Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, Tennessee: The Only One of Its Kind

When I saw the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I had to check it out. I found it's the only museum in the world devoted to these humble kitchen objects.

Shopkeeper Andrea Ludden, whose mother sparked the collection 20 years ago when seeking a pepper mill, says the museum's collection of more than 17,000 shakers is still growing. It's fun to admire both the familiar and the exotic, all lovingly organized on shelves and behind glass. The museum's also the only spice shop in town; it offers more than 200 fresh spices and blends.

Gatlinburg is at the southern junction of U.S. Highways 321 and 441, at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in far eastern Tennessee. The museum (461 Brookside Village Way; 1-888-778-1802) is located in Winery Square on Highway 321 (at Stoplight #3). The museum is open daily from February through Christmas. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June through September and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year.