Wallace Hartley Violin at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Recently, we made it down to Pigeon Forge to check out the Titanic Museum.  Right now, they have the Wallace Hartley violin on display!

AND, they have a VIP ticket you can get that gives you some very personal access to the violin and it includes a guided tour of the museum with a crew member (ask for Jodi if you go, I am sure everyone is great, but we LOVED Jodi!). 

We got to the museum at 8:30 am, the start time for the VIP tour but still half an hour earlier than the actual time the place opens.  We were greeted with much enthusiasm when we came in.  In fact, the staff was so friendly we felt a little embarrassed!  My wife and I both felt like VIPs (and blushed a little) when the men in their dressy White Star Line uniforms saluted and the ladies in their black dresses curtsied as we walked into the museum.  That alone was a sweet and special experience.

We were given our boarding pass with the name of a person on the Titanic.  At the end of the tour, you got to see if the name on the pass survived or not, and you could get more information on their life.  I was excited to see that, for the day I got to be Captain Smith, though I was also a little let down, as I already knew of his fate.

Once inside, Jodi escorted us to the second floor for a private viewing of the Wallace Hartley Violin.  Photos are not allowed inside of the museum, but you are allowed to take pictures of the violin if you purchase the VIP ticket.

There is something very exciting about taking a photo of a legendary relic yourself.  Sure, you still get to see the violin with the standard ticket at the Titanic Museum, but it was very nice getting to see it up close before the museum officially opened!

ALSO- This is simply one of the most exciting museum pieces on display anywhere right now!  It will be at the Pigeon Forge site until July 27th and it will be in Branson for two weeks after that.  Then, it will be auctioned off.  After that, it may never be shown publicly again.  Think about that!

The fact that this violin exists at all is also very special.  We all know the legendary story of the band playing as the Titanic went down.  Well, this instrument produced the last sounds some of those individuals heard.

I could go on and on about this exciting and emotional item.  You could hear whispers in the museum calling this the last survivor of the Titanic.  I personally think there is something to be said for a musical instrument having a soul.....

After we took photos and admired the violin as long as we felt appropriate, we started our tour of the entire museum with Jodi back on the first floor.

We would have bought the VIP tickets even without the personal Wallace Hartley Violin experience!  Having a knowledgeable guide at this fantastic site was mind blowing!  We are still digesting all of the information!  Our tour lasted about 3 hours and Jodi told us tales the entire time, only stopping during the 6 minute film and when other guides did their presentations.  I tried to stump her with tough questions but she answered them all!

The Titanic Museum did not disappoint when it came to actual relics from the ship.  My favorites included a couple of stuffed animals associated with children on the ship. 

I also appreciated the attention to detail in the displays.  Many items had mirrors behind them, so that you could see back detail- like an engraving or a postmark on the back of a postcard.

Some of the displays not related to the actual ship were amazing too.  Of course there are many movie props.  I enjoyed the wall sized enlarged photos showing where the Titanic was built.  It really gave a feeling of being at that spot on Queen's Island.

At the end of our marathon tour with Jodi, we were exhausted, but we wanted more!  Even though we have visited the travelling Titanic exhibits 3 times and know a good amount about the ship and its fate, we realized there was still more to know.  In fact, there is still a lot of room for research.  There are still mysteries surrounding many of the passengers, and mysteries about the wreck itself that researchers in the future might discover.

As Jodi told us the stories of various passengers, I told her I felt that another movie, a FACTUAL one could be made to top any previous film.  She suggested an entire series.  At various points on our tour we joked "there's ANOTHER episode"!

Before leaving the museum, we picked up some books in the gift shop AND a limited edition (of only 250) poster that was included with our VIP ticket.

So make sure you get to see the Wallace Hartley Violin while you can and pop for the VIP ticket!  It is a special experience.  Though, now that I have been there for the violin, I am excited to find another excuse to go again soon!