The Titanic Museum Hosts Secret Dinner Parties
Driving down a zigzagging, two-lane road, past thick stretches of forest with the Smoky Mountains peeking out from the background, I turn a corner, and a ship emerges. Not just any ship, but a near-perfect replica of the front half of the Titanic, complete with an iceberg striking the bow. And water spurting into the air.
It's a striking sight, for sure, but then again, just beyond it is a massive castle, an inn where it's Christmas year-round, and a towering King Kong climbing a cartoonish copy of the Empire State Building. No, I'm not tripping. This is Pigeon Forge, TN, home to Dollywood, wax museums, and every kind of tourist attraction imaginable - but I've got my sights set on the unsinkable ship that, tragically, sank more than 100 years ago. There's a secret dining room inside that serves a three-course meal worthy of the White Star Line, but only for groups of 35 or more.
Even diehard Titaniacs - the unofficial title of history buffs and Heart-of-the-Ocean-rocking fans of the 1997 movie alike - don't know about these dinner parties, which are held for corporate events or special parties. Some may not even know about this ship-shaped building, AKA the Titanic Museum. It's filled with artifacts and recreations from the renowned vessel, most pulled from the wreckage itself. (Its founders, husband-and-wife duo John Joslyn and Mary Kellogg, launched the museum after Joslyn produced a TV special on the ship's recovery.)
BOOK YOUR TRIP: Titanic Museum tickets, $29 and up; tripadvisor.com
There's a perfect recreation of the grand staircase, complete with gold leaf accents, as well as a third-class sleeping cabin (which slept four people in the space of the today's average walk-in closet), and a first-class sitting room. Recovered deck chairs, silverware, even fine china from the ship are displayed under glass, as well as the world's only collection of rare photographs from Titanic's maiden voyage. The place is so detailed James Cameron actually consulted with Kellogg and Joslyn when making his blockbuster movie.
When it comes to the secret dinner parties, no expense is spared. Servers are dressed formally, and giant floral arrangements tower over each linen-covered tablecloth. On the night I attended, I was crashing an equestrian club's awards banquet. They weren't Titaniacs, per se; just people looking for a fun alternative to the typical community hall. The Titanic Museum doesn't have a restaurant inside - the brand works with a local catering company to provide the food, hence why the dinners are only available to large parties for special events.
Our meal started with a loaded house salad, drizzled with ranch dressing, followed by mushroom-topped steak, chicken in a white wine cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and bacon-wrapped green beans. The grand finale? A fudgy, mousse-filled chocolate cake.
Naturally, I had to know: Was this dinner the very same as one served on the Titanic? Do people ever request to eat guests' last meal?
"No, that'd be dark," laughed executive event planner Christina Swemley.
The Titanic Museum walks a careful line. It'd be easy - particularly in this town full of dinner theaters - to go campy-veering-on-macabre, particularly with certain exhibits, like an outdoor deck that recreates how dark (and cold) it was the night the ship hit the iceberg. Instead, it's a sobering experience: In that moment, you understand how the captain could've failed to see the giant chunk of ice, and when you feel the 28-degree water, you understand how quickly people froze when submerged.
Kellogg and Joslyn take care to design every aspect of the place to create an immersive experience, helping people understand what life was really like on the ship. And the tragedy that befell it.
It all makes for the kind of night you'll never let go of - and maybe inspire you to replay the movie's soundtrack oh, at least twice on your hour-long drive back to the airport. Not that I know of anyone who did that.
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