Is there any travel term as pejorative as “tourist trap”? It disses the attraction and it disses the doofuses (doofi?) who go there. Yeah, well, “tourist trap” is in the eyes of the beholder. We’d like to tell you about some places that others may scorn but we gladly allow to trap us.
Photo by rvaphotodude via Flickr
The signs along I-95 South begin outside Philadelphia: “You never sausage a place,” “Best in this neck of the woods,” and “Be a Wise Guy.” They advertise South of the Border, a glorified (and Mexican-themed) truck stop along the freeway just south of the boundary between North Carolina and South Carolina. When I was a kid, my family passed the place on annual road trips from New York to Florida, but we never stopped. Then, in 1998, a buddy and I took a road trip specifically to SOTB. We bought sombreros. We ate greasy food. We posed for pictures with Pedro, the official mascot. We even stayed at the on-site motel. To this day the journey remains one of the funniest, weirdest and most existential adventures I’ve ever had. You can bet I’ll be back. –Matt
Photo by Jenna Schnuer
Giggles accompanied the planning for my first trip to Graceland. I’ve always loved Elvis’ music but Graceland itself would be all kitsch all the time, right? Not so fast. Yes, the shag carpet-covered ceiling in one room and the crazy wallpapers in pretty much every other room satisfied my kitsch lust. Yet, quickly, I realized Graceland was more about history. Granted, it’s a skewed version of history–the jumpsuits on display are all on the slender side and there’s nary a word of alcohol or drugs to be found. But the exhibits at Graceland helped me move past the gaudy and reconnect with the King’s legacy, music, and, ok, my true appreciation for his love of all things sparkly. –Jenna
Photo by julialat34 via Flickr
I’m of the last generation that actually remembers Liberace and I wasn’t a fan or anything, but consider this: In 1954, Liberace sold out the Hollywood Bowl. In 1984, he broke sales and attendance records at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Gotta to respect that, and appreciate his flaming, long before flaming was cool. (Although he was closeted until a 1982 palimony suit outed him.) The admission price for the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas is a steep $15, but it’s required viewing for kitschaholics. Liberace’s collections of costumes, cars and pianos are testaments to bad taste. As was his piano playing. May his memory live forever.–Sophia
My family was flirting with the idea of meeting in Vegas for Christmas… and the Liberace Museum was at the top of my list! Alas, due to economic turmoil, we’ve scrapped that plan.
However, Nick and I will be in Memphis in three weeks, and Graceland is at the top of his list. The last time I was there, I was 14, and I wasn’t so impressed. Should be interesting to go as a grown-up.
Gatlinburg is still the tourist trap that I hold closest to my heart.
And Stax as well, I’m sure.
I’ve been to Graceland three times I am proud/ashamed to say.
Ah, Gatlinburg. I enjoy it so. Where else can you go that has a Ripley’s Aquarium and a top-notch craft collective on the same street? It’s also home to one of my all-time favorite hotels, The Lodge at Buckberry Creek. That place is bliss.
I live three hours from Memphis and I’ve never been. I think I’ll have to rectify that!
OK, that is shocking. Shocking, I say.
A bit of advice: when you finally go to Memphis don’t eat the BBQ bologna or BBQ spaghetti. They’re local specialties at some of the BBQ places but like gefilte fish (a favorite from my childhood) are best left to the people who love them for sentimental reasons. The rest of the city’s dining scene gets a total thumbs-up from me.
Oh, I meant I’d never been to Graceland! Sorry, I see how that was confusing now. When it comes to music, I’m a lot more Beale Street than Graceland.