
Tripadvisor
1 / 30#30. Salt And Pepper Shaker Museum
- Rating: 4.5/5 (665 reviews)
- City: Gatlinburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."
According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.
Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.
Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.
Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Tennessee on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?
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Tripadvisor
1 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (665 reviews)
- City: Gatlinburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
2 / 30- Rating: 4.9/5 (96 reviews)
- City: Memphis
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
3 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (206 reviews)
- City: Jackson
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
4 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (567 reviews)
- City: Chattanooga
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
5 / 30- Rating: 3.8/5 (431 reviews)
- City: Gatlinburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
6 / 30- Rating: 4.9/5 (161 reviews)
- City: Chattanooga
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
7 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (470 reviews)
- City: Union City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
8 / 30- Rating: 4.9/5 (242 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
9 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (531 reviews)
- City: Pigeon Forge
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
10 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (3,286 reviews)
- City: Sevierville
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
11 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (708 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
12 / 30- Rating: 4.8/5 (209 reviews)
- City: Chattanooga
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
13 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (539 reviews)
- City: Hurricane Mills
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
14 / 30- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,472 reviews)
- City: Gatlinburg
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
15 / 30- Rating: 4.0/5 (2,780 reviews)
- City: Pigeon Forge
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
16 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (2,443 reviews)
- City: Memphis
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
17 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,011 reviews)
- City: Chattanooga
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
18 / 30- Rating: 4.2/5 (1,103 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
19 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,401 reviews)
- City: Franklin
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
20 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,239 reviews)
- City: Memphis
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
21 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,271 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
22 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,895 reviews)
- City: Pigeon Forge
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
23 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (987 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
24 / 30- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,898 reviews)
- City: Chattanooga
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
25 / 30- Rating: 4.7/5 (4,381 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
26 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (7,197 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
27 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (5,906 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
28 / 30- Rating: 4.6/5 (11,284 reviews)
- City: Pigeon Forge
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
29 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (15,737 reviews)
- City: Nashville Davidson County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor
30 / 30- Rating: 4.5/5 (20,559 reviews)
- City: Memphis
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.
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