Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers

You know I couldn't be in Gatlinburg without visiting the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers. We visited for the first time in 2009, and then again in 2011. It is just as fun every time! The museum is right off the main strip in Gatlinburg and is just three bucks to get in! It is a MUST for any vintage/kitsch lover. We have a salt and pepper shaker collection, so that makes it even better! I've got around 50 sets now, but I didn't see very many of them in this over 20,000 they have at the museum. It is such a fun thing to collect because there are endless sets to find out in the world.
I took almost 100 photos inside! But I narrowed it down to around 30 for you. It helped that I took tons of pictures of things I took pictures of the last two times I was there! Haha, there are some motifs I just can't resist!
 Corn with amazing mustaches. 
 This kind of gives you an idea of what the cases look like. So amazing. They are organized in categories. It is really fun to play I Spy and try to stump the other person.
 I love those weird little pepper babies! And look at the freaky eyes on the little pea pod guy in the bottom left! I didn't notice that one until I looked at the pictures later.
 Travis likes it there too. Really! 
 Viking cats.
 I want a cute set like this, with paprika and cumin, since we use those a lot. 
 That mouse coming out of the cheese kills me! I think it is his little legs.
 I can't decide which duck couple is the cutest.
 Ugggggh, this makes me want to built tons of little shelves and color coordinate my collection.
 I would LOVE to have a set like the JFK on the chair. How cute is that?
 A great little walnut craft section. Oooh look at those! The fish! And the squirrels!
 A little section of flocked sets. I have the orange pig set!
I like all the Florida vacation sets together. I really want a flamingo set but I haven't seen one in all my vintage shopping that wasn't super expensive.
 I thought the clasped hands were so pretty!
 The big headed deer are another set I would LOVE to have! They were big, probably six inches tall.
A shop near me has that great skull set for sale! But it is over 50 bucks, and my limit for shakers is about 12. But I would love it in my collection!
 I love their sweet expressions. And that mouse who looks like he is judging them. 
 Those donuts! One of my favorites in the whole museum.
I wish I could have gotten a clearer picture, but look at that mad bowling ball! It is in a weird spot too, so even funnier. He looks especially cute next to the dopey pin.
Though most of the museum showcases the figural sets, there is a section of classic shakers. Lots of jadeite and depression glass and metal ones. I just breeze by that section usually. Give me things with faces!
They have these maps up with pins showing where their visitors are from. The big pins you can see are for collectors, there are tons more thinner pins for everyone else. I was happy to put up our collector pin! If you are in the area, you have GOT to check this museum out. It is fun every time, even though not much changed. Last time we were there it was for sale, but the signs weren't up this time. How amazing would that collection be to have? Maybe someday I'll have my own crazy museum filled with my personal collections.

28 comments:

  1. Looks like fun. I know I would have stopped and looked at any animal shakers I could find. It would be so hard to go in there and not buy anything. Ugh!

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    1. it is a good thing there isn't much for sale. they have a gift shop, but nothing that great, and everything is EXPENSIVE. i did buy a set that was made for the museum the first time we went.

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  2. A museum of salt and pepper shakers is definitely one of the coolest things
    ive heard of

    urban hounds

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  3. Oh my. Can you imagine shaking salt on your mashed potatoes out of a mini JFK. I want that to me my life. Other standouts= carmen miranda banana and of course the sea of monks. I love a novelty religious official. [my friend justin got me this pooping priest statue from barcelona and I love it. I guess they are all the rage there.]

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  4. Blowing my mind. I will make it there some day come hell or high water! Isn't it crazy that there are SO many that we've never seen before. A truly endless possibility. If someone told me to pick one set out of there to take home, I believe my mind would explode. I hope that Travis had a great birthday. It sure looks like he did!

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    1. seriously, if it was even an option to buy the sets they have, i don't know what i would do! there were so many that i was freaking out over!

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  5. What a fun place to visit and thanks for sharing. I like how they display them both in a color realm and in a category as well..super eye candy!

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    1. can you imagine how much fun it would be to put new sets onto the shelves? or maybe it would be a nightmare!

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  6. I've been wanting to go to this museum since it was highlighted on Antiques Roadshow years ago. I grew up with my mom's collection of vintage salt & pepper shakers (she has over 300 now) so it's great to see so many sets she doesn't have yet. I'd want to steal the kitty section! Now I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a JFK set and my personal favorite, the Jonah inside the whale, TOO GOOD!

    -Leilani / thriftaholic.com

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    1. i freaking love that jonah! i would LOVE to have that one!

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  7. Goodness, this is definitely on our list of places to visit someday. I would love to add a flamingo set to my collection as well, the only affordable sets I find are ones with repaired necks. So fantastic, thanks for sharing :)

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  8. I have a flamingo set! It's actually in that picture. It belonged to my great-grandmother, so I can't really give it to you... but, if I drop dead, it's yours!

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    1. yes, please put me in your will! i'll also take that kepi painting.

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  9. I remember the last time you went and you posted about it. this time is even better. DROOl!!!! I'm especially a fan of the fruit and veges ones and the sandwiches and the flamingoes. What an amazing collection. I might add going there to my bucket list!
    It reminds me of a great aunt of mine who had an awesome collection that lined her hallway and lounge room.. When she died her daughter just ditched the boxes of them at the op shops, or so I heard. (they lived in the south island- far away from here) So sad!! I loved visiting her.

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    1. i was like "is thirty pictures too much? " but i knew you guys would like it!
      and that makes me so sad! those poor salt and pepper shakers. i hope someone took them in and loves them still.

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  10. That place looks looks AMAZING!

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  11. That place is crazy. How does it even exist. So rad. I love the flamingo ones. :)

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  12. I want to go so bad! Even more so after seeing your post!!!

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  13. wow! I've been to a toy museum in New Zealand that had a heap of salt and pepper shakers, but wow, this is just a whole new level! I LOVE the tall cat ones with the creepy faces!

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  14. What a crazy place-- but crazy in a fun way. My cousin collects salt & pepper shakers.

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  15. So cool! The Salty & Peppy section...swoon. I love Salty & Peppys, I have a couple set and they make me smile every time I'm slaving away at the stove.

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  16. Sweet!! That would be a big chore to clean all of those!!

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    1. they are all behind glass! so i think she doesn't even have to dust! or i hope not because that would be so hard!

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  17. Wait...do they have a squirrel driving a penis? Because if not, I need to leave them those in my will.

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    1. you know, i actually looked in the squirrel section but didn't see that one! it could have been in the car section though. or the penis section.

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  18. I totally love this place! Not only is it a classic roadside museum, but I actually had a picture I took in here published in a book (Only picture ever in an actual book).

    I think the Florida ones are my favorite.

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    1. did you see when it was for sale? it made me wish i had tons of money. what a dream, to live above a kooky roadside museum!

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