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I really don't mind Branson. Sure, Dixie Stampede is like 50 bucks.
But Branson is set in beautiful country, has some decent shows, and I like the area, too. You can always head an hour north and catch a Springfield Cardinals game. in Branson you have Silver Dollar City and Celebration City and White Water. Sure, they're expensive, but every other amusement park is.
Really, Branson's not that bad.
And there are lots of inexpensive things to do here too. You can pack a picnic lunch and head out to the lake (when it isn't 100 degrees like today lol). You can go fishing, you can just stroll around the umpteen jillion outlet malls and window shop. The fish hatchery is fun (and free). There are more inexpensively priced shows available, some of which have "family pass" pricing if you have a lot of rugrats.
You can easily spend ALL DAY at Silver Dollar City which is up to about $60 now (I think, not sure), but where else can you be entertained for 10 hours for that price? They have numerous shows, crafts demonstrations and of course the rides! You can even take a tour of Marvel Cave.
If you are not into all the traffic, hustle-bustle, you can pick a nice (older) resort along the river and just lay around and read! It's a wonderful place. I'm so lucky to live here.
Very late to this thread but Tombstone, AZ is a huge cheesefest. There are legitimate historical sites and points of interest but everything worth seeing is apparently privately owned and you have to pay $5, $10, $20 to get a look at anything including a big rose bush. Everything is covered with a veneer of "old west" as a venue for buying useless trinkets, endless tee shirts, over-priced eats and admittedly some fairly nice local art. Re-enactors and barkers line the boardwalks, hawking tours and experiences sure to disappoint. Commercial to the point of crass. Read the historical markers and move on...
Anyone ever been to Wall Drug, SD? I was driving home from Seattle and saw signs for Wall Drug about 800 miles before arriving there. Tiny town of about 500 people with a drug store and shops. What the!@$%^
HAHAHA glad someone brought this up. I drove through SD last year and I remember seeing signs EVERY MILE. Makes me laugh a little to think about it.
One thing about Orlando is that it's pretty easy to get away from the Tourist Area if you know where you're going. I like their downtown area, and Winter Park is very charming and beautiful. However, the nicest malls in the area are in the Tourist Zone (Mall at Millennia is right over by Universal Studios and The Florida Mall is right on the route that takes you from the airport to the tourist zone). When I lived in FL, I avoided International Dr and US 192 like the plague if I could help it.
Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge? Myrtle Beach In The Mountains
Niagara Falls, ON is a Tourist Trap of the highest order. A huge casino and an entire road dedicated to every cheesy, tacky souvenir shop plus a Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum. The falls are beautiful to look at, but it's hard to avoid the hubbub in the area. When I went to Canada a few years back, we made the mistake of going down there on a Banking Holiday Weekend, so it was packed to the gills.
I've never been to Branson, and I'm sure it's a beautiful place, but when I watched The Simpsons where Homer said "It's Las Vegas if Ned Flanders ran it," I'm pretty sure people in Branson weren't happy about that! I wouldn't be one to judge a place by what some cartoon says though.
I think it is shameful to have to say it, but I will avoid Yosemite National Park for the rest of my life; at least during the summer season. The Yosemite valley gets hot and dusty. Buses drop of loads of tourists. When I was there last, in approximately 2000, someone had just graffitied all over some of the granite rocks. The graffiti stated "Juan" over and over. Wanted signs were up all over looking for the tagger who had caused permanent damage to the rocks. We went down to the Merced river edge to get some peace, only to find an entire family washing their clothes in the river. Their kids were splashing in the water naked. No wonder there are warning signs up all over warning people not to fish from or drink water from the Merced. Such a shame. My goal is to see all of America's National Parks in time, but I think I'll just stick to the less popular ones.
This talk of America's worst tourist traps reminds me of billboards...and looking at the pics of South of the Border...and makes me wonder, whatever happened to the whole Beautify America campaign that Lady Bird Johnson started in the 60's? Wasn't that supposed to outlaw billboards? I guess they can get away with it if it is located on private property? Anyone know the answer? All the signs pointing to Wall Drug all over the planet is one thing, but what about all the billboards in the beautiful Black Hills on I90 from Rapid City to Sturgis and Deadwood. Talk about ruining beautiful scenery.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Branson, Missouri
all of Florida
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Virginia Beach, Virginia
the Hamptons on Long Island
Martha's Vinyard, Massachusetes
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Coure 'de Elaine, Idaho
Las Vegas
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
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