While in Branson last week, I had the chance to visit the Titanic Museum, which is located on Country Highway 76, better known as the Strip.

The museum's exterior looks like the original ship, and at 100 feet tall, it is half the size of the original. It is anchored in a pool of water, which adds to the illusion that it is a real ship. Inside, you can walk up the beautiful replica of the original ship's Grand Staircase and touch the frozen surface of an "iceberg." One of the really unique things about the museum is that visitors—who are called passengers—are assigned the identity of a real passenger. Each person's ticket—or boarding pass—tells whether that person survived or died when the ship sank. I'm sure there were at least a couple of teddy bears on board, because there were a lot of kids on the ship.

While touring the ship, you can see how long you can hold your hand in ice water. Imagine how cold it was for the people who jumped into water that cold when the ship went down. I tried to put my paw in the water, but it just got soggy.

There are 400 artifacts in 20 different galleries in the museum. Mary Kellogg, one of the owners of the museum, said that the artifacts were either donated by survivors or purchased at auction over the years.

If you have questions, you may be get answers from the captain or crew members walking throughout the ship.