Is there anything wrong with tourist traps?

[longboard55]

We live near los angeles, it is not a good city to visit because there really is not a central tourist area, it is just too big and spread out. The best cities to visit have a central tourist area. I loved how in Boston you just follow the line they painted on the sidewalk. My opinion the more they do for tourists the better it is to visit

 

[Skippyboo]

I went to visit my sister in St Louis. We took the Budweiser Brewery tour. It's free and you get 2 beers. We also went to the Hill section of town for Italian food.

I live outside Atlanta. I took my family when they visited for the first time to Stone Mountain and the World of Coke.

They are some great tourist traps like Luray Caverns in VA. I would not consider the Olive Garden in Times Square but I would go to Pats or Geno for a cheesesteak in Philly or Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh. I tried the Varisty in Atlanta ( I didn't like it).

 

[L&Lfan]

I used to love eating my way through Faneuil Hall and the North End.

 

[bcla]

I always thought it was Grant Avenue, San Francisco from Flower Drum Song...but are y'all telling me it's Grant STREET???
Or are there 2 different places?

It's Grant Ave. Everyone I've ever talked to just calls it "Grant".

 

[bcla]

I went to visit my sister in St Louis. We took the Budweiser Brewery tour. It's free and you get 2 beers. We also went to the Hill section of town for Italian food.

It's free? Our local tour cost money. I think it's because in California alcohol can't be provided for free. Heck - my kid (who didn't even get a drink with admission) cost $2. I had one drink (a Best Damn Cream Soda) at the beginning of the tour, but others were pounding two down before hitting the actual factory tour. And at the end I didn't want to drink much since I was driving. Instead of getting full beer I got a couple of tastes (in shot glasses) and I traded in my coupon for a Coke for my kid. Some were even getting bottled water. I've taken my kid on a winery tour near Seattle, and then they handed out a cup with grape juice so my kid didn't feel left out.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/attractions.html

Cost for this tour is $5 for guests 21+ and $2 for guests 6-20. Children under 6 are not allowed on the tour for safety reasons.​

I even saw A-B employees drinking beer in the tasting room. I wonder if they get it for free.

I did learn that "beechwood aging" basically does nothing to impart any flavor to the beer. We were allowed to take a beechwood chip, smell it, and even keep one. Smelled like absolutely nothing. I felt kind of cheated when George Clooney talks about it, and then I find that it's not like an oak barrel adding flavor to wine, but just to give the yeast something to adhere to rather than settling at the bottom of the tank.

We actually did a double tour that day. We went to the Jelly Belly Candy Company tour first. They gave free samples. For some reason I got draft beer jelly beans. They said kids weren't allowed to have any, even though there's no alcohol. The A-B brewery is about a half mile away.

https://www.jellybelly.com/california-factory-tours
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jel...c541c82515091!2m2!1d-122.0912008!2d38.2360465

My kid is somewhat psyched about their open house coming up next week. They're even bringing the Clydesdales. We'll probably go to Jelly Belly too.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/events-calendar.html#BOH

 

[bcla]

I'm thinking of what a tourist trap is around Northern California. Certainly San Francisco has Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, parts of Union Square, and the Embarcadero. Sausalito is less manufactured, but right now the main drag mostly exists to serve tourists. Definitely Old Sacramento with candy stores, overpriced hot dog stands, etc. I think maybe Cannery Row in Monterey. Outside of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pacific Biological Laboratories, it all seems to be a manufactured experience for tourists (like myself). However, I can have a good time.

 

[tvguy]

Can't remember the last time I went to a local tourist trap here in Sacramento. Probably the last time I had out of town company here which has been at least 20 years (not counting my son't wedding last year, too busy to take company anywhere then).
I haven't been to San Francisco proper since the Walt Disney Family Museum opened 8 years ago. Not a fan AT ALL of the city.

 

[RedAngie]

Nothing at all wrong with so-called tourist traps. Most are well worth visiting at least once.

 

[Skippyboo]

Yep, it's free at the St Louis A-B brewery. You get a Bud or Bud Lite mid tour and then a token for anything at Biergarten. We also went to Grant's Farm which is the Busch Family farm. They have the Clydesdales stables there by the parking lot. The admission is free and you can get 2 free beers at the food court. We just had to pay 12 bucks to park.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's free? Our local tour cost money. I think it's because in California alcohol can't be provided for free. Heck - my kid (who didn't even get a drink with admission) cost $2. I had one drink (a Best Damn Cream Soda) at the beginning of the tour, but others were pounding two down before hitting the actual factory tour. And at the end I didn't want to drink much since I was driving. Instead of getting full beer I got a couple of tastes (in shot glasses) and I traded in my coupon for a Coke for my kid. Some were even getting bottled water. I've taken my kid on a winery tour near Seattle, and then they handed out a cup with grape juice so my kid didn't feel left out.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/attractions.html

Cost for this tour is $5 for guests 21+ and $2 for guests 6-20. Children under 6 are not allowed on the tour for safety reasons.​

I even saw A-B employees drinking beer in the tasting room. I wonder if they get it for free.

I did learn that "beechwood aging" basically does nothing to impart any flavor to the beer. We were allowed to take a beechwood chip, smell it, and even keep one. Smelled like absolutely nothing. I felt kind of cheated when George Clooney talks about it, and then I find that it's not like an oak barrel adding flavor to wine, but just to give the yeast something to adhere to rather than settling at the bottom of the tank.

We actually did a double tour that day. We went to the Jelly Belly Candy Company tour first. They gave free samples. For some reason I got draft beer jelly beans. They said kids weren't allowed to have any, even though there's no alcohol. The A-B brewery is about a half mile away.

https://www.jellybelly.com/california-factory-tours
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jel...c541c82515091!2m2!1d-122.0912008!2d38.2360465

My kid is somewhat psyched about their open house coming up next week. They're even bringing the Clydesdales. We'll probably go to Jelly Belly too.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/events-calendar.html#BOH

I believe there are two versions of the tour in St. Louis- a paid and a free version. We did the free version--lord those samples were good-sized ones too but note to self--have something to eat beforehand otherwise you run the risk of the samples going to you too quickly. We *may* have had to sit for a while before leaving after finishing off our samples

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't think there is anything wrong with tourist traps. Some of them we went on for field trips too when we were in school even and others you just visit because you want to learn more about your area or get more appreciation for something.

I do think as locals you sorta learn when and when not to go or you visit them differently. Maybe you take a bit more time and just stroll rather than trying to walk around getting a-z done.

 

[rastahomie]

My mother is the type of person who would eat at the Times Square Olive Garden.

She refuses to eat at local places. Put her in Lobstah Pot, Maine, and she's going to look for a Red Lobster rather than eat at the local place. Put her in Little Guadalajara, New Mexico, she's going to find a Taco Bell.

It's freaking maddening.

 

[Skippyboo]

You can pay 10 bucks for a VIP tour with a smaller tour group, also pay for Budweiser beer school. I already graduated from Beer School at Seaworld back when it was owned by A-B.

 

[tcufrog]

It depends on the tourist trap. I'm not a fan of those "Johnson's" shirts hanging in many tourist trap t-shirt shops in New Orleans (they're not Dis legal but those who've seen them know what I'm talking about) but I do enjoy a Pat O'Briens hurricane and a Cafe du Monde beignet.

 

[kbmartin]

I think it really depends on what one defines as a "tourist trap." To me, it's not always a whole city but maybe one part of it. I'm thinking of places that sell CHEAP souvenirs and clothing that just has the name of the city on them. This is what I think of when I hear "tourist trap"...



These are images from Wisconsin Dells. True, there are some fun things and even some really classy things (Sundara Spa, for example) in the Dells that you can't find elsewhere, but the main street shown in the picture is a classic example of a tourist trap. Generic stores, tourist experiences (Ripley's Believe it or Not, Madame Tussaud's, etc.), crappy motels, etc.

I would not call Disney World a "tourist trap" by my definition.

I was just in San Francisco last week and was really disappointed by Fisherman's Wharf - what a trap. There were lots of crappy tourist stores. We were not even impressed by Boudin's sourdough bread bowls filled with clam chowder (could NOT compare to Anchor Oyster Bar's!). At least there were sea lions!

 

[bcla]

I believe there are two versions of the tour in St. Louis- a paid and a free version. We did the free version--lord those samples were good-sized ones too but note to self--have something to eat beforehand otherwise you run the risk of the samples going to you too quickly. We *may* have had to sit for a while before leaving after finishing off our samples

Well - I mean at the Fairfield brewery even the basic tour costs money. While we were there we saw other visitors waiting to go on the "Beermaster Tour". That was $30, but $10 for anyone underage. However, my kid was only 6 and not old enough for that tour. Again, I think it's something to do with the laws on free alcohol samples. A manufacturer has to charge at least a nominal fee to serve alcohol. They say the Beermaster Tour must be reserved, but I saw people just walking up. They apparently did get to keep a cap and a pint glass.

http://www.budweisertours.com/locations/fairfield-california/attractions.html

Reservations are required. The Beermaster Tour costs $30 for visitors ages 21+ and $10 for visitors ages 13-20. Guests under 13 are not permitted on the tour. To commemorate your experience, a variety of gifts are provided.​

On the tour we were told that the Fairfield brewery was the second smallest A-B brewery. Even then it was pretty massive. They have a couple of huge windmills there that provide electricity. That area is really windy.

These factories aren't even the largest employers in the city. The largest employer by far is Travis Air Force Base, which is a major USAF transport center. It's really windy there, and when I asked I was told it actually helps when they can take off into the wind.

 

[gillep]

I love a good tourist trap, but I don't usually eat at them, as I prefer more off the beaten path or unique type of cuisine. For example, I like to walk around Times Square, as it is so different from where I am living now, but I would not want to eat at any of those restaurants.

I lived in D.C. for a few years, and I did get pretty sick of walking visitors around the monuments, Smithsonian, and cemetery though, they are awesome places, and I loved to see them, but it got pretty old going so often, and often at a pace that was completely different than I would have preferred.

 

[Skippyboo]

Certain places have weird alcohol laws. I used to live in Harrisburg, PA which is super close to Hershey PA. One time I went to Chocolate World and you got a small single serving box of Coco Pops instead of real chocolate. The garbage cans coming off the tour ride going into the gift store were full of untouched boxes of cereal. No one goes to Chocolate World for cereal. They want some kisses or a chocolate bar.

 

[ols386]

I'd say no, since these boards are based on one of the best known tourist traps on earth.

Great point!

 

[ols386]

We live near los angeles, it is not a good city to visit because there really is not a central tourist area, it is just too big and spread out. The best cities to visit have a central tourist area. I loved how in Boston you just follow the line they painted on the sidewalk. My opinion the more they do for tourists the better it is to visit

That is so true about Boston. And how clever of them to paint that red line to follow.