What are some popular tourist destinations you don’t see the appeal of? (Inside or outside the USA)

39 comments

  1. Worked in Manhattan for over a decade, Times Square is the worst place on the planet. But I guess for tourists it’s worth seeing all the lights and billboards for 5 minutes.

  2. Not one specific destination, but there is a constant stream of foreign posters on this sub who want to drive from New York to Los Angeles. Seems to be not uncommon for European YouTubers as well. Every time, I just think WHY? Why would you do that to yourself? It’s way too much driving. You’d have a better time traveling around a smaller area and experiencing it in more depth without so much time in the car.

    But also, Times Square and Hollywood.

  3. Times Square, Hollywood Boulevard, Broadway in Nashville, Gatlinburg…basically any of the tourist traps. If there’s a Hard Rock Cafe nearby, I’m not interested in that area.

  5. Stone Mountain. Congratulations, you took a beautiful natural formation and added a racist scar.

    edit: Confederates big mad

  8. Times Square. I used to work there. I don’t know how many tourists I had to walk around standing in the middle of the damn sidewalk and just gaping at the lights, taking selfies, walking four abreast at a leisurely stroll, or whatever other nonsense, while I was trying to walk home or to work. If I never set for in Times Square again for the rest of my life, I will not mind one bit.

    Also: Bourbon Street. That’s a young man’s game, and not that much fun even at the time.

  9. More generally, the least appealing form of tourism has always been to pop in, sprint to attend the obvious and expensive tourism points, and then immediately leave to the next place or whatever.

    Going to Chicago to take a photo of the Bean and eat deep dish is like going to Italy to get your little Leaning Tower + Pasta shot. I dunno. I’d almost rather grab some random food and walk around like I live there than do just that.

  10. I personally feel by far the most overrated place in Michigan is Frankenmuth…y’all aren’t missing anything by skipping the “famous” chicken dinners. They really are mediocre to average. They just market/brand themselves really well. It’s pretty with all the German architecture and such, but the actual products you buy or partake in when it you get there are super watered down and Americanized. It’s hardly authentic German cuisine or cultural immersion.

  12. Gatlinburg. People (specifically oldsters) in Alabama freaking love Gatlinburg, but it’s so crowded and kitschy that it gets old after about five minutes. I mean, I get that it’s a family-centric place in the mountains, but I truly don’t understand going there multiple times.

    Send me to Asheville any day of the week instead.

  13. Branson

    To me, it appears to just be a cross between giant suburban strip mall and the Wisconsin Dells on steroids. Also, I’ll forever associate Branson with the failed development scheme where the few [houses they built look like they have a skin disease](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65YPxMMh1w).

  14. Honestly? Most of them. And especially the ones in hot weather places. If I’m going on vacation I’m going someplace remote and peaceful in the mountains or something.

  15. I think there’s a difference to me between “not seeing the appeal” of something and that thing not being appealing to me personally.

    I loathe Las Vegas (pun intended) but I completely understand why it’s appealing to others.

    I can think of plenty of other tourist destinations that I considered a let-down (Times Square, Pier 39, Hollywood Boulevard), but none that I don’t see a reason why it’s a popular destination.

  16. Mt. Rushmore. I don’t give a shit about Mt. Rushmore. I am sometimes surprised that I could give so little of a shit about a thing. I’d rather visit my local bowling alley. Fuck Mt. Rushmore.

    Las Vegas also perplexes me. People seem to love it for exactly the reasons I hate it. I’ve been there 6 times and was perplexed by its appeal 6 times in a row.

  18. The Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC.

    Once a year, traffic goes to shit because…flowers. Go to the Smithsonian you dork.

  19. I know it’s not the best Colorado has to offer but the front range is overrated. In the northeast, we spend our whole lives being told that our mountains are tiny little hills. You go to Colorado expecting to be completely wowed by the sheer size of these mountains and then it’s like that’s it?

    Hell even the 14ers were underwhelming to an extent

  20. The Grand Canyon. People really like it, but it was just…..a big canyon. Idk. I found it really boring.

  21. Branson, MO just looks like a basic tourist trap.

    Mt. Rushmore is just a vandalized mountain

    Outer Banks, NC isn’t that interesting outside of the Wright Brothers and Lost Colony museums. I can go to beaches all through the east coast.

    Dubai is just a rich person playground that everyone on Instagram uses to boast how rich they are.

  22. Palace of Westminster which houses Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, and Times Square

  23. Florida in general. It’s painfully hot down there to the point that I find it difficult to enjoy.

  24. The Loop at that keep them busy but it more to Chicago then that. We try to avoid the Loop

  25. Mount Rushmore.

    So, we took some sacred land from Native Americans and defaced them by carving some giant faces in the side of a mountain?

    So, you go out into the middle of nowhere, in the wilderness of America. . .just to look at a mountain with some faces carved on it?

    I don’t get the appeal.

  26. “Going to Hollywood.” I mean, it’s not like your favorite film star is hanging around waiting for you to drop by.

  27. Cruises. I understand why they’re appealing to some people but I’d pay to NOT go on a cruise. To me, it’s thousands of people crammed into a metal tub where they do things like sunbathe, go to bars, and have nice meals. Why not just go to a beach for that?

  30. As a Brit, I really hated Vegas – crass, cynical and expensive. Times Square isn’t really a *square*, but it *is* a pointless waste of time. But my pet hate is across the border at Niagara Falls – looking towards the Falls, everything’s nice, but look behind you and venture into the town, and it makes even Vegas look classy.

    Apologies I’m not an American, so maybe my answer is not valid – but I have visited 20+ times, so perhaps…

  31. Out of the ones I’ve been to:

    Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Nice scenery but it feels like someone took a beach town, lost the beach, but kept the attractions. It’s hard to describe, but everything feels out of place. Too many shops that sell overpriced junk.

    Las Vegas: Probably can’t judge it fairly since I was a kid when I went, but it’s scorching hot, smells like weed/cigarettes, and is incredibly boring if you’re below 21.

    I will say that Universal Studios Orlando, the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain National Park, Mount Washington, and Bar Harbor have blown away my expectations.

  32. Disney Land, Disney World, Branson Missouri. All completely about making money, cashing in on the talents of others from years ago and just…taking advantage.

    “Oh you liked X movie or Y singer? Pay us $$$ and we’ll give you a shitty reproduction that will make you feel sad and ripped off but will line our pockets.”

  33. Mt. Rushmore is pretty boring besides maybe reading the history it has written in that room. Besides that it isn’t nearly as nice as the rest of the black hills

  37. For me it’s the Wisconsin Dells, it’s such a massive tourist trap. You’ve got at least 15 of the exact same souvenir/custom t-shirt shops copy/pasted all along the main drag. Everything there is grossly overpriced. Plus I’m just not big on overcrowded water parks that god knows how many people have pissed and shit in.

  38. Disney, Disney World, any of those type of places – but thats because I hate crowds.

  39. Everything in Memphis. Beale street, Graceland, sun studios… i live in Memphis. I cannot believe people travel to see these things.

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