Visiting a museum is a great family vacation activity – especially on a rainy day! Gatlinburg, Tennessee is home to a variety of awesome museums that showcase everything from famous cars to salt and pepper shakers. To help you make the most of your next getaway, Chalet Village has put together a guide to four awesome museums in Gatlinburg TN.
1. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium
Much like the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not books and TV series, Ripley’s Odditorium is dedicated to anything and everything that is out of the ordinary. Located in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg, this unique museum features 500 exhibits and artifacts that celebrate the unusual, weird, and bizarre. Guests will have the chance to see oddities from around the world, including an ostrich skeleton, shrunken heads, and cannibal skulls. With three floors and 16 themed galleries to explore, it’s easy to spend the whole afternoon at Ripley’s.
(See Also: 5 Thing We Love About Visiting Gatlinburg in the Summer)
2. Guinness World Records Adventure
The Guinness World Records Adventure is another one of the best museums in Gatlinburg TN. This popular attraction is all about the incredible feats and stunts that have made their way into the famous Guinness Book of World Records. Highlights of the newly remodeled museum include the world’s largest Pac-Man game, seats from Wrigley Field, Joe Louis’s championship belt, and a wall dedicated to Peyton Manning. In addition to all of these amazing artifacts, the Guinness World Records Adventure also features around 50 interactive exhibits and challenges that allow families to compete against one another. Guests will even have the chance to set their very own record!
3. Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum
The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum is a can’t-miss stop for any vacation in Gatlinburg. Situated in Winery Square, this one-of-a-kind museum is home to over 20,000 sets of salt and pepper shakers! The museum has its origins in a private collection belonging to Andrea Ludden, an archeologist who started buying unique salt and pepper shakers as a hobby. When Andrea and her husband Rolf ran out of shelf space in their home for all of the shakers, they decided to move their collection to a museum for everyone to enjoy.
Visitors to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum will marvel at all of the creatively designed shakers. Amassed from around the globe and across the decades, these shakers look like U.S. presidents, sea creatures, chefs, aliens, houses, cars, and just about anything else you can think of. Admission to the museum is only $3.00, and you can apply that money to any set of salt and pepper shakers in the gift shop.
4. Hollywood Star Cars Museum
The Hollywood Star Cars Museum features some of the most iconic vehicles from TV and movies. Some of the notable cars in the collection include the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the Drag-u-la from The Munsters, the Jalopy from the Beverly Hillbillies, and two different Batmobiles (Adam West’s and Michael Keaton’s). Guests can even get their photo taken in one of the famous cars for an additional fee.
When you stay at Chalet Village, you will be near all of these wonderful museums in Gatlinburg TN. Our cabin community is just 10 – 15 minutes from all of the fun on The Strip. With everything from 1 bedroom cabins to 8 bedroom cabins, we are sure to have the perfect accommodations for your getaway. To start planning your next vacation, browse our selection of cabin rentals in Gatlinburg!
