|
Might be stretching a bit here from the OP description but is Machu Pichuu or those salt flats in, uh, Bolivia? Considered a tourist trap yet?
Nostalgia4Dogges has a new favorite as of 01:33 on Dec 19, 2014 |
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 01:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 14:56 |
|
|
I remember a goon posting pictures of an abandoned motel in Pennsylvania, I think, which was complete with heart-shaped bathtubs. Including one labeled "the gently caress tub" in post-use graffiti. Does anyone else remember this? I'm not really sure if we've got any real tourist traps here in Ohio. The closest I can think of is this, in Blanchester, in southwest Ohio:  OH Blanchester - Crab by scottamus, on Flickr What the photographer here didn't notice is that it's actually part of an exhibit on how "evolution is wrong" for some inane reason.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 03:37
|
|
|
Christoff posted:Might be stretching a bit here from the OP description but is Machu Pichuu or those salt flats in, uh, Bolivia? Considered a tourist trap yet? You think Machu Picchu, one of the most incredible architectural sites in the world, is on the same level as World's Largest Gator?
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 07:12
|
|
|
canyoneer posted:You think Machu Picchu, one of the most incredible architectural sites in the world, is on the same level as World's Largest Gator? People and their opinions are mostly loving retarded here at SomethingAwful. You've been here 10 years and you still haven't figured that out?
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 07:19
|
|
|
canyoneer posted:You think Machu Picchu, one of the most incredible architectural sites in the world, is on the same level as World's Largest Gator? They may have meant "World's Tallest Machu Picchu", which is just outside of Huntington, North Carolina and is constructed out of bright orange drywall.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 15:52
|
|
|
Nckdictator posted:First off: Gatlinburg is tacky, it's trashy, it's kitschy, and it's mildly racist. Despite all that I love it. Some of that is sentimental value; my grandparents (poor factory workers) never were able to travel much and since Gatlinburg was only a state away it became the typical "vacation-with-the-Grandparents" place and I love those memories. The other, genuine reason to like Gatlinburg is it's location; so close to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, it's near some of the most beautiful scenery in the US. I've only been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge once or twice in my life but I loving loved it. Your pictures make me sad that I moved away from the Appalachian mountains, now I live in Missouri which thankfully has Branson to fill that hole of tacky/trashy poo poo. Haven't been there yet but everything I've heard is that it is the same exact thing that even has same exact attractions. Such as, The Titanic Museum! Imagine driving down the road and seeing the spitting image of the Titanic just sitting there. Of course you have to stop!  It is actually a great museum, it has a lot of cool artifacts and I have nothing bad to say about it. If you've never been to one of these, it's really fun, they give you a booklet detailing an actual passenger that was on the ship, what class they were in, and at the end you get to find out if they lived or died. It's a nice guessing game! Though it does make me think that in 90 years we could have something like this for 9/11, how awful would that be?
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 17:20
|
|
|
Well, the Holocaust museum in DC does that too. Every time you go to a different floor, you turn the page of your little booklet to see how your person is faring.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 18:26
|
|
|
Dead Pikachu posted:Though it does make me think that in 90 years we could have something like this for 9/11, how awful would that be? 
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 20:10
|
|
|
I think I should mention The Varsity in Atlanta: There are plenty of great places to eat in the city but the only place any visitor seems to know by name is this sort of crappy diner. There's really nothing special about it at all. Honestly I'd think any tourist would be better off going to the aquarium and getting something from the food court. Then you get to eat bad fast food and see a whale shark!
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 20:25
|
|
|
kith_groupie posted:Faux-European towns in America are pretty common apparently. Leavenworth in Washington state is all dolled up to look like a Bavarian town I guess, cause that's what you to see when driving to Seattle. It's a weird thing when you're a small child that's never been outside of the USA and your parents explain it away by going "this is what Europe looks like!" Europe looks like Christmas and ice cream parlors, apparently. Even closer to where I live, though, is Hell. There's maybe three stores there, including a combo Halloween shop/ice cream parlor, a biker bar and some other cheesy establishment I can't recall. Not much happens there, tbh, but on June 6th, 2006 they sold "square inches of Hell" to whoever showed up, iirc. Nckdictator posted:I remember my parents have a plastic "Ghost Town in the Sky" cup, vanished around 2003. I never visited the place.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 21:00
|
|
|
Ofaloaf posted:The local "Little Europe" town in this corner of Michigan is Frankenmuth, which is pretty much just "Christmas and ice cream parlors" like you said. Just as you cross into Ohio from Pennsylvania on I-76 there is a billboard advertising one of the "CHRISTmas" megastores located there. Makes me wonder how many tourists that drags in, considering the drive from that point is nearly 5 hours/400 miles. Its not like your average traveler is going to see the sign and decide to make a 10 hour side trip.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 21:12
|
|
|
I have some fantastic memories of Gatlinburg, I've gone a couple times with friends and we all rented a cabin. Mostly the memories are just heavy drinking and grilling on the balcony/heavy drinking in the hot tub, but we would go hiking and whatnot too. When we did go into the town it was largely to people watch.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2014 21:34
|
|
|
Low Desert Punk posted:Atlanta itself isn't a very touristy town, The Varsity (as mentioned), the World of Coke, that big spinning civil war diorama, STONE MOUNTAIN??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQDu2v-Uq0E Peanut President has a new favorite as of 04:13 on Dec 22, 2014 |
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2014 04:10
|
|
|
I've passed by that Mammy's Cupboard place pictured in the OP (near Natchez, MS) many times while on the way to my grandparents' house just north of Baton Rouge. They've painted the face white within the last several years. This thread also reminds me of this one place called Redmon's Candy Factory. It's somewhere along I-44 on the way to St. Louis and they consistently advertise it via billboards for at least 100 miles coming from both ways.   They also have this man-child looking mascot that they display on every single billboard.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2014 06:50
|
|
|
Peanut President posted:The Varsity (as mentioned), the World of Coke, that big spinning civil war diorama, STONE MOUNTAIN??? You seem to have forgotten the money sink- I mean the aquarium.
|
|
#
?
Dec 22, 2014 09:08
|
|
|
Dead Pikachu posted:I've only been to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge once or twice in my life but I loving loved it. Your pictures make me sad that I moved away from the Appalachian mountains, now I live in Missouri which thankfully has Branson to fill that hole of tacky/trashy poo poo. Haven't been there yet but everything I've heard is that it is the same exact thing that even has same exact attractions. You should see the Shoji Tabuchi show.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2014 15:06
|
|
|
We went to Gatlinburg/PF many, many times growing up. The cheesy schlock of it didn't really dawn on me until I was a teenager. It's been at least 10 years since I've been. I do seem to recall there being more variety to the shops there when I was a kid- even though it was overpriced crap, there seemed to be more people at least trying to sell more craftsy stuff- last time I remember every place basically selling airbrushed shirts and generic souvenirs. I'm kinda curious to go back and see what's left- my brother told me it's like 90% chain stuff now. Can't complain because it's always been mostly garbage. The only other thing I vividly recall is that the food in Gatlinburg was pretty awful and expensive. In fact, the only thing I have a fond memory of were the open stalls selling fair food (greasy gutbomb sausage dogs and the like). Pigeon Forge was not much beyond hotels, Dollywood/Music Theaters and outlet stores. Although there was this place in PF that looked like three restaurants on the outside (Japanese, Mexican, and Italian) but was actually one big place on the inside and they had really weird rear end combos- like lasagna, enchiladas and hibachi shrimp.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2014 17:18
|
|
|
I went to Varsity a couple weeks ago to check it off the list because I live near Atlanta and was in the city. It's not bad per se, but I wouldn't go back. Two unremarkable chili dogs, onion rings, and a fountain Coke (no refills) costs a few cents shy of $10. A large group of tourists was blocking the entrance while someone in their group rambled on about it like it's the loving French Laundry. I think my car was the only one in the lot with Georgia plates on it. Stone Mountain is kind of interesting. It's definitely tourist-trappy but it's not too overbearing, you can still enjoy it for what it is- a big mountain with a nice view and Confederate generals carved into the side.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2014 18:32
|
|
|
mysterious frankie posted:The House On The Rock in Wisconsin is amazing. It started out as the passion project of an eccentric amateur architect, and eventually turned into this sprawling kitschy tourist trap in the middle of a forest. The original house is intricate, poorly lit, claustrophobic and sort of spooky; the additions were built more like straightforward warehouses & filled with themed attractions which vary from schmaltzy Americana, to how I imagine terrified dogs perceive normal human things. The carousel and organ rooms are especially hellish fever dreams in the best way. There's a couple of official House On The Rock hotels near the attraction as well. I stayed at one the last time I visited and really enjoyed how dated & lonely it felt. It was like staying in a fading memory. The whole House On The Rock... thing is like if, four decades ago, a chunk of a moderately weird parallel reality fell into our Wisconsin and hasn't been touched up or improved upon since. You forgot the actually pretty impressive part... THE INFINITY ROOM.  There used to be a small table and chair out at the end where Alex Jordan would chill and, I don't know, think insane millionaire thoughts.  
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2014 23:31
|
|
|
hows that work, a cantilever a loving mile long? poo poo's impressive tho
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 00:02
|
|
|
So this is what happens when a country doesn't have old rear end castles/churches/stone structures
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 00:57
|
|
|
Rising majestically over the middle of nowhere is Salem Sue, world's largest holstein.     There's nothing even there to be "trapped" at and spend any money on (other than a gas station nearby i guess), just drive to the giant fiberglass cow and take a pic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 01:01
|
|
|
Fans of house on the rock should try out the St. Louis City Museum in downtown it has a seven story slide
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 01:02
|
|
|
Peanut President posted:The Varsity (as mentioned), the World of Coke, that big spinning civil war diorama, STONE MOUNTAIN??? I had family out in Decatur, and hell yes Stone Mountain was touristy as gently caress. The golf club had nice food, from what I remember. Tuxedo Ted posted:This'll serve as a memorial for the Byron Peach in Georgia. Y'all ain't got nothin' on Gaffney's big rear end water tower, though  Was your peach featured on the hit Netflix drama, House of Cards? I thought not.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 02:21
|
|
|
Ah Gatlinburg. It's like Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. Here's another NC favorite: JR's Outlet Stores  There's a few of these scattered around NC, I always see the signs for the one in Sylva when I'm tearing down 95 from DC to Raleigh. The signs start about 50 miles out, and it's always poo poo like "World's Largest Selection of Cigars!" "Biggest Candy Store in the World!" "Millions of Towels!" I have never met anyone who actually shops there, or who has ever stopped there. But still, they remain.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 02:54
|
|
|
30 Goddamned Dicks posted:
I've stopped there because I'm a total sucker for tourist traps. It really is pretty big, but it's pretty much a giant Big Lots/Job Lot/ Piece of poo poo
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 04:48
|
|
|
Here in West Virginia we got this tacky thing called the Mystery Hole. The main attraction is a series of underground rooms where gravity supposedly doesn't work right, but really they're just built at weird angles.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 06:05
|
|
|
I live in Salem, MA. Half the goddamn city is a tourist trap four weeks a year. I suppose I'd rather deal with goths than juggalos though. Plus, it's hilarious seeing people trying to pilot their loving Class A motorhomes on our dinky little streets, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 06:58
|
|
|
The_Raven posted:I live in Salem, MA. Half the goddamn city is a tourist trap four weeks a year. I suppose I'd rather deal with goths than juggalos though. Plus, it's hilarious seeing people trying to pilot their loving Class A motorhomes on our dinky little streets, so I've got that going for me, which is nice. I always wondered what this must be like. Did you grow up there or just move there recently?
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 12:45
|
|
|
Rasler posted:I guess we don't really have 'tourist traps' here in the UK in the same way that the US does (highways aren't long or desolate enough), but I faintly remember from my 90's pre-teen childhood a lot of lovely attractions that my parents used to take us to in Somerset and beyond, such as Animal Farm, which sadly isn't a George Orwell themed park but instead actually is just a farm. From the website it looks to have actually improved a bit from when we used to go there in the nineties. A much better place to spend our childhood was five minutes down the road, an abandoned military fort called Brean Down What's up fellow Somerset goon! I love that spooky old fort on Brean Down..I think they have closed off a lot of the rooms to the public now, which is a shame. Blobbyland is still there...but the only visitors are urbex types nowadays.....  Here is an article from Vice who went and nicked Mr.Blobby's crapper... http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/i-tracked-down-mr-blobbys-toilet
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 15:27
|
|
|
I'll post some local ones: Found in Vulcan, Alberta.  Vegreville Egg.  World's largest dinosaur in Drumheller. You can climb up inside itself mouth.  Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, a bunch of amusing taxidermy dioramas.   Lake Louise and Banff. "Authentic mountain culture" is a draw that doesn't actually exist there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 15:40
|
|
|
Plastic_Gargoyle posted:I remember a goon posting pictures of an abandoned motel in Pennsylvania, I think, which was complete with heart-shaped bathtubs. Including one labeled "the gently caress tub" in post-use graffiti. Does anyone else remember this? I'm 95% certain that you're talking about the (beautiful) Mt. Airy Lodge. I wouldn't really classify it as a tourist trap as it was more of just a cheesy destination/resort. Anyone in NJ/PA/NY probably still has their commercials stuck in their heads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxt5eMzodHk More info: http://www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania/abandoned/mount_airy_lodge/ It was torn down and the tubs and whatnot sold off to make way for a new casino resort a few years ago. If I recall by the time that thread was posted it was already gone. Pictures must have been old.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 15:59
|
|
|
whatshesaid posted:poo poo yes. I'm currently in a car with friends headed from Bowling Green to Atlanta. We're right outside Chattanooga right now I think, on 24E. Apparently we're supposed to see Rock City/Ruby Falls, without question. I think the tourist trap is more all the loving signs to see Rock City, rather than Rock City itself - I immediately see the barns & mailboxes in my head by just mentioning it, just because they're so ubiquitous. My mom, who is incredibly afraid of heights, climbed up to Rock City just to get one of those drat mailboxes (which broke pretty quickly). It's just a Southern Thing, those signs are - and if you have one you're in on the joke/culture. To date, I have never been. SEE ROCK CITY but you know…don't really.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 16:11
|
|
|
Picnic Princess posted:I'll post some local ones: Hello fellow Alberta goon I am just going to clarify some stuff. Drumheller is a tourist trap built around The Royal Tyrell Museum. The museum itself is definitely worth the drive if you believe in evolution and like dinosaurs. http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/ Never go on a weekend and if you do get there early. Banff is a ridiculous tourist trap that has fought long and hard for the title of STD Capital of Canada. The area around Banff is undeniably beautiful and you can still see that beauty while in town. It has access to a wide variety of little museums and displays. A variety of mountain trails of varying difficulty depending on how well prepared you are for the day. It is also way too busy and everything costs more because property is at a premium there. (It's built in a National Park and everybody wants a store/home there but it's heavily restricted.) You also have to pay to stop in the park. If you are visiting just for hiking, biking, etc. Check out Kananaskis, a smaller park area on the way to Banff from Calgary. Many documented and maintained trails, and what used to be an amazing golf course. The area is still recovering from major flooding last year that destroyed the golf course and washed out many trails. It's free. There is also a small visitor center that will give you free maps and good advice if you want it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 16:29
|
|
|
Heh, I guess I could have gone more in depth. I go to the Tyrrell Museum several times a year, and I spend half my weekends in Kananaskis. I love those places to death. I also work in tourism, so it's not like I hate any of it, although I am seriously disappointed by the direction Parks Canada has been forced to take now that the feds have cut all their funding. Like this monstrosity:  The Glacier Skywalk. It was built in Jasper on the Icefields Parkway, which was world-famous for being a nearly non-developed high alpine mind-gently caress of a road. Lots of locals protested, petitioned, and worked hard to have it stopped. It closed access to a popular hiking trail by shutting down the parking area used by hikers. At least it was built on top of a rubble pile blasted out for a roadcut over top a valley that's actually not that deep. Closest glacier is 10 kilometers away too. It's just a money-grab, and owned by an American company, so most of the revenue generated doesn't even stay in the park.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 17:02
|
|
|
StrangersInTheNight posted:I think the tourist trap is more all the loving signs to see Rock City, rather than Rock City itself - I immediately see the barns & mailboxes in my head by just mentioning it, just because they're so ubiquitous. My mom, who is incredibly afraid of heights, climbed up to Rock City just to get one of those drat mailboxes (which broke pretty quickly). It's just a Southern Thing, those signs are - and if you have one you're in on the joke/culture. Rock City itself isn't that impressive, since I live around big forests with similar rock formations that aren't tourist traps with a bunch of concrete gnomes everywhere. The real reason to see Rock City was this, Fairyland Caverns: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...170.S9hsrSCIOD8
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 17:26
|
|
|
Picnic Princess posted:
I guess the snipers were off duty when that photo was taken.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 17:53
|
|
|
Not sure how much this counts but The Australian Reptile Park is right near me. This place is actually really great. It's seen better days, that's for sure but it's a nice, small zoo where you can watch people milk funnel web spiders to make antivenom if you really, really want to. You know what, gently caress that, go have a picnic with the kangaroos instead. Or go see Elvis the Crocodile.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 20:33
|
|
|
King Vidiot posted:Rock City itself isn't that impressive, since I live around big forests with similar rock formations that aren't tourist traps with a bunch of concrete gnomes everywhere. The real reason to see Rock City was this, Fairyland Caverns: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...170.S9hsrSCIOD8 Walking through there as a child would always freak me the gently caress out. Hundreds of tiny, seemingly carcinogenic figurines vaguely resembling fairytale characters with wide eyes and huge grins staring straight forward.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 20:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 14:56 |
|
|
ALL-PRO SEXMAN posted:I guess the snipers were off duty when that photo was taken. What.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2014 21:34
|
|