Tourist traps you've enjoyed or live through.

[Oxygen Mask]

Every casino I ever stopped in at;
Every State Fair I ever went to;
Wall Drug;
Provincetown, Cape Cod Massachusetts;
West Yellowstone was pretty disgusting when I was there in 2019;
Jackson Hole wasn't a tourist trap yet, the summers of '83 & '84 when I was there. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar was a good place to go grab a beer and listen to local singers. I spent more of my time in Teton Village, though, which had most of the college students.
Someone warned me in 2019 that Cody Wyoming was a tourist trap, but I avoided all the stupid places, it seems.

Been to most of those! Not Mass though.
We're going to stay at Old Faithful Inn, one more grand lodge checked off. But the crowds at most National Parks put me off.
Side story: A few years ago we had to cancel our camping vacation plans because half the state was on fire. Wife noticed vacancies at Crater Lake Lodge. North entrance was closed due to fire. We decided it was a once in a lifetime opportunity so splurged on an upstairs suite. They had cancellations because of the fires. We spent 2 nights, the wind shifted and the air was clear and beautiful, we drove the entire rim drive, visited every viewpoint, hiked every trail, and saw maybe 30 people. It. Was. Epic.
But wait, there's more!
Same thing happened at the Chalet at Oregon Caves! So we spent 2 nights there too with short notice reservations. It was a better experience than even Crater Lake. Simply wonderful. They closed the following year and are still closed.
From there we drove down through the redwoods, then up the coast and spent 3 nights at Gold Beach, even rode Jerry's Jets full tour.
One of the best vacations we've ever had. Oregon is wonderful.
Too bad people bubblegum it up,..

I'm going start a new road trip thread rather than hijack this one further...

 

[ma96782]

Tourist Trap Pricing.

Yeah....on my Oct 2025 trip to Thailand. My GF wanted a fresh coconut from a Pattaya street vender. Try, 80 THB. Huh....that's about $2.46 (back then).

Rrrrright......
So try buying the same thing in a Wal Mart store here in America. LOL. It's about the same price (even with shipping).

Aloha, Mark

PS.....next up for vacation will be VN (again). Yeah.....the coconuts are usually under a dollar US in VN. Not to mention the beer prices are really cheap (mostly confined to the Hanoi area). But still cheap enough in the South too. "Beer Hoi!"

 

[Cavedweller]

Wall Drug is also on our list!

Don't miss 1880 town.

Visit South Dakota's Original 1880 Town | Midland, SD

South Dakota's Original 1880 Town has more than 30 buildings from the 1880 to 1920 era, authentically furnished with thousands of relics and more!

www.1880town.com

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Don't miss 1880 town.

Visit South Dakota's Original 1880 Town | Midland, SD

South Dakota's Original 1880 Town has more than 30 buildings from the 1880 to 1920 era, authentically furnished with thousands of relics and more!

www.1880town.com

Cool! Noted thanks.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Spent a good part of growing up in/on the beaches, boardwalks and penny arcades on the Jersey Shore. Long Branch. Asbury Park. Wouldn't change a thing. Surfed and fished day and night. Great Fun. Hear much of it burned down and was re-developed for rich guy condos. 55+ years later my favorite pizza shop went out of business during the China Flu BS. Damn shame.

Owned a home north of Daytona Beach.....Daytona Beach pretty much defines tourist trap.
But there were places the locals go that are good. Nothing fancy but solid. And you have to spend at least one 500 in the pits. And at least one Bike Week. If you live coastal Florida on your own terms it's pretty darn nice.

Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Impossible as it seems it gets even worse when the cruise ships come in.
But the diving used to be great.

Cozumel SUCKS.

Las Vegas....

Don't remember dining out at Buc-ees.
Maybe I should load up the camper and go see.

EDIT...if they have brisket I have to go...There are U Tube videos about the Buc-ees brisket method.

They do have brisket sammiches which were edible but ok, nothing to write home about though. If I ever return I'll have to try the Beaver nuggets that have been raved about by many.

We would always frequent the many natural springs to have a good time and cool off. They were 70* year round and boy in 95+* it was welcomed. After you jump in your Johnson would definitely be seeking warmer climate…

I lived in the Forest off Hwy 40 near 314A which is east of Ocala. We'd travel during the summer weekends to Daytona with a truck bed full of car, truck and tractor inner tubes to sell to the tourists on the beach. We never made a bunch of cash but we sure were able to party with some cool people.

Ft. Lauderdale was fast and furious let me tell ya, no shortage of people who wanted to jam out and party on the beach.

Then I got married then had to leave the party scene.

 

[orygun]

try Sisters Or. any weekend in the summer, sheesh

Absolutely! I lived there in the 60's in a Government house that just got torn down so they could build the new Ranger Station. Dad was the Assistant Ranger on the Sisters District. We would walk to the Sno-Cap for ice cream. Log truck and ranchers pickups all over the place.
It ain't the same now. I see the positive that Sisters isn't a ghost town, but their liberal attitudes make me wonder how they still have the rodeo.

We're going to Indiana this year. Wall Drug was a thought of mine. Been there many years ago, but the rest of the crew doesn't have much interest.
Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska is a gool little place. A sort of museum, mostly collections of different stuff and a trip back in time. I think they still hand make brooms. I have one that Mom and Dad brought back in the 90's. I'd really like to swing by there.

 

[jbett98]

I remember as a kid back in the late sixties when my dad stopped at a country store while on vacation on the Oregon coast.
There was a huge replica of a fiberglass T Rex dinosaur out in the parking lot which drew in the tourist.
I helped my dad carry the picnic groceries to the cash register counter and the old man ringing up the items included a new straw broom leaning against the counter.
My dad didn't notice the extra charge, but my mom did since she was a manager at a credit union.
My dad went back in to the store and demanded a refund. The old guy just pointed at a sign stating "All sales are final, no returns."
That broom ended up in the station wagon next to me and my brother for the rest of the trip.

 

[Caveman Jim]

That brings a memory. Plant City Florida has an amazing dinosaur exhibit, been there for over 40+ years that I know of, kids love it. Dinosaur World.
They have sister exhibits in Kentucky and Texas.

FLORIDA | Dinosaur World

www.dinosaurworld.com

 

[orygun]

That brings a memory. Plant City Florida has an amazing dinosaur exhibit, been there for over 40+ years that I know of, kids love it. Dinosaur World.
They have sister exhibits in Kentucky and Texas.

FLORIDA | Dinosaur World

www.dinosaurworld.com

The dinosaur exhibit that I really like is Dinosaur National Monument. I'd like to see it again, but it's a bit off of the beaten path.

Dinosaur National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

150 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed here. Their fossils are still embedded in the rocks. Today, mountains, desert, and rivers flowing in canyons support a variety of life. Petroglyphs reveal the lives and connections of Indigenous people to this land. Homesteaders and outlaws found refuge...

www.nps.gov

 

[boattail]

The trees of mystery hit my wallet pretty hard. The entrance fee wasn't bad but I didn't realize the exit goes through the gift shop. We bought every single stupid trinket and tshirt in the place before I was allowed to leave!
Another one for me is Leavenworth Washington in the summer. I won't be going back there! I was expecting to get fleeced but I was constantly in trouble with the wife from all the scantily clad young ladies walking around! It's not my fault they didn't have much on!!
The wife wants to go the Oregon vortex and the sea lion caves this summer so I expect to have my wallet lighted at those places. She says I can visit the gun shops when we drive up the coast though….. Too bad the permit to purchase is coming.

The last time I went to trees of mystery or the other famous spot near there they still wired on big banners to all the car bumpers in the lot. Wired on, over the steel bumpers….its been a while . I cannot remember the other spot that did it.

I don't like being around lots of people so don't hit many TT's. We have a small local animal show that draws maybe twenty people for each show. It's fun as you are really close to the animals and they fly the birds over your head. I went twice last year just for something to do.

 

[Tarawa86]

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu was nothing but a crowded beach. We had fun but with more research would have chosen a path less traveled for the next time.

Not a big fan of Hawaii, but visiting the Dole plantation for the pineapple ice cream was kinda fun.

 

[orygun]

The last time I went to trees of mystery or the other famous spot near there they still wired on big banners to all the car bumpers in the lot. Wired on, over the steel bumpers….its been a while . I cannot remember the other spot that did it.

Sea Lion Caves did those same type of banners.

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Not a big fan of Hawaii, but visiting the Dole plantation for the pineapple ice cream was kinda fun.

When I traveled a lot for work I had a friend who lived in Honolulu. We went every year-ish on my miles and stayed in his guest house. First time, we exhausted ourselves being tourists. But after that would just relax, snorkel, hike, avoid touristy places, no schedule no plan. Hawaii really is a special place.

 

[kmk1012]

Not a big fan of Hawaii, but visiting the Dole plantation for the pineapple ice cream was kinda fun.

Yes, that was a great experience!

 

[jordanvraptor]

Panning for gold in Deadwood, South Dakota. Yeah the flakes of gold are probably put in the stream but it was fun anyway.

 

[msgriff]

Jacksonville in Southern Oregon. Most people know that it became stuck in time because the railroad bypassed it and Medford was built, then the County seat moved from J-Ville to Medford, but here's a bit more on how it became a tourist trap.
Back in the late 50's/early60's, a guy named George McUne owned a lot of property at the north end of town. Most people during that era were just throwing away old mining and farming equipment, and tearing down old barns and other structures. He started to build Pioneer Village tourist attraction off 5th St with material and old equipment that he had collected, which was probably easy to get since the county dump at the time was located just east of the city limits. He would run a stagecoach through town giving tours, and was probably one of the key people responsible for J-Ville becoming a Historic Landmark and tourist spot. One of the buildings he built was a saloon with a stage, and my mom and some of her "floozy" friends were Can-Can dancers and actors in the melodramas they had on weekends during the summer. McUne died in the late 70's, the place closed. eventually torn down, his kids sold the land, and it was developed as a retirement community with the same name.

 

[boattail]

Sea Lion Caves did those same type of banners.

We never made it that far north back then. The one I cannot remember was somewhere between Crescent City and trees of mystery or nearby anyway. We would vacation in Crescent City or Brookings every year. I have been racking my brain trying to remember what it was.

 

[foxmeadow]

In 1969-70 I was stationed in Key West, FL. I thought it was a nice little town with some cool features and nice people. I've often thought that it would be nice to see it again before I'm done, but it has turned into one of the biggest tourist trash traps in the country and I think I'd be disappointed if I went there now...

 

[Tarawa86]

In 1969-70 I was stationed in Key West, FL. I thought it was a nice little town with some cool features and nice people. I've often thought that it would be nice to see it again before I'm done, but it has turned into one of the biggest tourist trash traps in the country and I think I'd be disappointed if I went there now...

Tourist trap? You can buy this fine home right in the heart of Key West for a mere 1.3M!

 

[acdodd]

The trip up river to the "Secret Fern Grotto" on either Maui, or Kawaii.

It's been so long ago, I can't remember which.

The only navigable river in the entire state of Hawaii is on Kauai.
Biggest TT was Wall Drug South Dakota.
An endless line of Chinese gift shop junk.
Deadwood SD is the same except it's all casinos and bars.
Depot Bay in Oregon is another TT with the same Chinese trash gift shops.
I forgot to mention that my wife loves all those gift shop.
I just wait outside with my backpack to haul all her treasures.
Last year were were on a 6000 mile RV trip. I wanted to go to Buc-ees. We got within 250 miles my wife said it was to far to drive just to go there.
I still want to go see one.