|
|
|
|
|
|
TOURIST TRAP
Tourist trap, sometimes called T.T. for short, is a catch-all term for any establishment or set of establishments that have been created for the purpose of drawing travelers in to spend money. While the term technically has a negative connotation, such establishments are typically viewed by travelers as being fun and interesting diversions, with realistic expectations as to their true importance, or lack thereof. In the Southern United States, these attractions are often called "Yankee" traps.
These establishments are often like "sideshows" to a nearby "legitimate" major attraction. They typically include souvenir shops, thematic restaurants, arcade games, wax museums, collections of unique artifacts, and so on. Some examples:
- Clifton Hill at Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Harold Warp's Pioneer Village near Minden, Nebraska [1]
- House on the Rock near Spring Green, Wisconsin
- International Drive in Orlando, Florida
- Marsh's Free Museum,[2] home of Jake the Alligator Man, in Long Beach, Washington
- Meramec Caverns near Stanton, Missouri, "Jesse James' Hideout"
- Mijas in Costa del Sol or Gibraltar
- Mystery Hill and Prehistoric Forest in Marblehead, Ohio
- Mystery Hill near Salem, New Hampshire, recently redubbed the even-more ostentatious "America's Stonehenge"
- Mystery Hole in Ansted, West Virginia [3]
- Oregon Vortex in Gold Hill, Oregon
- Rock City near Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri
- South of the Border near Dillon, South Carolina
- The Thing in Dragoon, Arizona
- Trees of Mystery in the redwood region of Northern California [4]
- Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota
Tourist Trap is also the title of a late 1970s horror movie starring Chuck Connors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|