The Al Capone tour in Chicago. It's awful. Raging full of stereotypes about Italian Americans

Here’s one that sort of applies: Rainforest Cafe. They are in every major resort area and they suck. Over stimulation and over pricing at it’s worst. And to kick it off, they take you through their retail establishment on the way in. All this to promote “conservation” and “animal welfare.”

I'll second Rainforest and add a vote for Hard Rock Cafe. Also, throw in those "xxxx Mills" outlet malls where I had my first encounter with Rainforest in the Phoenix version.

Let me please add Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. Don't ever go to one. They're awful. No matter how much you liked the movie Forrest Gump, the restaurants are awful.

Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota.

Baker City, Oregon and it's Oregon Trail hype. The Trail "historic" complex was funded with federal money so the town could cash in on the hardship and death of people of days gone by. If it were not for federal funds Oregon would dry up on the vine. There are many tourist traps in that state but this one takes the cake. There is something wrong with a state who's largest industry is prisons and even that has an investment (give-a-way)of federal funds. My vacation dollars will go elsewhere.

Solvaang, CA--billed as a "Danish village." Ridiculous--nothing to do except shop in high-priced stores with nothing worth buying or eat at high-priced bakeries. For some unknown reason, everyone I know has gone here--don't even bother. (This is from someone who _loved_ Wall Drug--why did nobody mention that they give free donuts to veterans, truck drivers, and honeymooners (we were the latter)--and the Wisconsin Dells--roller-coasters and go-karts only--both).

top!

The Black Hills of South Dakota were a fairly frequent destination for me when I was a boy (we lived in western Iowa) and, even today, while doing reporting in the west, I always make a point of stopping at Wall Drug. I did a story on the proprieter a few years ago (he recently died) and found him to be a charming, engaging man who knew EXACTLY what he was offering folks. He never pretended that Wall Drug was anything more than a place where people could stretch their legs and buy baseball caps with fake dog crap on the bills. I like to stop and stock up on cheesy gifts for my friends (they love me for it). I am starting a campaign to get Wall Drug removed from this list.

Cherokee, NC <BR> <BR>It is at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the entrace of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It must be the most tacky place on the earth. <BR> <BR>It's angle parking off the HIGHWAY!!! You take your life in hand trying to back out of a spot. <BR> <BR>Some guy dressed up as an Indian chief dancing in the street for money. Tacky gift stores with a stuffed bear outside selling plastic tomahawks, headdresses, mocassins, totem poles, etc. along with the usually souviner junk. <BR> <BR>Hotels with names like Arrowhead Inn and Teepee whatever. <BR> <BR>I'm not an Indian and I found it offensive. <BR> <BR>There is one casino there. All machine games (video poker, blackjack, slots). No payout. Too much second hand smoke to breathe -- even in the non-smoking section. If the machines had given out 1 quarter for every 4 I put in I might have stayed. <BR> <BR>Okay, now something not completely negative: the mountains are beautiful, the Indian Culture Center shows many wonderful works of art and handicrafts.

I've never been as disappointed as I was when going to EPCOT CENTER. Whew! Overpriced entry fee, the longest walk from the parking lot to the gate and once inside a long walk in a circle from gift shop to gift shop selling trinkets made in Taiwan that were suppose to represent the different countries of the world. I think not. Lousy, lousy over priced food. We walked aimlessly trying to understand why people go to this place. One or two rides for a moments glee and then more walking through gift shops. This was truly the most expensive shopping trip I'd ever been on and I didn't buy anything! <BR> <BR>The Kennedy Space Center was well worth the trip. The tour is a must do and if you do a little homework you can plan to be there on a day when the shuttle is lifting off! <BR> <BR>Have a great trip. <BR>Susan

Seattle, especially the Space Needle and all the silly skin-pieced youth who are ubiquitous. That said, western Washington is beautiful. If I had to relocate, I'd seriously consider that part of the country.

Don't "See Rock City" or Ruby Falls either, the best part of Lookout Mtn. is the incline cable car that takes you to the top, the rest is a just the results of a marketing genius. After your inside you get the feeling you just paid to get in to see the smallest horse in the world that shows up at everybody's state fair. You look at rock formations that are named after the masterminds imagination, at Ruby Falls you take an elevator down to an undergrond cavern that displays a tall but weak waterfall that has a red light shining on it, oooooh ahhhhhh, boring, boring, boring.

HOOVER DAM!!!!! <BR> That was a miserable experiance! Although the fact that it was 107 degrees might have aggrevated my time, I still would tell people not to go there! First of all, b/c of the heightened security (they get lots of bomb threats) you can't carry anything in with you. Then there are tours, but they are hours long! (I think 1 1/2 hrrs to 2 hrs) So we didn't go on them. So basically we just looked at the dam while my parents oohed and aahed and I was like, "Get me back to the hotel and the pool!"

I just have to say for those who have nominated New Orleans for this honor -- NEXT TIME GET OFF BOURBON STREET. Most New Orleanians (myself included) love this town, but not much of the French Quarter and WE HATE Bourbon street. The town has so much to offer as far as history and culture that most other places pale in comparison, but saying you've been to New Orleans when you've just barely been out of the French Quarter is like going to San Fransisco and only going to Fisherman's Wharf -- or going to Manhattan and only visiting Times Square -- you get my point. Nuff said

Not only did I get teased for the whole "Plymouth Pebble" experience, but for my insistance on going to the Oceanspray Cranberry "farm" down the road. Just so you know my teenager had a great laugh at my expense... It is a store with free juice samples and two planter boxes out front! <BR> <BR>places we return to regularly..Santa Cruz, Capitola, Santa Catalina, places with a history of fun.

it does seem to me that any intelligent people would investigate any place they thought about going to before they took off. wouldn't asking people with similar views about their experiences alleviate a lot of disappointments? I can't help but think that these "ripoffs" are somebody's cup of tea.

Hey! Wher is that referee?

<BR>I think the ref swallowed his/her whistle back near response number 115--six long, long weeks ago.

Hey Nadene! <BR> Epcot does indeed have beer! I'm not that fond of Epcot, but if you must go (I live near Orlando so I'm forced to go sometimes), go to the World Showcase and do a "tour of beer." No, this isn't advertised, I made it up. Go to each country and have *at least* one native beer. By the time you're at the end, you'll need to stay in one of their overpriced hotels! <BR>

Reading these posts is a riot!! It is wonderful to get different perspectives on things. <BR> <BR>My pick would be Mount Shasta in CA. Don't get me wrong, the mountain is beautiful. But I thought you could drive to the top, see/play in the snow that covers the upper elevations year round, but no...the mountain is over 14,000 feet and you can only drive to elevations to 8,000. Then you are dumped into a parking lot. The scenery is spectacular but not much else going on. The snow was way, far away. I don't quite know what I was expecting but certainly not what was there.

Game called due to darkness.

<BR> <BR>I'm going to Disneyland!

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The Royal Gorge Bridge outside of Colorado Springs. Touted as being the longest highest expansion bridge ever built (I believe) and when we arrived it was this tacky $10 per person tourist trap. You can't drive over the bridge but you can pay your $10 to walk over it. It was built - get this - as a tourist trap to attract people to the area. <BR> <BR>There are many more beautiful places in this portion of Colorado, so don't bother unless you like crowds or have a thing for bridges.

GREAT thread, Laura! And great posts -- informative and hysterical in some cases, no flamethrowers and no psychos. This is how all threads on Fodors should be. I agree with lots of the posters here, particularly those who knocked Atlantic City (the most depressing place I've ever been -- nothing says God Bless America better than a place where a Donald Trump casino is on the same block as a pawn shop in a condemned shack with a sign saying it will accept gold from teeth) and the Statue of Liberty (take a picture from the Staten Island Ferry instead). <BR> <BR>My nominees, all in New Mexico: The Loretto Chapel and the Museum of the Institute of American Indian Arts, both in Santa Fe, and the town (NOT the pueblo) of Taos. <BR> <BR>The Loretto Chapel will, in the time honored tradition of snake oil chaplains who give organized religion a bad name, take your money promising a "miracle" and leave you wishing you'd taken a vow of tourist-attraction-celibacy. $2 to see a staircase built by "St Joseph" with no nails or central supports. Now I am the child of architects and I enjoy both Bob Vila's Home Again and In Search Of (home repair/construction and spooky unexplained mystery shows, in case you didn't know) and I found nothing of interest in this so-called miracle. There is so much to see and do that will make you believe in a higher power in this part of the country. Go to Bandelier, Pecos, or any of the other pueblos. Go to Los Alamos. Hell, go for a freakin' drive. The sky alone is mindboggling. It will only cost you the price of gas, and you control the music that's playing. <BR> <BR>As for the Museum of the Institute of American Indian Arts, it only proves that even the oppressed are capable of making ugly "art." Don't waste your time -- instead, make a beeline just outside of town on Old Santa Fe Trail to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the International Folk Art Museum. The former will satisfy your taste for Native American arts and crafts with objects of beauty, significance and worth. The latter is simply one of the best museums in the world, with folk art from all over the globe presented with intelligence and tons of humor (the Mexican Death Day panoramas are worth the price of admission on their own). And if you insist on staying in town, there's the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and the regular Fine Arts Museum. <BR> <BR>As for Taos, it's suffering from the same problems as other small touristy towns like Salem: just too tacky and touristy, not enough of real value. But as I said before, don't miss Taos Pueblo. <BR> <BR>(And by the way, Referee, you are the first person who's gotten laughs out of me through the medium of football. I think I have a huge crush on you! &lt;twirling pom poms and blushing&gt;)

I cannot believe no one mentioned STUCKEYS!!! I remember as a kid we would drive cross-country and see all these "xxx miles to such and such store" signs (like the wall drug signs, I guess) and I remember begging my dad to stop at Suckeys, I mean Stuckeys. They had a big sign (one of them) advertising divinity and I thought the name "divinity" sounded like something I must have! He humored me, I bought some divinity and hated it! Nix on the big yellow signs!!! <BR> <BR>by the way...anyone ever been to dinosaur mountain or reptile gardens in S. Dakota? (actually, scratch reptile gardens ... I fell in love with the rattlesnake handler when he saved my plastic alligator from certain death after dropping it in the snake pit...)

It's been a hoot (and educational) reading all these posts...To the poster who said something along the lines of, "don't you folks do research before travelling" -- the answer -- as can be seen when reading the variety of responses here -- is that while some trips are planned specifically to take in a touted attraction, many of these encounters occurred because Fodorites are true "travellers" -- willing to turn on a dime to investigate something that 'sounds' interesting. Even travellers have to kiss a lot of frogs. But this post does begin to hammer it home: if someplace is VERY highly touted...it's probably not worth seeing.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this post. I was feeling really depressed, as due some family illness, my travel plans will be very limited. I had a list,quite extensive, of places I wanted to visit over the next few years. As I read through the posts, I was encouraged to see a lot of my choices were on the "don't bother" lists. Now my list is much shorter and I feel a lot better.. <BR>

My husband and I went to Niagara Falls for our honeymoon (very traditional, I know). We really enjoyed the scenery, the parks, Maid of the Mist, the thing where you put on the yellow jacket and climb stairs under the falls, and generally most of the activities. <BR> <BR>The "Been There, Done That, Don't Bother" thing was where you went behind and underneath the falls to look out. Have you ever tried looking "through" gallons upon gallons of water pouring at high rates of speed? Guess what? YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING BUT WHITE. That's interesting for about 2 seconds (if that). Costs about 5 bucks to get down there, and DEFINITELY Don't go when it's crowded. We waited at least an hour....hot,damp,close,tons of people...to see a white wall. Don't bother! <BR> <BR>Disliked the commercialized area with "Ripley's Believe it or Not" but we didn't waste much time there. <BR> <BR>Otherwise we enjoyed it. Had seen and done everything there in about 3 days.

I'm glad that Kalena made the point that the island of O`ahu is much more than Waikiki and Honolulu. <BR> <BR>It seems that a lot of people who go from the airport to their hotel in Waikiki and never see the rest of the island, write-off the whole island.

ANY zoo during the summer. Especially with small children. <BR> <BR>I've done it twice - once with my ex-husband's kids - once with my own. Never again if I can help it. <BR> <BR>Why? During the summer it's so HOT, everyone, including the animals, is looking for shade or air conditioning to lay down and veg in. None of the animals are up. Many are hidden in cool spots. And with their natural coloring, they're next to impossible to see. <BR> <BR>Then if you have small children, they can't see over the barriers. You wind up picking them up constantly so they can see. Their hot, sticky, sweaty little bodies plastered against your hot, sticky, sweaty body. Yuk! <BR> <BR>Zoos - Spring time or Fall ONLY!

Loved this post! <BR> <BR>Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Tennesee - YUCK! Too many people just shopping in touristy type shops and outlet stores. Also, agree that Cherokee (North Carolina side of Smoky Mountains) was the pits - it's the epitomy of tackniness. Have to say though that I loved the beauty of the Smoky Mountains - We stayed for part of our trip at a horseback riding ranch in Maggie Valley, not too far from Asheville, NC. Also, loved spending time in Smoky Mountain Nat'l Park. <BR> <BR>Another place not to bother with ... Lake George (the town), New York. It is the "Gatlinburg" of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. (There are some nice places to see along the actual lake, Lake George, but avoid the town of "Lake George.") If you are going to the Adirondacks I would recommend the town of Lake Placid .. . very quaint and near the beautiful, high peaks area of the Adirondack Mountains. <BR> <BR>Also, other than seeing the actual falls themselves, I find Niagara Falls, Canada, quite a tourist trap. Niagara Falls on the American side is downright depressing. However, I do recommend seeing the actual water falls. Instead of staying in Niagara Falls, stay a little farther up the river in Niagara-on-the-Lake (Canada), a very charming town right on the water that also has great theater, the Shaw Festival, playing from spring through the fall every year. The "Falls" are a 20 minute car ride.

Rocky Mountain National Park gets my vote for the biggest waste of time. We'd just spent six days touring a lot of Colorado for free when we paid to get in this place. The scenery is exactly like the rest of Colorado (spectacular) except you get to wait in long lines of cars, pay high prices for bad food, read endless signs restricting what you may do and where you may walk and endure hordes of people. With the rest of the state deserted and just as beautiful I don't see a reason for this park's existence at all - at least for another hundred years!

It took awhile, but I just finished reading nearly all of these missives. A comment to those who defended (without specifying) all the tourist attractions that received poor reviews: Just because something exists and draws huge crowds every year, does not mean it has any merit. Many would have avoided these sites had anyone warned us. But the job of these places is to attract visitors with $ to spend, some using tax dollars from the Tourism Dept. <BR>Thanks to these postings, I will stand by my decision not to visit the Statue of Liberty (it was cool just to see from land), Plymouth Rock (did you say ROCK?), Mount Rushmore, etc. And I am rethinking my decision to stay on and visit the Queen Mary in March. <BR>If popularity were the criteria one used to rate the worthwhileness of a visit, then WalMart, craft shows, Disneyland and any mall would be at the top of everyone's Must Do List. You cannot say a place is worthwhile simply because "Everyone else did it!". Those objecting to the negativity shouldn't be reading here in the first place. <BR>Thanks so much to those who took the time to write in detail.

Remember, what anyone says whom you don't know, is just an opinion. Please feel free to see anything you want and listen only to people whose opinions you respect and knowledge you trust. Go for what stirs the imagination and to blazes with any negative feedback.

Before I state my attraction I have one thing to say in regards to a previous post from a few months ago regarding Oregon. There is honestly not a whole lot here I would recomend people to come and visit unless you are a nature person. The coast is lovely. That happens to be the only place however that I have ever really found that has any major tourist traps. And even those ones would not be able to stand up to any at any of the places that seem to have been mentioned. I do not recomend comming here for anything exciting at all. It's a very quiet state. <BR> <BR>I think the worst place I have been to would have to be Atlantic City. Last summer I went to PA to visit a friend and she took me there. I was so excited to see the Atlantic Ocean. Like some insane person, I swam in it. The ocean here is freezing and has terrible undercurrents and sneaker waves. I gave no thought about it as I raced in to the water looking for a chance to finally be able to swim in the ocean. DON'T DO IT!! after i got out, my eyes hurt, and my mouth tasted horrid from water splaching in. Also, beware. The sand is filthy from people throwing their garbage where ever they seem to find a clean spot. It was worse then when I saw the line of dead sea lions on the coast in California. <BR> <BR>We only went in to a casino to use a restroom as none of us really had the extra cash to spend. But it was a terrible struggle to get past anyone to get to the bathroom. And once there, it was a terrible wait-even for the men. The bathroom was next to all the slot machines and so as we walked by, all i saw was people looking desperately to win big. Not as though they were having a fun time. <BR> <BR>All the stores along the boarwalk were very much the same. You only need to go to one. Find the little gifts and such you want, and forget the rest. you'll waste too much day looking at them all and the same things over and over. They are also very crowded and made me feel very cramped. <BR> <BR>I would have to say however that it was interesting however to see so many different kinds of people there. People wearing all styles of clothing and from all kinds of areas of the counrty. If you enjoy "people watching" this is a good place for that. <BR> <BR>so, my advice is to avoid Atlantic City unless you are going for gambling. It is nothing like I ever thought it would be from movies.

At the risk of getting the Texans all frisky--the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens is the saddest excuse for a Botanical Garden I've ever seen. We love Botanical Gardens and have visited them in several large and small cities in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. I felt so sorry for the nice people who worked there. It's not their fault, I'm sure-- just a lack of cash. They have a nice brochure displayed at hotels, and they charge admission, but it truly pathetic! After seeing it, we passed on the Corpus Christi Zoo--the thought was too scary. (To be fair the TX State Aquarium in Corpus is very small, but nicely done).

I just finished reading through all of the posts and, unless I missed it, I didn't see anything written about West Virginia. I was born and bred in this beautiful state. For all you avid snow skiers, you should try the Snowshow Ski Resort - it is (I think) a 5 star resort with many condos, restaurants, etc. There is also Winterplace. And for all you whitewater rafting lovers, have you ever been to WV to try it?? We have some of the best tours anywhere and plenty of tour companies to accommodate you, for that matter. There are also many, many parks to visit (some I STILL haven't been to) like Pipestem, Watoga, Northbend, etc. There is also the Greenbrier Resort (this is the area of the state that I live) - it is a 5 star resort that caters mostly to wealthy people - I don't really have an opinion - I know the food is good, but overpriced. It just depends on how much money you want to spend. <BR> <BR>As for other places I have been, I agree with the Statue of Liberty tour - it was so hot going up those windy stairs, I thought I was going to hyperventilate!! Planet Hollywood was ok - we stayed at the Beacon Hotel and while it was not the nicest place in the world, they say that it is nice for the money. The most fun we had was just walking the city one day!!! <BR> <BR>I have to say that I love WDW and all of those outlet malls (there is a really nice outlet mall in Williamsburg, VA). WDW is nice as long as you go in April or May (IMO). I also enjoyed Sea World and Universal Studios. I hope to go to Discovery Cove someday. And the best place we went was to Lion Country Safari one year about 12 years ago. I wonder if it is still as great as it was then?? <BR> <BR>Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion in Williamsburg, VA is ok especially if you go after Labor Day - not very crowded at all. <BR> <BR>Well, the only other place I have been that is of interest is Jamaica. We stayed at Sandals in Montego Bay and it was beautiful. All I had seen before was Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Nags Head (SC) plus West Palm Beach and St. Augustine (which was nice). Anyway, compared to these beaches, Jamaica was like Heaven!!! We can't wait to go back!!

I have to nominate The Oheo Gulch aka Seven Sacred Pools in Maui. First of all <BR>the drive to these pools is long, the road is very narrow, and very curvy. You think to yourself, "It's so remote no one will have bothered to make it here." After arriving you park in a huge CROWDED unpaved parking lot....but still with all the cars you're still hoping, "Okay, so everyone in the world is here...maybe this place spans for miles and miles." Don't forget...you've been sitting in a car for a long time and it's hot. You then have to walk forever to get to the actual pools. And what happens when you finally get there? Not only are the pools overcrowded by at least 2000 folks but they smell like a public restroom! <BR>Nothing "Sacred" about it. <BR>