If you’re driving through California you might start seeing billboard after billboard for something called “Mystery Spot.” This spot does have plenty of attractions: a zipline, a huge maze, and even some mini-golf, but in the back of your head you’ll always be thinking “What’s the mystery?”
The “Mystery” is a bunch of little more than visual tricks, designed to make people think gravity isn’t working correctly. Kids might find it interesting, but if you’ve had a few decades on earth, it won’t exactly leave you mystified.
Desert This Attraction
You're sure to know what a desert is – rolling waves of sand, harsh winds, a burning sun. That's true for the most part, but The Desert of Maine is none of that. It has sand, yes, but it's also surrounded by pine trees.
It doesn't even have real camels, but plastic ones instead. It's meant to attract attention (“What? There's a desert in Maine?”) and sell kitschy souvenirs, but it's clear to anyone who is there for more than a half-hour that there isn't anything much of interest here. If you want sand, go to the beach. At least those also have water.
This One's Not So Believable
Plenty of states have one of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museums. They can certainly be interesting, with lots of fun facts and knowledge to absorb. However, the museum in Baltimore might be one to skip. Not because it's bad, but because there's so much more to do in Baltimore.
Baltimore brims with astonishing attractions, like helicopter tours, fabulous restaurants, places of historical importance, and plenty of other museums that have lots more to offer. It overflows with art and culture, and sure, maybe you want to go see a Ripley museum...it just shouldn't be at the top of your list.
There's Plenty of Waste Here – Wasted Time
The Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail and Museum in Missouri is a huge mound of rocks, covering up TNT, asbestos, mercury, radium, and radioactive uranium. It used to be one of the country's largest explosives factories, and later it turned into a uranium-ore processing plant.
It shuttered in 1966, and after two decades the US Department of Energy covered it with rocks and added a museum. You can take a walk and learn some history, but other than that you'll probably find yourself wondering why you bothered to visit.
A Visit Here is Worth Less Than You Might Think
What does the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Montana have to draw visitors and tourists? Fifty thousand silver dollars on the walls. It's not only a bar but a huge gift shop as well – mostly gift shop, even. It also has one of the largest coin collections in the United States.
It's also an inn that boasts plenty of RV parking, there are corrals for horses, and it even has a casino. It's not all that exciting unless you're stopping by for a meal, and you may end up adding your own money to the wall.