What’s the Belfast-made Titanic doing in Knoxville, Tenn.?
It’s just a half-scale, three-deck recreation of the famous ship. It has 20 galleries displaying nearly 400 authentic artifacts from the ship saved by survivors and rescuers of the 1912 disaster.
The Titanic Museum also features full-size reproductions of third-class quarters, a first-class suite, dining rooms and a $1 million reproduction of the famous Grand Staircase.
“On your passenger boarding ticket, you will discover the story of an actual Titanic passenger and will follow their story throughout the exhibit. Each artifact has a unique story that relates directly to a passenger or crew member. When you approach the memorial room at the end of your 2 hour self-guided tour, you will discover the fate of your ticketed passenger,” says the web site.
Why Knoxville? Why not?
There’s already one in Branson. And one of its tourist lures is that couples can get married on the Grand Staircase there.
By David Wilkening
