What's the worst tourist trap you've stopped at?
I've come across a few throughout the country, but South of the Border on I-95 is probably my number one
36-40, M
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ArishMell · 70-79, M
I'm not sure if it was the pseudo "olde-worlde" village in a warehouse-like building at Bigbury Bay (Devon) or the tacky eyesores around Land's End. I don't know if the former still exists.
The village of Cheddar Gorge (i.e. just down-hill from the caves) is up there in the list somewhere, though not too bad. It just becomes very crowded. Not to be confused with the unassuming town of Cheddar itself, half a mile or so away.
Town-planners sometimes call places like those, "honey pots".
I have always avoided the worst traps, but have no reason to visit them anyway, such as "theme parks" (Yes Walt, I do include yours).
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Anyway there is plenty of tacky even well away from the scenic places; and not just "vape" shops and amusement-arcades. The view from the M5 on Sandwell Viaduct is hardly elegant, a giant sprawl of factories, backed by ugly, 1960s, high-rise blocks of flats. Over the years though it slowly cleaned itself up, helped by a goodly number of big, mature trees. Than someone goes and gives permission for giant, digital advertising-hoardings on tall poles above the viaduct. One or two even obscure the motorist's view of the road-signs ahead, especially at night. Who the Hell thought these brightly-illuminated, electricity-hungry horrors even necessary? Crudely-made advertising hoardings on lorry trailers next to the M6 through the pleasant Cheshire countryside, are just as bad.
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An item on the radio recently reported the efforts to restore Oxford Street, the main shopping street through Central London. Once a vibrant (and expensive!) tourist spot with big-name shops like Harrods, it had apparently become rather down-at-heel with a lot of tacky, American-style "candy stores" moving in. These were real sweet shops, though very expensive, but their existence was found to have been exploiting the property tax laws. Now though, the Greater London and Borough Councils, and property owners, are making big efforts to restore the road, and most of the "candy" and similar shops have gone.
It seems a similar story applies to Edinburgh's equivalent, the Royal Mile.
The village of Cheddar Gorge (i.e. just down-hill from the caves) is up there in the list somewhere, though not too bad. It just becomes very crowded. Not to be confused with the unassuming town of Cheddar itself, half a mile or so away.
Town-planners sometimes call places like those, "honey pots".
I have always avoided the worst traps, but have no reason to visit them anyway, such as "theme parks" (Yes Walt, I do include yours).
.
Anyway there is plenty of tacky even well away from the scenic places; and not just "vape" shops and amusement-arcades. The view from the M5 on Sandwell Viaduct is hardly elegant, a giant sprawl of factories, backed by ugly, 1960s, high-rise blocks of flats. Over the years though it slowly cleaned itself up, helped by a goodly number of big, mature trees. Than someone goes and gives permission for giant, digital advertising-hoardings on tall poles above the viaduct. One or two even obscure the motorist's view of the road-signs ahead, especially at night. Who the Hell thought these brightly-illuminated, electricity-hungry horrors even necessary? Crudely-made advertising hoardings on lorry trailers next to the M6 through the pleasant Cheshire countryside, are just as bad.
.
An item on the radio recently reported the efforts to restore Oxford Street, the main shopping street through Central London. Once a vibrant (and expensive!) tourist spot with big-name shops like Harrods, it had apparently become rather down-at-heel with a lot of tacky, American-style "candy stores" moving in. These were real sweet shops, though very expensive, but their existence was found to have been exploiting the property tax laws. Now though, the Greater London and Borough Councils, and property owners, are making big efforts to restore the road, and most of the "candy" and similar shops have gone.
It seems a similar story applies to Edinburgh's equivalent, the Royal Mile.