20 US Tourist Traps Ranked From Overrated To Just Plain Awful
We all dream of that perfect vacation photo or unforgettable experience—until we find ourselves stuck in a crowd, overheating, overpriced churro in hand, wondering what went wrong. The truth? Not every “must-see” is actually worth seeing.
After years of crisscrossing the U.S., I’ve been burned by more than a few overrated attractions. Some places are just fine but not worth the chaos. Others? Let’s just say I wish I had spent that time (and money) elsewhere.
In this honest roundup, I’m breaking down the American tourist traps that left me scratching my head—and suggesting better alternatives that actually deliver on the magic. Ready to dodge the duds and make your next trip genuinely memorable? Let’s dive in.
1. Hollywood Walk of Fame
Stars on a dirty sidewalk – that’s basically what you’re getting here. The famous Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches along Hollywood Boulevard, where tourists crowd around to take photos with their favorite celebrities’ stars.
What they don’t show in the glamorous photos? The overwhelming smell of urine, aggressive street performers demanding money for photos, and overpriced souvenir shops at every turn. You’ll spend most of your time dodging pushy tour salespeople.
I spent approximately 15 minutes here before deciding I’d seen enough celebrity names embedded in grimy concrete. Save yourself the disappointment and drive by slowly instead of planning a special trip.
2. Pier 39 in San Francisco
Imagine paying triple the normal price for mediocre food while surrounded by thousands of other tourists. Welcome to Pier 39! This San Francisco attraction offers chain restaurants, generic gift shops, and sea lions that honestly smell terrible up close.
The views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge are nice, but you can get those same vistas from numerous other spots around the city without the crushing crowds. Street performers create bottlenecks along the walkways, making it nearly impossible to move during peak hours.
Did you know locals actively avoid this area? That should tell you something about its actual value as a cultural experience.
3. Times Square
Bright lights, massive crowds, and absolutely nowhere to sit – that’s Times Square in a nutshell. This iconic New York intersection bombards visitors with sensory overload while delivering very little authentic experience.
Chain restaurants charge astronomical prices for the same food you could get at your local mall. The famous costumed characters aggressively pursue tips after quick photos. I once paid $25 for a basic hamburger just because it came with a Times Square view.
New Yorkers navigate around this area like it’s radioactive, and for good reason. If you want a real NYC experience, spend your time in neighborhoods where people actually live instead of this commercial playground.
4. Four Corners Monument
Driving hours through desert landscapes for what? A small concrete slab with a metal disc marking where four states meet. Four Corners Monument represents one of America’s most disappointing geographical attractions.
Visitors line up to awkwardly position themselves across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado simultaneously for a photo that’s frankly not worth the effort. The remote location means you’ll spend most of your day traveling to and from this underwhelming spot.
Adding insult to injury, recent surveys suggest the monument isn’t even positioned at the exact quadripoint! Save yourself the lengthy detour and find more impressive natural wonders throughout the Southwest instead.
5. Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Historic significance gets completely overshadowed by commercial exploitation at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. What was once an important Revolutionary War meeting place now serves as an outdoor shopping mall filled with chain stores you’ll find in any suburban area.
Food options in the Quincy Market section charge outrageous prices for mediocre fare. The same meal costs half as much just a few blocks away. Street performers create such dense crowds that moving through the marketplace becomes a contact sport during summer months.
If you’re genuinely interested in Boston’s history, you’re better off walking the Freedom Trail or visiting the actual museums nearby rather than this commercialized version of history.
6. Bourbon Street
The smell hits you first – a pungent mixture of spilled drinks, vomit, and who knows what else. New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street promises authentic jazz and Southern charm but delivers a sticky-floored nightmare of overpriced drinks and tourist-targeted scams.
Most bars blast recorded music instead of featuring live performers. Drink prices mysteriously double compared to establishments just a block away. The genuine culture of New Orleans exists in neighborhoods like Frenchmen Street, where locals actually go to enjoy music.
I watched countless visitors fall for the “I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes” scam during my visit. Spoiler alert: “You got them on your feet!” Then they demand payment for this amazing insight.
7. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
Paying nearly $40 to take selfies with inanimate objects that vaguely resemble celebrities seems like a strange concept when you think about it. Yet Madame Tussauds locations across America continue drawing crowds for this exact experience.
Many figures look noticeably different from their real-life counterparts, creating an uncanny valley effect that’s more unsettling than impressive. The museums are typically small enough to complete in under an hour, making the steep admission price even harder to justify.
Want to see actual celebrities? You’d have better luck hanging around upscale restaurants in LA or New York than staring at these waxy approximations that never quite capture the essence of the real person.
8. Plymouth Rock
Possibly America’s most underwhelming historical marker, Plymouth Rock sits in a small cage-like structure that makes it look like a prisoner. This modest stone supposedly marks where the Pilgrims first landed, though historians debate its authenticity.
Visitors often stand silently, trying to manufacture some feeling of historical significance while staring at what amounts to an ordinary rock about the size of a coffee table. “Is that it?” is the most common phrase overheard at this location.
The nearby Pilgrim Memorial State Park offers pleasant views of Plymouth Harbor, but the rock itself hardly justifies a special trip. I’ve seen more impressive rocks in my garden, and none of them required paid parking or gift shop visits.
9. Niagara Falls (American Side)
The falls themselves are undeniably impressive, but everything surrounding them on the American side feels designed to extract maximum money for minimum value. Niagara Falls State Park has transformed natural wonder into commercial spectacle.
Overpriced restaurants with mediocre food line the approach. The observation areas become so packed during summer months that glimpsing the actual falls requires strategic elbowing. Meanwhile, tacky souvenir shops sell plastic trinkets manufactured nowhere near New York.
If you’re determined to see Niagara Falls, the Canadian side offers superior views and slightly less commercialization. Better yet, seek out less famous but equally stunning waterfalls like Tahquamenon in Michigan or Multnomah in Oregon for a more peaceful experience.
10. Seattle Gum Wall
People travel specifically to see…used chewing gum? The Seattle Gum Wall represents perhaps the most unhygienic attraction in America. Located in Pike Place Market, this alley features thousands of pieces of used gum stuck to brick walls.
The smell alone should deter visitors – a sickly sweet aroma of artificial flavors mixed with decades of bacteria. Yet tourists line up to add their own contributions or take selfies inches away from strangers’ saliva-covered remnants.
Pike Place Market offers so many legitimate attractions – fresh seafood, local crafts, and the original Starbucks. Skipping the disgusting gum display costs you nothing while saving you from potential contact with countless germs that have no business being tourist attractions.
11. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums
Faded exhibits, questionable facts, and steep admission prices make Ripley’s museums among America’s most disappointing attractions. These collections of oddities promise amazing discoveries but deliver dusty displays that haven’t been updated in decades.
Many exhibits rely on outdated shock value rather than educational content. The “authentic artifacts” often come with vague provenance information that makes you question their legitimacy. I visited the one in San Francisco and noticed multiple items labeled as “replica” in tiny print.
Modern science museums offer more fascinating exhibits with actual educational value for similar prices. If you’re interested in genuine oddities, seek out smaller local museums focused on specific unusual collections rather than these generic tourist traps.
12. South of the Border
Billboards promising excitement appear for hundreds of miles along I-95, building anticipation for South of the Border. What awaits? A dated, borderline offensive collection of Mexican stereotypes packaged as roadside entertainment in South Carolina.
The massive sombrero tower overlooks aging souvenir shops selling cheap trinkets and questionable fireworks. Restaurants serve Americanized versions of Mexican food that would make actual Mexican chefs weep. Most attractions appear stuck in the 1970s with minimal maintenance since then.
Bathrooms rank among the cleanest features here, which says everything about this fading roadside attraction. Unless you desperately need a bathroom break while driving through South Carolina, keep driving and find a more worthwhile stop.
13. Wall Drug
Hundreds of billboards across multiple states create expectations that Wall Drug simply cannot fulfill. This South Dakota roadside stop began as a clever marketing campaign offering free ice water to travelers and evolved into a sprawling tourist trap.
Walking through Wall Drug feels like navigating a maze of gift shops selling identical South Dakota souvenirs at inflated prices. The famous free ice water remains available, but you’ll pay premium prices for everything else. The dinosaur statue and backyard area provide momentary amusement that hardly justifies the lengthy detour.
If you’re already passing through Wall on your way to Badlands National Park, a quick 15-minute stop might satisfy your curiosity. Otherwise, those hundreds of billboards are selling a destination that can’t possibly deliver on its promises.
14. Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show
Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs State Park features performers in mermaid costumes swimming underwater while visitors watch from a submerged theater. Sounds magical in theory, but the reality falls disappointingly short.
The dated show features simplistic choreography visible through increasingly scratched viewing windows. Seating arrangements mean tall visitors block the view for everyone behind them. During my visit, murky water conditions made it difficult to see the performers clearly despite the show’s hefty additional cost beyond park admission.
The natural spring itself offers beautiful swimming opportunities, but the mermaid performance feels like a relic from another era that continues solely because of nostalgia rather than actual entertainment value. Enjoy the spring but skip the show.
15. Mystery Spot
“Defying the laws of physics” is how attractions like The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz market themselves. In reality, these tilted shacks use simple optical illusions and forced perspective to create the impression that balls roll uphill and people stand at impossible angles.
Tours rush visitors through basic illusions while guides recite scripted explanations about gravitational anomalies that any physics student could debunk in seconds. The gift shop, predictably, receives more square footage than the actual attraction.
Similar “mystery spots” exist across America, from Oregon to Michigan, all using identical tricks while claiming unique supernatural properties. Save your money and watch optical illusion videos online instead – you’ll see the same effects without the long drive and admission fee.
16. Salem Witch Museums
Salem, Massachusetts capitalizes on its tragic witch trial history with museums that range from misleading to completely fabricated. Most Salem witch attractions feature mannequin displays with dramatic lighting rather than historically accurate information.
The Salem Witch Museum, despite its official-sounding name, presents outdated exhibits with questionable historical accuracy. Wax figures in dated dioramas tell a simplified version of events while missing the complex social and religious factors behind the witch trials.
If you’re interested in actual history, visit the Peabody Essex Museum instead, which contains genuine historical documents. The commercialization of innocent people’s deaths through tacky souvenir shops selling witch-themed merchandise makes Salem one of America’s most exploitative tourist destinations.
17. Roswell UFO Attractions
Aliens have landed in Roswell, New Mexico – or at least alien-themed gift shops have. This small town milks its 1947 UFO incident connection through numerous museums and stores selling identical green alien merchandise.
The International UFO Museum and Research Center sounds impressive but consists mainly of newspaper clippings, blurry photographs, and testimonials displayed on poster boards. Most exhibits haven’t been updated in decades, giving the entire experience a time-capsule quality that’s not intentional.
Street lamps shaped like alien eyes and storefronts decorated with inflatable extraterrestrials create a carnival atmosphere that undermines any serious discussion about unexplained phenomena. The actual historical interest gets lost beneath layers of commercialization and tacky souvenirs.
18. The World’s Largest Things
America’s highways are dotted with attractions claiming to be the “World’s Largest” something – from balls of twine to rocking chairs. These roadside oddities typically share common characteristics: they’re located in remote areas, require significant detours, and prove disappointing upon arrival.
The World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas exemplifies this phenomenon. After driving hours through farmland, visitors find… a large ball of twine sitting under a gazebo. Photos take approximately 30 seconds, leaving travelers wondering why they allocated half a day for this experience.
Similarly underwhelming “largest” attractions exist across the country, from Minnesota’s giant prairie chicken to Illinois’ massive catsup bottle. Save yourself the detour unless you’re specifically collecting roadside attraction photos.
19. Graceland
Elvis Presley’s former home charges premium prices for a surprisingly limited experience. Graceland itself is much smaller than most visitors expect, with only a portion of the mansion open to the public.
The basic tour rushes visitors through rooms featuring dated 1970s decor while audio guides provide minimal context. Want to see Elvis’s airplanes or car collection? Those require expensive tour upgrades. Gift shops outnumber actual exhibits, selling everything from Elvis-shaped salt shakers to $300 replica jumpsuits.
Most disappointing is the cemetery visit, where tourists snap selfies at Elvis’s grave while staff hurry them along. True music history buffs would find more authentic experiences at Sun Studio or the Stax Museum of American Soul Music for a fraction of Graceland’s cost.
20. Bubblegum Alley
San Luis Obispo’s Bubblegum Alley manages to be even more disgusting than Seattle’s Gum Wall. This 15-foot high, 70-foot long alley contains thousands of pieces of used gum stuck to brick walls, some dating back decades.
The nauseating smell hits you before you even see it – a sickly sweet mixture of artificial flavors and bacterial growth. Health officials have repeatedly raised concerns about this unsanitary attraction, yet tourists continue adding their own chewed contributions to the revolting display.
What makes this particularly awful is that San Luis Obispo offers genuinely charming attractions just steps away – a historic mission, lovely creek-side restaurants, and vibrant farmers markets. Skip the germ-covered alley and enjoy the city’s legitimate charms instead.