Wisconsin’s reputation for cheese is well-earned, and there are plenty of cheese shops and stores to pick up some of the best in the world while watching this dairy treat being made by master cheesemakers.
The Mars Cheese Castle, on the other hand, isn’t much more than a place for vacationers to stop, nestled right next to the freeway. You can get cheese, yes, but you’re in Wisconsin – you can hardly throw a stone without hitting a cheese store or one of the many cows. Give it a pass.
Not Even Technically a Cave
The Moqui Cave in Utah has a lot of branding issues. First off, this isn't technically a cave – a cave is a natural opening, while this is an underground network created by erosion. That might seem like splitting hairs, but the geological community is very particular about these things.
This attraction is also touted as an ancient landmark, but while the “cave” may be old, it's a recent attraction. You can get a souvenir at the gift shop, but if you're interested in keeping things interesting, snap a pic for your Instagram and move on.
This Canyon isn't So Grand
The Rock of Ages is quite an evocative name, so when you travel to Vermont to take a look, there's a pretty big chance you're going to feel disappointed when you arrive. Vermont gave this old quarry a pretty fantastic name, but that's all it is – a quarry.
The natural, bright blue pools do give you something interesting to take a pic of, but the quarry is dangerous to explore. It's pretty to look at, but give this one the requisite ten minutes and get back in the car.
Wow, Water. Exciting.
The Undersea Gardens in Oregon sounds like the kind of place that might be fun, but don't be fooled. This is nothing more than a master tourist trap for people who don't know any better.
Here's the scam: you shell out some money, go underwater in the Garden structure, and through windows, watch swimmers swim around. It's dirty water, the undersea wildlife isn't all that exciting to look at, and it's Oregon – it's not like there are reefs or anything like that. This attraction closed for good in 2019, which means even if that sparkling explanation got you hyped, you're out of luck.
Yup, It's a House
The house featured in the famous holiday movie A Christmas Story may have plenty of good memories attached – from a leg-lamp to tongues frozen to metal poles – making it into a tourist attraction seems like overkill. It's your regular old restored Victorian style in Ohio, but other than that, there's little to see.
There are plenty of other tourist attractions to pick from, even in a relatively low-key place like Ohio, even ones you won't have to wait in line or pay for to see what is essentially just a house. There are a lot of those. They're everywhere. If you look out your window, you'll probably see, like, a hundred of them.