Percy Bysse Shelley

Branson: The Illuminated Titanic Museum (courtesy: www.flickr.com)

Since the time I had known about Titanic, an Olympic class passenger liner and an architectural marvel of its kind, I have regretted the fact that I was not born during that time. It would definitely have been a dream experience to be part of such a historic voyage.

I have a couple of relatives living in Branson, Missouri, a popular location for vacationers and a city known for its fun loving people and unique architectural marvels. In spite of frequent invitations from them to visit Branson, I had never really given it a thought. However, this time when they extended an invitation to me, I just couldn’t resist it. You might wonder, what made me change my mind suddenly. Well just have some patience and I am sure you would come to know for yourself the reason for my sudden acceptance of the invitation.

Branson being known for its unique and widespread attractions, it was really difficult to decide where to start from. However, I had my mind set on one particular attraction and knew exactly where I wanted to go and so, I happened to visit the world’s largest and most recognized attractions, The Titanic Museum, right here at Branson, Missouri.

Branson: Room Showing Artifacts From Actual Titanic (courtesy: www.bransonattraction.com)

This museum that was set in April 2006, is supposedly one of the best reproductions of the glorified ship called Titanic, that has with time found its place along generations of bloodlines. With almost 20 rooms and a sq.ft. area of 16,000, the museum looks no less than the original creation. We were asked to enter through a stucco iceberg, especially wedged into the side of the ship, to provide a realistic experience that the actual passengers must have had at that time. I was amazed to find that we had actually been handed over boarding passes carrying the names of actual passengers or crew members, so that each of us could feel the agony that they might have gone through.

On our entry, we were welcomed by costumed men in double-breasted uniforms and women dressed as chambermaids. The sounds of dogs, barking from behind the doors and the muffled voices, take you way back down the memory lane and you find yourself lost into a completely different time zone. In order to ensure that you don’t miss on to any of the real time experiences, the museum houses nearly 400 artifacts, including things like, life vests, deck chairs, dining room menus, letters, pocket watches and many other things. One thing which really caught my eye was a dollar bill, which they said was carried by the Titanic’s barber.

Branson: The Grand Staircase In The Museum

Just like I had remembered watching in the movie, a grand staircase took us to the

Branson: Girl Shoving Coal Into The Furnace (courtesy: www.bestreadguide.com)

line of luxurious guest suites. The best part came when we were asked to hold ourselves straight on a series of sloping decks and have our hands immersed into a bowl of 28-degrees salt water, to check if we could withstand the freezing temperature, which unfortunately none of us did. It was then that I realized why the room had been rightly referred to as the Sinking Room and how the actual passengers must have felt in that sinking ship.

Besides, you can even get involved in some of the ship’s interesting activities like, shovel coal into the furnace and not miss out on the chance to have a real time experience of being a part of the ship’s activities.

Though the trip around the ship took most of my day, it was certainly something I couldn’t have afforded to miss. Plus, the branson-hotels took care of the rest of my tiredness. I guess now you do know the reason for my promptness in accepting the invitation!!