May 10, 2024
This is our last day in Branson. And we have but 1 ticket left to cash in. The time for our next adventure will be 11:00AM. We arose and loaded up the truck and checked out of the motel. While breakfast was included, we did not partake. I am not getting very excited about breakfast foods. We opted to try a diner very close to our adventure. It was called Jackie B Good’s. I actually had a pancake and a couple of eggs. But it was still breakfast food. After cooking it for three months it just doesn’t have the same appeal. After breakfast we landed at the Titanic Museum. We were given our Boarding Pass. Everyone gets a Boarding Pass. On the back of it is the name and picture of someone who was on the Titanic. It is interesting to see if you were a survivor or victim. At the end of the tour there is a wall with a list of the survivors. It also tells a little about them after the fact. There is also a wall with the names of all the victims. Nancy was a survivor. I was a survivor but also a member of the crew. I was on Life Boat 6 as was the Unsinkable Molly Brown. I was Frederick Fleet, who was the one who spotted the iceberg first and rang the bell. He was one of the lookouts. You could not take any photos downstairs but could once you went upstairs. The tour was self guided and you were given a device like a phone with a number pad, a small screen and a speaker. When you get to certain displays, you punch in the number and listen to the story about the display. Several of the audio portions were actual survivors talking about that fateful night. The first part of the tour were artifacts and told about the construction and launching of the ship. It also had displays of how the cabins were laid out and the size of hallways, etc. Once you finished downstairs, you met a crewman who moved a velvet rope and allowed you to go upstairs. It was an actual replica of the Titanic grand stairway. Once upstairs you continued your journey of the ship. They even had someone playing the piano at the top of the stairs. All of the employees were in period correct costumes. We went through the bridge, the deck in front of the bridge to look out over a dark sky. They had one interesting display about the steel that was used on the ship and how its chemical makeup may have been a contributing factor in how easily it ripped open. They had a large panel of actual steel hull to touch. So much to see and take in. It was an awesome experience. Just before exiting we had our pictures taken so they could then be superimposed onto a few different backgrounds. We did buy the digital version. There are two Titanic Museums. This one in Branson and the other is in Pigeon Forge, TN. Both were created and built and run by the people that discovered the wreckage of the Titanic and did the diving and collection of artifacts, etc. Highly recommend to visit one or both.
After the museum it was time to head home. On the way to fuel the truck, we passed an Amish Country Store. We stopped and looked around for a few minutes. We picked up a couple items like a bottle of Blueberry Balsamic Dressing. We fueled up and grabbed some lunch from a Chik-Fil-A and drove the 2 1/2 hours home. Our time at Branson was over but we are close enough that maybe an overnight trip might be forthcoming. There are still a couple of shows we want to see.
