A few days ago I posted that my top five place that I really liked and will or have gone back to when I am in the area. In keeping with that theme, today I am going to post the top five places that I were probably a waste of time and would not go out of my way to visit. Again, I know some of you will be triggered, but what you read here is just my opinion, so don't take it personal. So here are my top five sites that just didn't do it for me.
1. TOMBSTONE ARIZONA: Tombstone was not what I expected at all. It is a cross between a really bad theme park and sleezy tourist trap. It is nothing like the original town. The are actors every where that are like carnival barkers trying to get you to pay to see the gunfights or take a stagecoach ride. I did pay to see the "gunfight at the OK Corral" which was a total wast of money. The actors are terrible and the entire thing was so bad that a couple of us left about halfway through. The only interesting thing that I enjoyed was a visit to Boot Hill where the shootout participants are buried along with Lester Moore kill by a 44 - No Less No More. You do have to pay to gain access to the cemetery. There is nothing free in Tombstone. I had planned on spending several hours in Tombstone but after my visit to the cemetery, I ended up spending just a little more than an hour in the old town itself. Just too commercialized and not very interesting for me.
2. FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT: Talking about being in the middle of nowhere. There is no easy way to get to this monument. The monument is actually on the Navajo Nation and is administered by them. It is NOT a National Monument and is NOT administered by the National Park Service. Once you pay you admission, you park in the dirt parking area and walk up to the Monument to take the require photo of you standing in all four state. All around the actual monument, stalls have been built to allow the Navajo to sell their wares. This really detracts from the experience and it feels like you are at a flea market. I came, I saw, I took the require Photo and I left. The drive over from Monument Valley took me over two hours and I ended up spending less than 45-minutes here.
3. PLYMOUTH ROCK: It's a Rock and that all it is. I would not have came here had it not been part of a bus tour that I was on. While the view of the bay is nice, Plymouth Rock is in a pit surrounded by an elaborate monument. When you walk up an look down into the pit you see 1620 has been carved on the face of the rock. I don't think the Pilgrims would have taken the time to do this and I realize that over four hundred years have passed since the Pilgrims landed here and the actual rock is probably long gone. There are a number of souvenir stands on the street around the rock as the entire area is commercialized . It's a just a short walk up to the more impressive Founders Monument and I enjoy this stop more than a stop at Plymouth Rock.
4. GRANT'S FARM - Grant's Farm is located in St. Louis, Missouri and as the name suggest, was once part of the Dent Family Farm. When Ulysses Grant married Julia Dent, the General and future President lived here and attempted to become a farmer before the Civil War. Today, Grant's Farm is administered by Anheuser-Busch and is geared toward children. You stand in line to gain entry into the park entrance from the parking lot. Once you cross the street and actually enter the farm you stand in line again to board the trams that will take you through the animal habitat. In all , I was in line for just over an hour just to board the tram. I don't do lines very well, especially with screaming, bored kids. The tram ride take a little less than 30 minutes and then they drop you off in the plaza where there is a petting zoo, cafe's, coffee shops and a beer garden. That's really it there is. Just as I was Leaving I did stop at the barn to visit the Clydesdale's, which was the best part of the farm. I actually spent more time in line than I did at the farm. Grant's farm is directly across the street from the U. S. Grant Historical Site which features the house where General Grant and Julia live. It is a national historic site that is administered by the National Park Service and is really more interesting than anything Grant's farm has to offer.
5. THE ALIEN MUSEUM - ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO: The City of Roswell has embraced the alien legend that stems from the reported crash of a UFO in 1947. Since then all kinds of theories and stories have surrounded the incident and that brings us to the Alien Museum in Downtown Roswell. Museum is a little misleading as basically all it has are a bunch of framed newspaper stories and copies of documents surrounding the suspected cover up. There are a few of cheap alien statues scattered around the museum along with the traditional flying saucer. Outside of that there is not much to the museum. I came, I saw and I left.
Well, Those are the tops 5-sites that just didn't trip my trigger. Stay tuned for the next post that will feature THE UGLY.
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