America's Most Overrated Tourist Destinations

The United States is a monumental collection of interesting , exciting , andoften neglect places to see , which makes you enquire why people keep going back to the same overrated tourist finish year after yr . Maybe it ’s because there was n’t anyone to tell ‘em that the Empire State Building does n’t have the best views in Manhattan , or that the Magnificent Mile is n’t really all that magnificent … until now ! Here are the 10 most overrated tourist destinations in America – and better alternatives that you’re able to find nearby .

Mount Rushmore

Keystone , South DakotaFresh off failing to complete a gargantuan memorial to the Confederacy ( yes , THAT Confederacy ) on the side of Stone Mountain in Georgia , Mt. Rushmore ’s designer eagerly agreed to create a giant carving of some variety that would bring tourists to South Dakota … which he would also go wrong to make out before being fired rather ignominiously . Eventually this giant roadside attractive feature would be finished ( not before leave behind the men who turn on it with permanent lung wrong ) , but it is gravely disputable whether or not it made the already pretty sensational Black Hills more attractive . What ithasdone is somehow become synonymous with immensity , sparking endless unnecessary debates about who belongs on the " Mt. Rushmore of [ introduce SOMETHING HERE ] . " The problem though is that this earnest , somewhat sedate repository ( that ’s really lowly than you expect ) does n’t even make our Mt. Rushmore of wayside attractions ( Cadillac Ranch , anyone?!),andyou have to go pretty far out of your way , so why bother ?

What to do instead : There are far full things to do and see in the Black Hills . The nearby Badlands , which sense like taking a sojourn to the Moon – are a far more memorable experience , and Wyoming ’s Devils Tower is a far more worthwhile social organization to goggle at . But if you really take a view of Rushmore , just get a glimpse from the car . There are some solid views of the monument from Iron Mountain Rd , a spectacular stretching of highway that set out at Mt. Rushmore and ends 17 miles later at Custer State Park , where an even more incredible drive along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway – boast Pigtail Bridges , one - lane rock music - palisade burrow , etc . – awaits .

Empire State Building

New York , NYSure , King Kong ’s favorite building has some thing going for it : the marble lobby is beautiful , and movies likeAn Affair to RememberandSleepless in Seattlehave made a trip to its 86th floor an long-suffering part of pop culture . But let ’s face it … It ’s crowd , and touristy , and once you ’re alfresco , peering through metallic element bars , it feels both cramped and utilitarian . Plus , it ’s not even the best observation deck in Manhattan .

What to do instead : Just 15 blocks north , the equally iconic Rockefeller Center ( where you may also go shopping , water ice skating , etc . ) boasts its own Top of the Rock reflection deck , which is more broad and attractively designed , have high glass wall that make you feel like you ’re swim above the urban center . Best of all , the view from the Rock is safe , partially because it includes a sure skyscraper you may have heard of – The Empire State Building .

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Los Angeles , CAThere ’s a reason Hollywood ’s Chamber of Commerce decided to put sensation bearing the name of superstar ( so cagy ! ) on either side of this particular stretch of Hollywood Blvd : because there is literally no other reason for you to go there !

What to do alternatively : They say nobody walks in LA , but if you ’re into things you may stop out on invertebrate foot , then we recommend hiking for a few miles where you might really see some adept , Runyon Canyon , or take a promenade on The Strand , an iconic beachfront way that stretch from Pacific Palisades all the mode down to Torrance .

Lombard St

San Francisco , CAUm … is that it ? Seriously , the eight turns on this splendidly crooked 600 - G - long brick street are scarce deserving the effort of struggle the endless line of cars wait to go down the mound – one every 10 endorsement or so , up to 350 an hr – especially when you consider that despite all the traffic and a 5 mph speed limit , it only takes a couple of minute to reach the bottom , at which stop you … um , just drive away , because there ’s literally nothing else to do there .

What to do instead : If you want iconic persuasion of San Francisco , you’re able to always cut through the Golden Gate Bridge and take in the sweeping vista from nearby Vista Point . But the pro move is to cruise down the Great Highway , which go along the westerly edge of the city , offer stunning position of the Pacific , and access to surprising surface area of sandy beach .

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

New York , NYLady Liberty , rising out of the New York Harbor off the southern tip of Manhattan , is one of America ’s most iconic sights – but do n’t waste a whole afternoon in NYC withdraw the ferryboat to see it up close . It ’ll be you more sentence and money than it ’s worth , and anyway there are utterly skilful position of the statue from Battery Park . Ellis Island , which is accessed via the same ferry drive as the Statue of Liberty , was an important diachronic site , but is n’t much of a landmark . As an immigration processing station , the island was basically a building for bureaucracy , and see it today is only moderately more interesting than a stumble to the DMV .

What to do alternatively : If it ’s an amazing view of low-spirited Manhattan you want , take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge , where you’re able to get the best views of the urban center and the harbor – Statue of Liberty included – for free . And if it ’s the immigrant history you ’re after , a much good alternative to Ellis Island is the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side . Just a 10 second walk from the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge , the Tenement Museum offers a remarkable glance into how New York ’s old immigrants in reality lived once they got through Ellis Island , with captivating hitch of restored tenement house apartment where German , Irish , and Judaic immigrants crammed together over a hundred years ago .

Mall of America

What to do alternatively : If Canada is n’t an option , Downtown Minneapolis boasts another gargantuan structure that offer shopping opportunity – the metropolis ’s Skyway system is a accumulation of bridges ( the largest of its kind in the humankind ) that stretch almost 11 Swedish mile and link buildings over 69 metropolis blocks including the Nicollet Mall shopping district .

The Space Needle

Seattle , WASo , you corrupt a ticket , wait in the inevitable line , and listen to a cunning little spiel from the elevator hustler about this iconic Seattle landmark during the 41 - second trip-up to the top , for what ? Views of the metropolis you could ’ve had from a nearby park for free ? Yup .

What to do instead : If it ’s views of the city you ’re after then point to the aforementioned Kerry Park , which you might call back from the opening prospect in10 Things I Hate About You , or if you ’re in townspeople during one of Seattle’ssurprisingly awing summers , head to West Seattle where you’re able to really sit on the beach ( ! ) and check out the city from across Elliott Bay .

Beale St

Memphis , TNThis 1.8 naut mi stint of route may once have offered an unquestionable Memphis experience , but today it feels more like Disney ’s Main Street , U.S.A. , but with booze sold by an increasingly bodied array of bars hoping to cash in on what little is forget of blues civilization , while distracting you with frozen daiquiris . Which totally works by the way .

What to do instead : Um … headway toNashville ? Or just gowhere the Memphis locals go .

The Alamo

San Antonio , TXRemember the Alamo ? While the conflict of the Alamo may have been worth memory , the present - twenty-four hour period landmark is more forgettable . It ’s pretty much just some surprisingly unimposing Harlan F. Stone buildings in a park across the street from a Jimmy John ’s .

What to do instead : Yeah , we know it ’s as touristy , but the San Antonio River Walk is just a couple blocks aside , and despite what you might think , in reality boastssome of the best bar in the city , and some thing you justhaveto eat before you die .

The Magnificent Mile

Chicago , ILHow magnificent can this stretchability of the kind of retail / dining establishments ( that you could totally regain in most major cities ) along Michigan Ave be if most masses opine it ’s in reality called the " Miracle Mile " ?

What to do instead : Look , what really sets the ' hood apart is the computer architecture ( several of the country ’s tallest building are nearby ) , which sadly for the " Mag Mile " is n’t best experienced from inside the largest Ralph Lauren store in the US , but from the top of the Willis Tower , or on a river cruise , or something else that does n’t postulate shopping in a store you may in all probability incur in your home town .