If the thought of visiting a museum during your Smoky Mountain vacation makes you groan and imagine a building filled with boring exhibits, you haven’t experienced the unique museums in Gatlinburg! These museums are actually some of the most fun attractions in the Smokies and might just become a highlight of your vacation! Here are the top 4 unique museums in Gatlinburg TN that you have to visit:
1. Gatlinburg Pinball Museum
One of the most unique museums in Gatlinburg TN is the Gatlinburg Pinball Museum, which features the largest collection of pinballs and retro games in the Smoky Mountains! This is an interactive museum where you can play more than 100 pinball machines, including the 1965 classic Gottlieb Sky-Line machine. There are countless limited edition and rare pinballs for you to experience, as well as a collection of your favorite arcade games of the past! The best part is that your admission to the Gatlinburg Pinball Museum includes unlimited play on all games all day long!
2. Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum
When it comes to museums, it doesn’t get much more unique than the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg! This museum features more than 20,000 sets of salt and pepper shakers from around the world and a massive pepper mill collection! One of the main purposes of the museum is to show the changes in society that can be found represented in the shakers. As you stroll through the museum, you can see the changes from ancient times to the shakers of today! All of the salt and pepper shakers are arranged by themes and colors, and there are fascinating little stories that you can read within the displays.
3. Hollywood Star Cars Museum
Another one of the top unique museums in Gatlinburg TN that you have to visit is the Hollywood Star Cars Museum! After all, it is not every day that you can step into the world of Hollywood and experience a journey through 50 years of the most famous movies, and TV shows in history! This museum features a dazzling display of vehicles from some of your favorite films and television shows, including General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard, the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future and the Batmobile from the original 1966 television show! The cars are displayed in recreated settings to add to the fun, complete with sound, lights, and action!
4. Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Of course, you can’t have a list of the top unique museums in Gatlinburg TN without mentioning Ripley’s Believe It or Not! As the weirdest place in Gatlinburg, this museum features 500 wacky exhibits and artifacts including a car completely covered in crystals, a dragon made from recycled scrap metal, and the Last Supper artwork made out of lint! There are 16 themed galleries to explore throughout the museum, such as those with human and animal oddities. Don’t miss the chance to see authentic shrunken heads and cannibal skulls!
Check out all of our Smoky Mountain cabin rentals today to plan your vacation near these unique museums in Gatlinburg TN! We hope to see you soon at Chalet Village!