit at Foxwoods here in New England.

It is going on now. Here is the link for those who wish to go there.

http://www.foxwoods.com/titanic.aspx

[Fargo]

Okay, so maybe I won't have to get a laminated road map of Tennessee, we will see.

[augusta]

I have a piece of coal, too. I got mine thru a published ad. Mine was $30 and it came with a plastic case that had my name engraved on it (I'm not sure why they did the engraving ...). It also came with a long video on when George Tulloch (the millionaire car dealer who somehow was awarded the rights to the Titanic wreck) was on the expedition and they lugged the hunk of coal on board their vessel.

I had no idea there was a Titanic museum in Florida! Seeing the stars and feeling the night air as it was that night would be great. I didn't know there was one in Branson, either. Nor the traveling one in New England. (Thanks for the link, Stef.)

I've been to the one in Springfield/Indian Orchard, Mass., in the back of Henry's Jewelry Shop. Met Ed Karmuda, who was out there working on a watch, and talked a lot with his sister, Karen, who was minding the shop that day. She showed me a lot of photos of them making the James Cameron movie in Mexico, of which she said Ed Karmuda was in. I don't know what part he is in, but she said he had to wear a 1912 suit. Haven't seen him yet! The movie hadn't come out yet, and I was saying, "Leo De WHO?" I was a member of his Titanic Historical Society for several years. Their magazine, The Commutator, was excellent.

There was one in Ohio, but it only had a couple of really good things in it. Mostly it was one old guy's collection of anything that had Titanic written on it. He did have a bottle, still corked, of something that was brought up for the Telly Savalas Titanic show (where they opened the purser's safe live). I don't even know if the museum is still there.