Two WA Destinations Named Biggest Tourist Traps in America

This weekend marks the beginning of Summer Vacation for kids across the nation. A website ran a recent poll that claims 90% of Americans will travel this Summer.

What exactly are Tourist Traps?

24/7 Wall Street listed the 18 Worst Tourist Traps in America. Some world-famous attractions were named - most notable is New York City’s Empire State Building. The other “Tourist Traps” included the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Massachusett’s Plymouth Rock, and South Dakota’s Wall Drug. 

The infamous tourist trap is the idea that a popular landmark is overhyped, overpriced, and overcrowded. 

Two tourist traps from the state of Washington made the infamous list of 18 tourist traps. 

The Gum Wall

This Seattle attraction doesn’t charge a price of admission.

This Gum Wall is located on Post Alley.  A short European-like street with paved stones is found at the southern end of Pike Place Market. It didn’t become a thing until the late 1980s - when patrons of the Market Theater, waiting in line to see some improv comedy, stuck their used gum on the wall. I used to come here and yes, I too stuck my used Hubba Bubba bubble gum to this now-famous wall.

Why it's considered a tourist trap: Tourists claim it smells bad.  Others mentioned the used gum on the wall is nothing more than litter.

The Space Needle

The 605-foot iconic landmark was built for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle.

The theme that year was "The Century 21 Exposition."  The Space Needle was a look at what the world would be after the year 2001. George Jetson would hover up to the top in his jet pack. The original colors of the Space Needle were: Astronaut White for the tower. Re-entry Red for the halo. And galaxy gold for the top. Elvis Presley was filmed eating a meal in the Space Needle in the 1963 movie: It Happened at the World's Fair.

Why it's considered a tourist trap: The price of admission is priced (2024) between $26 to $46 per person. Make sure you go on a day when you can see the city, Puget Sound, and the surrounding mountains. Seattle, on average, has 226 cloudy days per year. Do the math, it's overcast 80% of the time. Plan accordingly.