8 Strangest Landmarks in Tennessee

Every state has its share of weird stuff, but Tennessee really goes the extra mile when it comes to bizarre attractions.

From buildings that make you do a double-take to museums dedicated to things you never knew needed museums, the Volunteer State is packed with landmarks that will leave you scratching your head and reaching for your camera. Forget the typical tourist traps. These eight strange Tennessee landmarks deserve a spot on your "what were they thinking?" road trip itinerary.

Fortunately, these landmarks are open year-round, and are easily accessible from major freeways. If you plan to visit Tenneesse, add these to your travel plans and prepare to be amazed.

1. Kuwohi/Clingmans Dome Observation Tower

Ever wondered what would happen if a flying saucer mated with a concrete spiral? Say hello to Kuwohi, formerly knowns as the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower. Perched atop the highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this 1960s futuristic concrete monstrosity looks like it's ready to blast off into space at any moment.

The 45-foot circular tower sits 6,643 feet above sea level and is connected to solid ground by a 375-foot spiral ramp that will leave you winded but rewarded. The view from the top is absolutely stunning on clear days, with visibility up to 100 miles across seven states. On foggy days (which happen a lot), you'll climb all that way to see... nothing but swirling mist. Congrats!

Built in 1959, the tower's space-age design was actually cutting-edge for its time, though nowadays it looks like a rejected set piece from a low-budget sci-fi movie. Even so, that's exactly what makes it so charming; it's an architectural oddball that somehow became an iconic landmark. Plus, the hike to get there is just steep enough to make you question your life choices halfway up.

2. The Parthenon in Nashville

Nothing says "Tennessee" quite like... ancient Greece? In what might be the ultimate "hold my beer" moment in architecture, Nashville decided back in 1897 that what their city really needed was a full-scale replica of the Parthenon. This is not simply a smaller version, nor is it just an inspired design. This Parthenon is an exact, full-sized copy of the Athenian original.

Originally built for Tennessee's Centennial Exposition as a temporary structure (because why not?), locals loved it so much that they rebuilt it permanently in the 1920s using concrete instead of marble. Inside stands a 42-foot-tall statue of Athena covered in gold leaf - the largest indoor statue in the Western world. She's so tall her head almost touches the ceiling, which seems like poor planning or excellent showmanship, depending on your perspective.

The kicker? Nashville calls itself "The Athens of the South" with a straight face. And honestly, you've got to respect that level of commitment to a nickname. Where else can you get your Greek architecture fix while eating hot chicken and listening to country music? Only in Tennessee, folks!

3. Alcatraz East Crime Museum

If you've ever driven through Pigeon Forge and spotted what looks like a prison having an identity crisis, congratulations, because you've found Alcatraz East, a for-profit museum that opened in 2016. This bizarre building combines design elements from Alcatraz, the Tennessee State Prison, and a police lineup wall, creating an architectural smoothie that absolutely nobody ordered.

Inside this strange fortress is an even stranger collection: Ted Bundy's Volkswagen Beetle, O.J. Simpson's Bronco, and John Dillinger's death mask are just a few of the cheerful exhibits awaiting visitors. There's even a CSI lab experience where you can play forensic scientist without all those pesky science degrees.

The building itself is pure roadside attraction gold. You'll find a jumble of guard towers, jail cells, and police station elements that scream "PULL OVER NOW" to passing tourists. It's like someone designed a building specifically to make parents say, "What in tarnation is THAT?" as they drive past. And isn't that what strange landmarks are all about?

4. International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum

Yes, you read that right. There exists an entire museum dedicated to tow trucks, and yes, it has a Hall of Fame. Located in Chattanooga (the birthplace of the tow truck, as locals will eagerly tell you), this shrine to automotive rescue might be the most niche museum in America.

The star attractions are vintage tow trucks dating back to 1916, including the restored "Holmes 485," one of the world's first wreckers. There's even a "Wall of the Fallen" memorial honoring tow truck operators who died in the line of duty, which adds an unexpectedly solemn note to your visit.

What makes this place truly strange isn't just its hyper-specific focus, but the genuine reverence with which the humble tow truck is treated. Visitors often arrive chuckling at the concept, but leave with a newfound respect for these roadside saviors. Plus, where else can you take a selfie with a giant hook? Nowhere, that's where.

5. Craighead Caverns

Buried 140 feet beneath the East Tennessee countryside lies America's largest underground lake - a bizarre subterranean world that feels like it belongs in a Jules Verne novel rather than the Volunteer State.

Part of historic Craighead Caverns near Sweetwater, Craighead Caverns stretches across more than four acres and disappears under rock formations into unexplored depths. Scientists have tried using dye tests to determine its full size but have never found where the dye resurfaces, which is either fascinating or slightly terrifying, depending on your perspective.

The strangest part might be the way you get to explore the lake.

You get to this underground lake by boarding glass-bottom boats that glide through crystal-clear waters while rainbow trout swim beneath you. Those fish, by the way, were introduced decades ago and have adapted to life in permanent darkness, making them pale due to being cave-adapted. They're fed during tours but never harvested. The fish are essentially living their lives in a natural aquarium with guaranteed meals and zero predators. The entire guided tour lasts one hour and 15 minutes, and there are options to purchase either a daily pass or an annual pass.

6. Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers

In Gatlinburg, a city already known for its quirky tourist attractions, one museum stands out for its absolutely unnecessary but oddly fascinating existence: The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers. Housing over 20,000 sets of shakers from around the world, this is what happens when collecting spirals gloriously out of control.

Founded by archaeologist Andrea Ludden in 2002, the museum displays everything from elegant crystal sets to shakers shaped like outhouses (with separate holes for salt and pepper). There are vegetable shakers, animal shakers, monument shakers, and even somewhat inappropriate shakers that make you wonder about the dinner conversations they witnessed.

What makes this place strange isn't just the collection, but the absolute sincerity with which these mundane table items are displayed. Glass cases, careful lighting, and informative placards treat these kitschy knickknacks like precious artifacts. And maybe that's the point; finding extraordinary meaning in the most ordinary objects is either complete madness or profound wisdom. At the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers, it's probably both!

7. Victorian Village in Memphis

Along Adams Avenue in Memphis stands a remarkable preservation success story that feels like a neighborhood out of time. Victorian Village isn't a museum complex, however. The village is an actual historic district where people live today, featuring 12 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places that represent some of Memphis' most extraordinary 19th-century architecture.

What makes this area truly strange isn't just the ornate homes - it's the surreal juxtaposition of these Victorian masterpieces standing amid modern downtown Memphis. These elaborate houses, with their towers, turrets, and gingerbread trim, create a strange time-warp effect as you walk from the contemporary city into this pocket of preserved history.

While most homes are private residences, a few are open for tours, including the Mallory-Neely House and Woodruff-Fontaine House. Inside these museum properties, you'll find bizarre period features: speaking tubes for communicating between floors, elaborate bathroom plumbing that looks like torture devices, and enough heavy drapery to suffocate a small village. The rest of the neighborhood remains a living, breathing community where lucky residents actually get to live in these architectural treasures.

Victorian Village once represented the norm for wealthy Memphis, but now stands as a peculiar island of the past surrounded by parking lots, modern development, and medical district buildings. It's like someone cut out a small piece of the 1890s and dropped it into the 21st century. It's one of Tennessee's most unexpected and most beautiful landmarks.

8. Bell Witch Cave

Some strange landmarks are weird because of what humans built. The Bell Witch Cave, on the other hand, is strange because of what humans believe. Located in Adams, this unassuming cave and the farm property surrounding it are allegedly home to one of America's most famous supernatural entities - a poltergeist known as the Bell Witch.

According to legend, beginning in 1817, the Bell family was tormented by a malicious spirit that could speak, shape-shift, and physically attack family members. The entity particularly targeted John Bell (who eventually died under mysterious circumstances) and his daughter Betsy. What makes this haunting uniquely strange is that it was witnessed by dozens of people, including future president Andrew Jackson, who supposedly declared, "I'd rather fight the British than deal with the Bell Witch."

Today, the cave (which folklore claims was the witch's home) and a replica of the Bell cabin draw paranormal enthusiasts from across the country. Visitors regularly report mysterious orbs in photographs, equipment malfunctions, and unexplained physical sensations. The property owners maintain the site not as a cheesy haunted attraction but as a historical location where something genuinely unexplainable occurred.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there's something undeniably eerie about standing in the cave where generations of Tennesseans believe a supernatural entity made its home. It's a landmark where the strange isn't what you see, but what you might feel - a cold spot, a whisper, or just the collective weight of two centuries of ghost stories pressing down on your imagination.

From witches to underground lakes, Tennessee's strangest landmarks offer a side of the Volunteer State that goes well beyond country music and whiskey (though those are pretty great too).

These weird attractions may not make it onto the state quarter anytime soon, but they represent the quirky, unexpected character that makes Tennessee worth exploring beyond the typical tourist stops. So gas up the car, embrace the bizarre, and hit the road, because there's a world of wonderful weirdness waiting in the hills and cities of Tennessee.