Historic education is critical for young children, but keeping them entertained at history museums can prove decidedly difficult. The best exhibits include interactive features that allow young visitors to play an active role. Pigeon Forge’s Titanic Museum Attraction offers several such exhibits, which are thought-provoking for children and adults alike. The following are among the exhibits and activities most worth exploring as you visit Titanic with your family:
1. A Night at the Titanic Museum Flashlight Tour
Saturday night brings a unique experience to the Titanic Museum Attraction, complete with a variety of myths and legends that will keep you and your loved ones on your toes. The attraction’s flashlight tours begin at 9 pm and are led by knowledgeable staff members. Before your journey begins, you’ll receive a complimentary Titanic flashlight to help you navigate the attraction in the dark. You’ll emerge with a better sense of the true Titanic experience — and the desire to return during the day to learn more.
2. The World’s Largest Lego Titanic
Photo: @sissymama
Impress the Lego fanatic in your family with a visit to the giant Lego ship on display at Titanic Museum Pigeon Forge. The story behind this creation may, in fact, be more impressive than the structure itself. Crafted by a 10-year-old boy with autism, this 26-foot ship represented a true labor of love. It took this talented youngster eleven months and a little help from his grandfather to create what is now one of the Titanic Museum Attraction’s most memorable features.
Prior to arriving in the Smoky Mountains, this storied structure made its way through Germany, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Both the kids and adults who view this Lego creation at its current Pigeon Forge home are inevitably impressed, but it’s especially a valuable sight for kids, who are reminded that they can accomplish great things regardless of the challenges they face.
3. Interactive Cold Water Experience
Most people are well aware of the cold conditions Titanic victims were subjected to on that fateful night in 1912, but few can truly understand just how frigid these waters really were. Titanic Pigeon Forge sheds light on this horrific experience by granting visitors a small taste with an interactive cold water exhibit. Discover the true concept of ice-cold water and imagine what it might be like to have most of your body immersed in such conditions. Just a moment with this experience will really drive the point home and give you a new appreciation for what the disaster’s survivors endured.
4. Unique Boarding Passes
Unless we’re watching blockbuster films, we tend to forget that actual people with hopes and dreams boarded the Titanic, often in search of a new life. The attraction’s unique boarding passes grant visitors a deeper relationship with the many travelers who boarded the ship over a century ago. This boarding pass accompanies you throughout your entire journey; eventually, you will discover whether your assigned passenger survived the disaster. By comparing notes with fellow visitors, you’ll gain a better sense for the true human toll this catastrophe prompted. Your kid may find it easier to connect with the emotional element of the disaster if he or she is able to follow stories such as those printed on the attraction’s boarding passes.
5. Titanic Scavenger Hunt
Titanic Pigeon Forge may be entertaining, but it is, above all else, a learning experience. The attraction offers a scavenger hunt that allows young visitors to take an active part in learning about this disaster. Later, they can reinforce their newly-gained knowledge by looking back at the scavenger hunt results and recalling all they’ve seen and experienced. Answers are available on the Titanic Museum Attraction’s website.
Whether your primary objective is to teach your kids about a key historical event or keep them entertained for an afternoon, you’ll find plenty to appreciate about the Titanic Pigeon Forge attraction. Make the most of the attraction’s permanent exhibits or stop in for a special event; either way, your entire family will emerge with a greater understanding of a landmark 20th-century event — and a greater appreciation for life in general.
