These things can pop up practically overnight, usually in an area with famous natural or artificial splendor. There can be areas full of them, possibly marked by a Hard Rock Cafe, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, or both. They're usually just meant to be a way to make a quick buck off unsuspecting, pea-brained tourists such as you and I. And they can be quite successful.
For instance, this one in Oregon got two seasons of one of the most critically acclaimed animated series of this century.
Heck, some can go from a tourist trap into something much bigger. Walter and Cordelia Knott built a replica ghost town for their chicken restaurant, which they built for people visiting their berry farm. Now Knott's Berry Farm is one of the most famous theme parks in the country. So, I thought it best to discuss some notable places with tourist traps that I have or haven't visited, and see just what makes them special.
Clifton Hill: Niagara Falls, Canada
Well, why else are you in Niagara Falls? To see Niagara Falls? Nerd!
I visited Clifton Hill a few years ago, and it is, essentially, the modern-day equivalent of kitsch. Right next to one of the most famous natural wonders on Earth is a plethora of attractions that have no relation to one of the most famous natural wonders on Earth, including an observation wheel, arcade with shooter dark ride, several Ripley's attractions, mini golf courses, a World Record museum, what appeared to be a Lego train layout you had to pay to see (I wish I could've), a haunted house, a wax museum, and so forth.
Is it cheesy? Yes. Does it have a negative effect on all the natural splendor? Again, yes. Is it fun as hell? Refer to the previous two answers.
Much of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
BECOME ONE WITH WATER! ALL HAIL TUBEY!
I've been here a number of times throughout my life, and it's always been pretty fun. The self-proclaimed "water park capital of the world" is best known for, well, water parks. Of course, there's also the beautiful Lake Delton, many resort hotels (I usually stayed at the Wilderness), and plenty of different weird things to do, from amusement parks to outlet mall shopping.
My personal recommendation is the Riverside and Great Northern Railway, a miniature railroad going through the woods. It sounds odd, I know, but it's also very cool.
Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota
Beat this, CVS!
Wall Drug owes some of its fame for signs all around the world, from Antarctica to Afghanistan, listing how far it is. It's probably the most famous non-national park attraction in South Dakota. I went here some years ago, and while we mostly just got their famous free ice water, it's still one of the most unusual locations I've had the pleasure of visiting. Truth be told, I can't think of many other drug stores that include a chapel, shooting range, and pharmacy museum.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Nestled in the Smoky Mountains, these two towns owe part of their tourism to not only the mountains themselves, but also nearby theme park Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, because let's face it, we all want to be famous enough to own a theme park named after us. For those reasons, the towns are covered in random kinds of attractions, including some weird ones.
For instance, Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride, which from what I've seen is kinda like Dinosaur from Disney's Animal Kingdom, except A) It's on a boat and B) it's terrible. And there's also The Coaster at Goats on the Roof (That's the full name by the way), which is different from other alpine coasters by having goats on the roof of a building. That's its main selling point.
There's an earthquake ride, a collection of dioramas depicting the life of Jesus, a salt and pepper museum, and enough other oddities in this town that you would probably need a whole trip just to see them all, rather than just stopping overnight on your way to Myrtle Beach, like my family would do. But, I suppose that's tourist traps for you. They might not always grab your attention, but when they do, you may as well consider yourself trapped!
Yeah, I... yeah, that was terrible.
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