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.