Fabulous Food Museum Exhibits

Location: Waco, TX
Website: drpeppermuseum.com

Don't let the name fool you. The Dr. Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute isn't owned by Dr. Pepper or its parent company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. The soft-drink memorabilia home is actually a private, non-profit organization. Founded in 1998, the museum now resides in the historic 1906 Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building in downtown Waco, where Dr. Pepper, the oldest soft-drink brand in the U.S., was once bottled. But this museum — which uses the story of the soft-drink industry to teach visitors about America's free enterprise economic system — welcomes soft-drink items from all brands, including Coca-Cola and Kickapoo Joy Juice. The museum's collection now has more than 100,000 artifacts.

Location: Middleton, WI
Website: mustardmuseum.com

In October 1986, Barry Levenson answered a calling. He began acquiring mustard, hoping to amass the world's largest collection of prepared mustards. What began as a few jars purchased one night in 1986 has grown into a museum that houses 5,350 mustards and more than 1,000 antique tins, pots, and other memorabilia that played a role in the history of mustard. Perhaps the shrine to mustard is missing just one thing: a hot dog museum next door.

Antique mustard tins are great for collecting. But you can make mustard at home.

Location: Corbin, KY
Website: corbinkentucky.us/sanderscafe

Sanders Café is where Kentucky Fried Chicken® was born. The restaurant, which Colonel Harland Sanders opened in 1937, has been restored to its 1940s state. Visitors can dine on the Colonel's famous fried chicken, then view exhibits featuring KFC memorabilia and even check out a replica of the Colonel's original kitchen.

Do you suddenly have a craving for fried chicken?

Location: Dearborn, MI
Website: thehenryford.org

The Henry Ford gives visitors a taste of American history. And sometimes that taste is hot dog flavored. At the Weinermobile Café, visitors can take a peek at the famous Oscar Meyer Weinermobile before selecting one of the classic American dogs on the menu, including a Texas Dog, a Chicago Dog, and a Big Apple Dog. But that's not the only way The Henry Food celebrates food. The institution set up a website that details food events, historical tastings, and even showcases a historic cookbook recipe bank. Because who wouldn't want to try the Diet Loaf featured in the 1724 cookbook Jean Brown's Paistry Book. On second thought, maybe we'll go for the Sweet Potato Pie in 1881's What Mrs. Fischer Knows About Southern Cooking instead.

Location: New Orleans, LA
Website: hgghh.org

Get a taste of nineteenth-century New Orleans by visiting a restored home from that era. Hermann-Grima House, built in 1831, is a Federal mansion that retains the only functional 1830s outdoor open-hearth kitchen in the French Quarter. Creole cooking classes run from October through May, and participants learn hearth-cooking techniques for recipes that can be adapted to make at home. And if a plateful of nineteenth-century-Creole-style food isn't enough, the lucky diners also get a crash course in the history of Creole culinary traditions.

Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Website: nordiskamuseet.se

Sweden's largest museum of cultural history doesn't trivialize the role food plays in the past. In fact, Nordiska Museet has an entire collection dedicated to just table settings. Featuring food and drink artifacts from the 16th century to the 1950s, the exhibit displays tables set for specific events, including a banquet from the 17th century and a 20th-century coffee party table.

Location: Washington, D.C.
Website: americanhistory.si.edu

You can't understand American history without taking a look at what — and how — people ate. That's why the National Museum of American History has dedicated a number of exhibits to food and drink objects, showcasing more than 1,300 pieces of stoneware and artifacts Americans used to store, prepare, and serve food. A recent exhibit, calld Sweet & Sour, takes a look at the Chinese restaurant industry in America. It includes neon restaurant signs from the 1970s and fortune cookie katas (molds) from around 1910. Another nod to food history: the Bon Appétit! exhibit, which features Julia Child's actual kitchen — it was donated to the Smithsonian by the famous cookbook author — including her appliances, cookbooks, and utensils.

Location: Hershey, PA
Website: hersheystory.org

Here's a museum that definitely won't bore the kids. The Hershey Story honors the legacy of Milton S. Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company. Interactive exhibits offer a little bit of history and a whole lot of chocolate. The Museum Experience floor has exhibits detailing the history of the company and Hershey's contributions to the industry. At the Chocolate Lab, kids and adults take can learn how to temper, mold, dip, and make chocolate from scratch. Wondering if the museum lets you taste chocolate? Of course! The Countries of Origin Chocolate Tasting area in Café Zooka offers hot drinks made from international cocoa beans.

OK, it's definitely time for some chocolate. Luckily we've got 100+ recipes for chocolate lovers.

Location: New Orleans, LA
Website: southernfood.org

The South has a rich history, particularly in food. This nonprofit museum celebrates food drink culture across the Southern states through exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, and tastings. Check out the Pecan Candy exhibit, which explores the history of praline vendors in New Orleans. Or learn about the many phenomenal barbecue traditions at the Barbecue Nation exhibit. Looking for something more eccentric? Try the Corn in America exhibit. It's got a collection of objects shaped like corn — pitchers, paintings, mugs, and more.

Celebrate Southern food in your home by making on of these comforting Southern dishes.

Location: Auburn, WA
Website: bananamuseum.com

A museum dedicated to one fruit? That's bananas! Literally. Curator Ann Mitchell Lovell turned a passion for bananas into a collection of close to 4,000 banana-related items, including ads, historical artifacts, T-shirts, and folk art. You can see some of the items on display at Banana Antiques in downtown Auburn.

Go ahead, develop your own passion for the yellow fruit. Check out these recipes using bananas.

Location: Austin, MN
Website: spam.com/games/Museum

Yep, that's right. There's an entire museum dedicated to SPAM® And it's free! You can browse the museum's collection of SPAM® artifacts (including vintage ads), practice canning SPAM®, and purchase your own SPAM® memorabilia.