Alex, you make me laugh. My parents are coming to visit tonight and are insisting on going to Applebee's for dinner! I kid you not!!

Alex, Al, <BR> <BR>So sorry, but I'll have to flag you both for illegal procedure -- having too many men on the field. You both discussed ubiquitous establishments, which are not technically attractions as Laura defined them. No penalty will be assessed, because your posts were a total hoot. And yes, I had to look up the spelling of "ubiquitous."

Referee, <BR> <BR>Who said I was a man??

Washington DC. <BR>I thought the FBI tour was kind of interesting! I also like the bureau of printing and engraving, all that money made me drool. I especially liked the cost, FREE! <BR> <BR>I guess my expectations weren't real high of these destinations they were interesting little side trips. We went on the off season and there where no lines, maybe thats what makes the difference. The only line we had was a half hour wait for the white house. <BR> <BR>Is Salem, MA even billed as a tourist attraction? I have a couple friends who live there and there doesnt seem to be anything special there. <BR> <BR>My "been there, done that, don't bother" would be Epcot in Orlando. I thought it was overpriced and very dull and crowded and hot and THEY HAD NO BEER! <BR>

It is hard for me to nominate anything in this category. I guess mainly because I don't have too many high expectations of alot of sites, & try to just go with the flow, even when there are crowds.,I even find some fun & joy in places that are supposedly tacky, such as Wisconsin Dells, or Wall Drug. <BR>As for Baltimore's Inner Harbor, for me, that is 1 of my all time favorites, mainly because I am interested in old time sailing ships, of which there are very few left, 1 of which is the USS Constellation(SP) in Baltimore. I must have been through it about 20 times to date. (Also like the Submarine & other ships there.) Haven't been able to get into the Aquarium as of yet though, by the time I go through the ships, there isn't enough time to get into the Aquarium because of the long line.

Alex, Alexandra, Alexis, Lexi, Alejandra, <BR> <BR>Way sorry about the gender blunder. Mea culpa! <BR> <BR>Loved your post, though.

My vote goes to Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan. To get there, you go by ferry. Upon arrival you find no cars or motorized vehicles. The only transportation is horse-drawn taxis or shuttles ( also refered to as busses).Prices are very high for food (lots of it available), Bicycles are permitted and lots of folks use in-line skates. However, if you are there in the warmest parts of summer, the aroma of horses and their waste is EVERYWHERE! It spoiled my appetite for food and assaulted my nostrils all day and all night. Never again!

Dear Al and Neal: <BR>I have never stopped at an outlet mall, but I've always been a bit curious about them (in the interest of research, I guess), but after your comments, I won't even be tempted. <BR>Ever. <BR>Thanks!!!!!!! <BR> <BR>Dear Alex: <BR>I agree with you about those chain restaurants. Disgusting. Fortunately I cannot go, since the few times I was forced to (by visiting relatives), I discovered that I cannot digest the food. Literally. (There's nothing more disconcerting .... [no, I better not say it; too gross]).

I will have to say that the Arizona Botanical Gardens in Phoenix gets my vote. I was grossly outvoted by my tripmates and we ended up there one very warm May afternoon. If you've ever seen one cactus in your life then you should avoid this place like the plague...because if you've seen one then you've seen them all!!! Acres upon acres of cacti...sound fun? <BR>

Nadene asks, Is Salem, MA even billed as a tourist attraction? <BR> <BR>Absolutely! Do a quick search on the web and you'll see...it got my vote for "Been There, Done That, Don't Bother" after I was there last October and was disgusted by the overcommercialization, overcrowding, and generally bad taste of the place.

What about 90% of the state of Florida? There are a few nice places left, but places like Orlando, Panama City, Daytona, Miami, Tampa/St. Pete need to be bombed. There is very little appeal in any of them. I don't understand why people flock to Florida like it's some kind of paradise. For the most part it's an overgrown, overdeveloped tourist trap.

I think you just want to keep all the good stuff to yourself. I say cough it up--where are those nice unspoiled places? Personally, I have beento fla many times & found beautiful spots every time. I am glad Panama City exist so all the dregs can congregate there while I am at Grayton.

Native Floridian...this is the worst time of year to be in Florida. It was at least 92 today with humidity to match. <BR> <BR>BUT...we spent the breezy afternoon sailing the blue-green water of Tampa Bay, something we can do almost any day of the year here. Crossed paths with a number of rays...wingtips raised as they cruised. Saw 4 or 5 dolphin, one of which swam along our bow for several yards. We've got manatees living in the channel by our dock...I see a mom and her calf almost daily, swimming so close to each other they could be attached with velcro. <BR> <BR>As the tide dropped this PM, fishermen were wading out to catch snook. If we'd wanted the beach we could have spent the afternoon at remote but nearby Caladesi Island or Ft. Desoto....no crowds. If we'd wanted crowds instead, Clearwater is right here and Longboat Key an hour off. <BR> <BR>Though far from perfect, I can think of a heck of a lot worse places to be than Tampa. There's plenty of ugly, I'd be the first to agree, but a place is just what you chose to see and make of it! <BR>

I seond the motion on Salem, Ma. The tourist information centre is the best thing. Luckily I was there Halloween week and the library had a nice display but the museum/show was poor. It's overcrowded, not enough parking, nowhere to eat and not much to do. Luckily Rockport is only about 30 minutes away and it was great.

The summer is 1/3 gone. Any new dog attractions out there?

A few years ago we did our only trip to Florida that involved one of those theme parks(instead of the usual visit the grandparents). <BR>We took the kids to Sea World in Orlando for a day, then over to Busch Gardens in Tampa. <BR>Busch Gardens was nice, Sea World was better. <BR>But we choose to do two special tours that you must pay extra for. <BR>One was the penguins, and that was O.K , got to see lots up close *and* pet one. <BR>I always wanted to touch a penguin. <BR>The second tour was a **very expensive** zero. <BR>We signed up to see the polar bears. <BR>First we were driven to the pool where the bears would be *if * they were out swimming. <BR>They weren't ,so we stood around an empty pool and listened to the guide talk. <BR>Next they drove us to were the polar bears hang out most of the time.An A/C cave like unit with a few rooms and a pool. <BR>Inside we were suppose to see the bears. <BR>Well, They were sleeping in a side room, the only way to see anything was to press your face up against the glass, craning your neck sideways, and then were rewarded with the sight of a bear's paw. <BR>That was it! <BR>And for that experience I think we payed $40-$50!!! <BR>I really felt badly for mine, and everyone else's children. <BR>We saw nothing. <BR>Nancy <BR> <BR>

"old mystic seaport" in mystic, conn. Very disappointing. We visited "off season" and they were not busy. One of the ship restorers had his Harley-Davidson on the block restoring it. For this we paid a hefty entrance fee. Avoid it at all costs.

Much as I would love to nominate any and all theme parks, but Disney above all, I admit that WDW has to be done once in the life of anyone with a kid between 5 and 12. BUT ONLY ONCE. <BR> <BR>Otherwise, how come no one's mentioned Wall Drug? Is it because all the announcement signs around the midwest have finally come down? Is there anyone out there who knows what I'm referring to?

<BR>Char: <BR> <BR>Saw "Wall Drug" on "The Best Of..." on the Food Channel. Seeing is not necessarily believing, but it was enough to convince me to avoid it at all costs. <BR> <BR>Good input.

I LOVED Wall Drug! And I REFUSE to go to Outlet Malls! Wall Drug has character, flavor, history. It's history is touching. It's a western icon and while we would never stay there, it was fun for a lunch and souvenir (kids) stop!

About Wall Drugs: <BR> <BR>You can't say it isn't worth the money: it's free -- including the ice water! <BR> <BR>It's proclaimed as a touristy, kitschy, over commercialized, tourist trap -- and it is! But it's so UNASHAMEDLY a tourist trap that it's worth a stop, just to say you saw it. It's one of those places that people visit because people visit it -- not unlke celebrities who are famous for being famous.

What is Wall Drug, anyway?

Nome, Alaska. <BR> <BR>I don't understand why the Iditarod isn't run from Nome to Anchorage. I'd want to race OUT of there instead of TO it.

Lifelong Floridian here. I've done lots of traveling in my lifetime, and despite the humidity, there's nothing like Florida. Anywhere you go, you see beauty, blue skies, SUN, sunshine, palm trees. Everywhere from Key West up to Jacksonville. It truly is how you see it. <BR> <BR>I do, however, agree with CMcDaniel that WDW is a place you go to once. I've been there over 50 times in 30 years and frankly, when I go there now, I hang out at the gorgeous hotels in the area and go to Downtown Disney and CityWalk - free and fun. WDW, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios, Universal all those Florida theme parks are WAY overpriced and frankly, if you've seen each one once, imo, that's enough. There's plenty to do around Lake Buena Vista and Orlando. It's what you make it.

Wall Drug Store is a real drug store in the town of Wall, South Dakota, just east of the Badlands NP. In the 1930's, its owner came up with a gimmick to get people to stop: putting up signs on the hiways going to the Badlands stating "Free Ice Water at Wall Drugs." These signs -- eventually stating no more than "Wall Drug XXX miles" -- were built further and further from the actual site until it became a joke for those on the hiway. The joke spread so far that, during World War Two, service men started putting up signs in far away places stating "Wall Drugs 5278 miles" If you decide to actually stop, you'll find a drug store (yes, you can get a prescription filled!), gift shop, numerous tacky displays, and (still) free ice water.

The one place that comes to my mind is the area known as South of the Border. When I was a little girl I would always notice cars that had South of the Border bumper stickers on them. I always thought it was some wonderful, magical place like an amusement park perhaps. Well a few years ago I made my first solo trip from Virginia to Georgia. While traveling on Interstate 95 you eventually start seeing all of the South of the Border billboards advising you on how many miles you had to go before you arrive there. I was so excited, speeding along in my little Saturn. When I finally arrived, I parked the car, jumped out and nothing. The place was practically deserted. It was dirty, and I certainly did not expect to see a porn shop. I spent about 15 minutes there found a dinky little place to get a hotdog that was too horrible to finish and I was out of there. What a disappointment. The workers all seemed to move in slow motion . I felt like I was in a scene from one of those ghost town movies. I'll never stop there again. Oh, I almost forgot the souvenir shops are some of the worst that I've ever seen.

I totally agree with the posts regarding the Wisconsin Dells, it is a very tacky and overpriced tourist trap with absolutely nothing to do. A close second would be the Alamo, there were so many people and fanatical priests there it made for a most unpleasant time. The Riverwalk was very fun and exciting though.

Recently took the Durango-Silverton Steam train in Colorado. The ride up was fine with beautiful scenery but we made mistake of taking the train back to Durango. It was awful; sat on sunny side and it was unbelievably hot in the car. Also, the ride was boring since it covered the same route. Our mistake-should have followed advice on forums and taken the bus back.

The arch in St. Louis is the most over hyped object in the contry. In fact do yourselves a favor and skip St. Louis altogether.

Believe it or not, the Wisconsin Dells (despite the infamous, and deserved, rap received here) is not the state's #1 tourist attraction. That honor goes to something known as The House on the Rock. Don't go. Don't even bother wondering. It's a Frank L.W.'esque, dank dwelling, but worse yet is a museum on the grounds -- a ONE-WAY museum, so even tho you are there only 5 minutes and decide that the world's largest collection of the world's largest musicboxes is NOT your cup of tea, you are forced to trudge allllll the way through. Visit the Dairy State for rolling pastures, bucolic landscapes, lovely summers, and good cheese. But NOT for the over-hyped Dells or House on the Rock. <BR> <BR>

Okay...here goes...(and don't call me unpatriotic) DISNEYWORLD...come on, guys...you'll have to admit it is nothing but one huge shopping area for...(are you ready?) Disney stuff...It's hot, overcrowded, and I find the majority of tourists there quite rude. The rides are, well, awful...and the only parade that is any good anymore is the light parade at night. Not since the days of Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin as there been a good parade at MGM...Disneyworld is my worst vacation nightmare but unfortunately my husband likes it...ugh

Jones Beach on Long Island has to be the most hyped piece of garbage I have ever seen! Too many people, sand filled with litter and cigarette butts, loud stereos, fights, you name it. The water was the color of Long Island Iced Tea, and too cold to enjoy. There's one (awful) concession stand, too.

Beginning at about 35 or so miles south of Chicago on Interstate 55, you start seeing these signs for "...only 45 minutes away...White Fence Farm...World's Best Chicken." The signs get more numerous, the closer you get. By the time you're at the "next exit" sign, your mouth is watering. <BR> <BR>First of all, "the Farm" is WAY off the Interstate and in an uninteresting area. The chicken? Colonel Sanders does better. The place? Looks like a run down farmhouse. The help? Catatonic! Overall? Not worth the $2.00 per gallon gas to drive there. And...no mashed potatoes!!!!!!! <BR> <BR>Forget about it..

Plymouth Rock. It should be called Plymouth Boulder or Plymouth Stone or Plymouth Pebble. I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe something like ROCK of Gibralter which conjures up the image of a BIG rock or a CLIFF. Plimouth Plantation and the Mayflower were interesting--but the Rock did not rock.

The whole state of Texas is one sad place - why is that every man has two names and every woman wears BIG hair? Just too many Joe Rays, Billy Bobs, and Sammy Joes for me....

Man, am I glad I saw someone else nominate DISNEYWORLD. I thought I was the only person who loathed that place. I mean why do we Americans feel it necessary to take what little bit of vacation we have to go a place with millions of other people, to stand in long lines in one of the hottest areas of the country (yearround), to pay tons of money, to see cheesy exhibits and ride less-than-thrilling rides? And guess what people -- it's ALL artificial. It's all manmade. I sometimes think the animals they have in their animal park are fake.

WAIKIKI. There are so many more beautiful places in Hawaii - why go to that overdeveloped crowded tourist hell? <BR> <BR>The Prairie Dog Town in Lubbock, TX. Sad, sad, sad. These poor, mangy, overfed on nutrition-free Wonderbread by tourists prairie dogs are apparently among the few surviving prairie dog ecosystems. Depressing.

I'm having a hard time chosing between (1) Atlantic City, NJ (ugly beach, depressing boardwalk and boring casinos, plus really scary areas you have to drive through to get there.) <BR>(2) Epcot Center at WDW (even 15 years ago the tech was pretty low vs. high) and <BR>(3) Fisherman's Wharf in SF. (Take one of the ferries from Pier One, instead.) The restaurants anywhere else in the city are much better, and the crowds are less, um, cranky. Well, OK the sea lions were interesting, but there's so much more to do elsewhere in the city.

While I don't agree with alot of the posters here, 2 topics did come up that I agree were really over-hyped. 1. Salem. What a disappointment. We went way out of the way to go there because we did know all the history - blah! Also, 2. South of the Border - I read that posting and just started laughing. 4 years ago my fiance (then, my new boyfriend) took our first vacation together and decided to drive to Florida (live in CT). I figured if we survived 2 weeks in a car, well - it might last. As we came down 95, I started seeing the signs for South of the Border, and as the previous poster said, I'd heard so much about it I insisted we stop. What a horrid place! <BR>Dirty, tacky, rundown, etc. Unless you wanted fireworks - there was no point to the place.

Cannot stress how right the posts on New Orleans and Waikiki are - both are holes into which no person on vacation should ever step. New Orleans: dirty, miserable heat, one cheap bar after another, half-filled with all-day drinkers and the other half tourists with that look of "I can't believe this is how I am spending my vacation"; New Orleans cuisine is overpriced and service is poor. Waikiki: Imagine Myrtle Beach or Panama City; multiply cheap t-shirt and gift shops by 5; raise prices 100%; add roving rip-off and scam artists.