Top Tourist Traps

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USA Today: In July 2023, we analyzed 23.2 million Google reviews of the 500 most popular tourist attractions in the world, spanning 65 countries in six continents. For each attraction, we asked a simple question: How frequently do the reviews mention the terms “tourist trap,” “overrated” or “expensive”?


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left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 53.7969px;">Tourist trap<button class="x_sort x_svelte-1smti70" style="border-width: initial; border-style: initial; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: 0px center; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border-radius: 0px; height: 19px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 79.9688px;">Frequency1Four Corners Monument<td class="x_type-text x_align-left x_align-vertical-middle x_td x_cell x_svelte-1ws307v x_ContentPasted0" style="margin-left: 10px; overflow: hidden; width: 4em; padding: 10px 16px; border-left: none;" colspan="1">ArizonaUnited StatesNorth America10,8391391.28%2Salem Witch MuseumMassachusettsUnited StatesNorth America9,2401131.22%3Calico Ghost TownCaliforniaUnited StatesNorth America1,972180.91%4Crazy Horse MemorialSouth DakotaUnited StatesNorth America3,821340.89%5International UFO Museum and Research CenterNew MexicoUnited StatesNorth America2,057140.68%6Blue LagoonGrindavikIcelandEurope26,2591710.65%7Voodoo DoughnutOregonUnited StatesNorth America17,8271060.59%8Capilano Suspension BridgeVancouverCanadaNorth America27,1791610.59%9Penang HillPenangMalaysiaAsia3,737210.56%10Pike Place MarketWashingtonUnited StatesNorth America63,6733550.56%11Checkpoint CharlieBerlinGermanyEurope76,2694000.52%12Tegallalang Rice TerraceUbudIndonesiaAsia38,1991980.52%13Guinness StorehouseDublinIrelandEurope16,649750.45%14Amana ColoniesIowaUnited StatesNorth America2,509110.44%15Fisherman's WharfCaliforniaUnited StatesNorth America8,743370.42%16Livraria LelloPortoPortugalEurope56,5622280.40%17Navy PierIllinoisUnited StatesNorth America69,6732720.39%18House on the RockWisconsinUnited StatesNorth America5,965230.39%19Skylon TowerNiagara FallsCanadaNorth America8,865280.32%20Preservation HallLouisianaUnited StatesNorth America3,871120.31%21Blarney CastleCounty CorkIrelandEurope9,783300.31%22Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream FactoryVermontUnited StatesNorth America7,563230.30%23Winchester Mystery HouseCaliforniaUnited StatesNorth America12,770380.30%24Rovaniemi and Santa Claus VillageLaplandFinlandEurope21,480630.29%25Elvis Presley's GracelandTennesseeUnited StatesNorth America20,072560.28
My comments: I don't consider these a tourist trap: Four Corners (AZ, CO, UT, NM), Preservation Hall (New Orleans), and Penang Hill (Penang, Malaysia). And the original Checkpoint Charlie (East Berlin) was indeed one of the most significant experiences of my life. The current (replica) checkpoint shack looks and feels nothing like the original, where "strip searches" were standard, along with snide comments from the STASI. The Witch Museum in Salem is not worth a visit, but Salem on Halloween certainly is. I would say it is the best place to be on October 31st. Pike Place Market (Seattle) is a great place to buy flowers for your hotel stay and pick up a few gifts and food items for your friends back home. Yes, the fish toss is a bit "fishy" but the majority of vendors there are just trying to make a living. Guinness has a track record and history beyond its many choices of beer and ales. Free samples never dull one's enthusiasm for a quick tour and tasting. Avoid at all costs: Navy Pier (Chicago), Fisherman's Wharf (San Francisco), and Calico Ghost Town (LA). And Voodoo Donuts in Portlandia, while very overrated, at least provides a nice stop for a decent donut and coffee. After visiting Stonehenge in England, Machu Picchu in Peru, Trevi Fountain, the Alamo, and the canals of Venice, I would place them on the list of tourist traps.

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