City: Pigeon Forge, TN

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (865) 453-3433

Address: 2970 Parkway

Description: Since 1956, this showplace of rare and vintage cars has offered self-guided tours through the history of the automobile. The collection of more than 30 cars and trucks features such notable vehicles as the silver Aston-Martin driven by James Bond in the films Goldfinger and Thunderball, Al Capone’s bulletproof Cadillac, Elvis Presley’s 1971 Mercedes Benz, and the “Silver Dollar” car owned by Hank Williams Jr. A number of classic antiques are on display as well: a 1930 Duesenberg, a 1909 Hupmobile, and a 1915 Ford Model T, just to mention a few. All of the cars on display have been reconditioned and are in running order. What makes this museum truly unique is that it’s much more than just a “car museum.” Most of the wall space and virtually every spare nook and cranny are packed with hoards of interesting antiques and memorabilia. Many of the relics are, of course, automobile-related: newspaper clippings, photographs, model cars, antique gas pumps, and mechanic’s tools. You’ll also see items that would seem equally at home in any antiques mall: old manual typewriters, nickelodeons, gum-ball machines, and even a display of different types of barbed wire! The gift shop has a wide assortment of collectible books and magazines. Admission is $7.50, including tax, for adults and $2.00 for children ages 3 through 10. Children younger than 3 are admitted for free. The museum is open from early spring through late fall.