CMcDaniel

Gatlinburg wins hands down for the tackiest of tacky. Hordes of people wandering up and down ducking in and out of gawd-awful t-shirt shops. Traffic at a standstill. The road through Cades Cove so jammed that by the last 1/3, my husband even refused to pull off on the shoulder to watch a bear because he didn't want to loose his place in the line inching along to get out.

And hey...Don't Mess With Texas!! The Alamo? Weren't you at least amazed at it's small size? And I agree, walk the river, don't ride. The river by the way, wasn't built to be a disney-like attraction, Monica, it was a WPA flood control project and the city decided to try to make it something attractive of it as long as it had to be there. Riverwalk has become much too crowded for my liking now. Much better to head out into the Hill Country.

Michele

My vote would be to skip Sutter's Fort in Sacramento. From the outside, it looks like may be a cool place to visit, but tourists are left to themselves aimlessly wandering around the grounds trying to figure out exactly what it is that they are viewing! There are a couple of artisans doing period stuff, and they are interesting to talk to, but even they seem bored. Plus, it is easy for some people to get Sutter's Fort and Sutter's Mill confused. (Sutter's Mill was were gold was supposedly first discovered in California) Once you realize that distinction, the question remains - then what are we doin' HERE??

Even a stroll on the Capitol Mall beats going through this boring site!

I like the concept of the what is worse, but how about what is best??

Charles

Monkey Jungle, just south of Miami, Hurricane Andrew tried to blow it away, maybe God thought it sucked also. It's a place where the monkeys run free and people walk through in cages. It's really a matter of perspective. It was too expensive for what it was, it smelled like . . . well you know what it smelled like. And on top of everything else the bottled water in the pop machines were $2.00 -
Near by was Parrot Jungle - a most enjoyable afternoon experience.
No I don't work for Parrot Jungle and I'm not a disgruntled employee from Monkey Jungle, but I never give a negative review without a positive alternative, might I suggest that the remainder of the messages follow that same rule.

Redcurls

The Everglades! What a total waste! I can't say much for Valdez, Alaska either. The rest of Alaska is great.
The 16 mile drive near Pebble Beach in California didn't live up to its billing either.

I also agree about the Alamo and Mt. Rushmore.

Samantha

I second a previously comment on the boat ride at the Wisconsin Dells, and well, just the Dells in general. My husband and I went there quite a few years ago and were NOT impressed. In a word.....tacky.....overpriced hotel, food, shops with ugly souvenirs, a wax museum, even.....we should have left the first day! I think it's more geared for people with kids (which we don't have) and even at that, we would have had the same opinion. The only bright spot was the deer park, but it was expensive to buy the little food pellet things to feed them. I say a "been there, done that, don't bother" with emphasis to the Dells!

Christine

Las Vegas and Hollywood spring to mind and yes Laura, I mean ALL of Las Vegas and Hollywood!

Referee

Sorry, Christine, but I'll have to penalize you for clipping. That is, your post was far to clipped to be useful, as it lacked sufficient detail. Replay the down.

Nadine

One sightseeing fiasco that has my mother and me still fuming (after eight years) is the Grand Canyon Steam Train Adventure. The brochures show the Steam Train travelling close to the Canyon Rim and that advertises that it is a great way to see the Canyon "the way it was". Well the Steam Train takes a route over a flat field AWAY from the Canyon. You never see the Canyon again after this ride. What a disappointment!

Mary

I will sound very unAmerican saying this, but I live in Manhattan, and I would never take anyone to see the Statue of Liberty. It takes forever to get out there, you can't go up to the crown anymore, not to mention the stairs are very steep. On the other hand, the same ferry brings you to the Ellis Island Museum, which I think is fascinating. I may also be biased, because I was separated from my mother for a couple of hours at the Statue of Liberty when I was 7, but I still think it's overrated.

emily

plymouth rock did not rock but Salem is interesting you need to research it a bit to find the good stuff though ( a witch hunt?)

I am from NY: the Stat of Liberty is great but you need to get to the boat at 730am & have a sense of humor. The only other people on it then are Japanese tourists, by the way.

Al

At the risk of being branded a total oaf, I nominate New Orleans. My wife wanted us to go there for years--the food, the antebellum mansions, the music, the whole festive scene. Instead, we got an overpriced and uncomfortable room, the stench of horse urine and worse, indigestible over-rich food served in a sloppy fashion, bawdy drunks carousing under our window at all hours, honky-tonk music dives open to flies and fumes. The mansions, however, were fine. We loved the streetcars. And coffee and those little donut-things by the levee were splendid. We soon escaped to a fine place in Biloxi where the food was twice as good at half the price. Bellingrath Gardens outside Mobile were magnificent, and time spent aboard the old U.S.S. Alabama was time well invested. But New Orleans? N.O.

Bhavana

Wow, do i love this string !! Ok, my vote goes for the Statue of Liberty, New York. Like all other first-timers to the city, we decided that it is absolutely a MUST-SEE. Well, as u can guess [since i'm contributing to this post], i think it is such a waste of time and effort, particularly if one does not live in NYC and is on a short trip of 2-3 days. There r much better places to see which epitomise NYC and truly reflect it's nick-name of 'Concrete Jungle' or 'city of skyscrapers', for eg., the World Trade Centre Observation Deck.

Now, coming to why not Statue of Liberty. The queues are unbearably long, the wait is terribly long [could be a few hours of just standing in line], the ships are cramped. Once u get onto Liberty Island, there is another long queue to get inside the statue, and the wait here cud again be an hour or so. Ofcourse, you do get to the observation deck[sometimes entry to the Crown is closed] , but u only hv a limited time there as there r plenty of visitors. We're in the middle of nowhere and the views from there were so disappointing - Manhattan is too far to really be seen clearly. There's nothing much else to see or do.

The whole trip right from buying a ticket at the dock, standing in line, getting onto the ship, sailing across, disembarking, standing in line again to get inside the statue, the 2-mins u spend on top, standing in the Q to embark onto the ship, sailing back and getting off - the whole thing takes away almost a whole day AND IT IS SUCH A WASTE.

I understand that all visitors cannot think of leaving NYC without seeing the Statue, but believe me, it's no great shakes. It's good enough to see the statue from manhattan. Or if u want a closer view, go for the cinematic documentary of New York in the World Trade Centre.

jm

The Upside Down House in Orlando, next to the Pointe Mall. Rip Off!

Referee

JM,

That'll be 5 yards for illegal procedure. No attempt to explain either the attraction or the problems associated with it. Loss of down.

pj

Old Faithful. Yellowstone Park is well worth the trip, but take the time to explore the colorful ponds and nature within walking distance of the Old Faithful geyser. Don't just wait there for the geyser to go off. It's not that big and exciting! Explore the rest of the area.

Cal

The arch in St. Louis was a total waste of time. We made the mistake of going up in the arch. After waiting for an age in line, we had the joy of being packed into this tiny car ( or whatever you call it ) like sardines. When you reach the top, you get out and squint through these tiny little windows. All in all a definite waste of time and money.

Go visit the cathedral with all of the mosaic work in St. Louis, Now that is spectacular.

Neal Sanders

I know I will be strung up by the Bawmer contingent, but I nominate Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The first time I went, I thought I was missing something; maybe I wasn't in the mood. The second time, I took some relatives sightseeing. We all stood around, watching the other tourists standing around, watching us. Finally, one of my guests said, presciently, "See one Gap, you've seen 'em all."

Which is what the Inner Harbor is: yet another series of shed buildings filled with exactly the same mix of tourist-oriented retail "establishments" that can be found at New York's South Street Seaport, Boston Faneuil Hall, Miami's Harborplace, etc. ad infinitum. The problem with Baltimore's Inner Harbor is that there is nothing original about it; it's a clean, sanitized, Disneyesque version of what a harbor "ought to be."

And Al, you nailed New Orleans perfectly.

Al

Neal, your posting reminds me of another place worth skipping: factory outlet malls. It seems they have spread like pimples all across the face of America. The same names, the same merchandise, the same customers. Bored people clutching plastic bags, staring into the distance, trying to remember where they had parked. Walk into any dress shop and your ears catch that strange squeaking sound as dozens of shoppers move the chrome-plated wire hangers across the chrome-plated racks. Pass the ubiquitous "gourmet" shops and see and smell the "meat products" encased in shiney plastic cylinders (haggis in tube?). See the little, free-standing kiosks where all sorts of tacky stuff is displayed under too-bright little lights. See the places where they will pierce your ears "free of cost"--but also free of germs? Avoid their neglected toilets. Look at the parking lots sprinkled with America's solution to the transportation crisis: shopping carts. Watch how America has learned to park those carts in order to do the most damage possible to neighboring auto finishes. See the bits of food detritus--half-eaten pizza, Coke cans, water bottles, etc. Scrape the remains of tossed paper diapers off your careless shoes. Watch your step. Purple mountain majesties, from sea to shining sea.

KN1

Cheers.
No, I am not greating everyone with that word, just advising stay away from the Cheers Bar in Boston. Sam, Diane, Coach and Carla never would have worked here. If you must see where the bar is, walk by, look down the stairway to the bar and that is the only recognizable area from the show. Inside is a tourist trap with high priced beer, food and souvineers. I try to discourage all my out of towners from going but they are drawn to the likes of Sam, etc. and after waiting in line, getting inside and taking a look at nothing that resembles the show immediately want to leave.

There are many lovely and fun places in Boston, good food, boat trips and evening cruises, Harvard Square, Lexington and Concord, something for everyone. I would personally skip Salem another tourist trap.

My favorite US hangout - St. John, USVI

Alex

I find the "neighborhood bar" type chain restaurant that you find in every suburban shopping center and on every strip terribly depressing. Why does a city of 250,000 need 5 Applebees restaurants? But the real question is why do people stand in line every night of the week to eat in these places? The food is mediocre at best, the service is fair but certainly not great, the prices are not cheap, and there is no distinction between any of them. The menus are the same at all of the chains: chicken fingers, potato skins, caesar salads. When I want to eat out, I want to patronize a local business. And when I travel, I want a little local color and local flavor.