Captain James T. Kirk is one of Star Trek – and science fiction’s – most famous names, and you’d never guess he was born in one of the smaller states of the union. At one point, series creator Gene Roddenberry decided the town was Riverside, and fans began to flock. But there’s only a single monument, stating it’s the future birthplace of a fictional character.
It might not even be correct: a town mayor basically pushed Roddenberry to make Riverside the origin of this famous character, which makes it nothing more than a cash-grab from frenzied fans.
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.
Walk Past This Famous Walk
It's ranked as one of THE most overrated tourist attractions in America, and you'll see why shortly. The Hollywood walk of fame is so bad it's been getting nothing but negative reviews for years. While it looks huge in pictures, that's just camera magic, as in reality it's only two blocks long.
It's one of the most crowded places in L.A., and it's also brimming with pick-pockets and other seedy types. Trust us, there are lots of other places to visit in Los Angeles. If you have a specific celeb you want to visit on the walk, make it a quick trip.
Oh Boy! Twine!
If you really, really, really, really, really like twine, we have the destination for you. Cawker City, Kansas has the WORLD'S BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE! And yeah, it's pretty big, and it's been around for a while – since the 1950s – and even got its start as a community project, with citizens adding more and more.
It's practically a poster child for silly tourist attractions to stop at if you're driving cross-country. Like a lot of the places on this list, it's a nice place to stretch your legs and snap a pic, but don't plan a trip around it.
It Won't be Much of an Experience
A religious, cultural, or artistic fan might find a lot to enjoy about Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama, but most people won't have a lot to enjoy. It's full of tiny replicas of famous religious structures, built by one Brother Joseph in the early 20th century.
Some call the replicas too small, without enough detail to make them truly awe-inspiring. You'll get some more photos on your phone, you might find one or two models you find interesting, and you might learn some history, but other than that, it's just not worth the trip.