Tips For Spotting Tourist Traps

While out and about on the main strips and city centers of your travel destination, please be wary of the following:

Wax museums…

… Are always, always tourist traps. Madame Tussauds? There’s a reason why there’s one in every city. Any themed wax museum is a waste of time and money, unless you want funny Instagram pictures.

An odd oversaturation of a specific type of entertainment in one area

Do you ever wonder why Florida has so many alligator adventure parks? Why Salem, Mass., is rife with palm readers? Be aware of scam sites taking advantage of visitors looking for things to do, and keep an eye out for more unique venues. If you have time to kill, ask a local what to do.

Theme restaurants

These are 100 percent traps for luring in tourists. The Rainforest Cafe? The Hard Rock Cafe? Pretty much any chain restaurant that has “cafe” in the title? These places are hubs for severely overpriced food that is definitely not good for you but probably tastes pretty good because it’s packed with salt and sugar and fat. (The one exception to this rule might be Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and that’s only because Forrest Gump is a damn good movie and you can get a t-shirt that says “Stupid Is As Stupid Does.”)

Ice bars

Built for tourists. Who needs a bar made of ice for any other purpose than to charge an entrance fee? You’re already $20 out, and you’re literally freezing while wearing a jacket about a thousand other people have worn, and you still have to fork over another $20 for an underwhelming drink. Overrated.

(Some) observatories.

While a bird’s eye view of the city you’re visiting is always worth the time, do your research. Try to avoid paying too much, if anything, for a ticket. Sure, an observatory that charges a ticket may come with exhibits and an audio tour and other interesting amenities, but let’s be real: you’re ultimately just there to look out the window.

This rule counts for high-rise restaurants too

You may think “Wow, I can have dinner 100 floors above the city center? That sounds amazing!” But know the wait for a table will be long, there’s no guarantee it will be next to a window, and if it is, there’s a chance it’s overlooking the part of the city no one ventured 100 floors up to see. The food won’t be great, if it’s good at all, and it will definitely be expensive. Take a pass.

However, it’s worth noting: While everything we just talked about is typically an overpriced, subpar experience, sometimes, they’re really, really fun.