OT: USA Best and Worst Monument/Historical/Tourist Site

[Kitaman]

Got traveling plans this summer and I know I'm not alone but here's mine:

Best: Grand Canyon (overwhelmed me), can't describe it.

Worst: The Alamo. Stayed in a hotel down the street, went walking one afternoon and 'bumped' into it. It appeared smaller than my house and easy to miss. Not sure what I expected but once there is enough.

 

[bobbygt]

Those are good ones- I agree with both! I graduated from UT and my whole family made the trip from the tri-state area and the trip to the Alamo was one of the big plans- we quickly left and headed for an early happy hour!

Thinking of others:

Best: Yosemite
Worst: Old Faithful at Yellowstone

Underrated park: The Adirondacks

 

[8893]

Definitely agree that The Alamo was the most disappointing. It leaves you with one inevitable question: WTF were they thinking?!?


I think seeing Denali has probably been the most majestic, awe-inspiring thing I've experienced in this country in terms of wonderment at a national attraction. The psychedelic and other-worldly Northern Lights show we experienced in the park would be number one, but that's not a thing, and I soon learned that what we saw was a lifetime-best for my best friend, who has now lived there more than 25 years, so I guess you can't count on that. Seeing grizzlies is pretty damned intense, too. So...what I'm saying is get to Alaska!

Grand Canyon was very cool. But the feeling I had when it was finally clear enough for us to see the peak of Denali, and I realized that I had been aiming my gaze about 40° too low when trying to see it through the clouds previously, tops all for me. So far.

Although not a national attraction, I feel compelled to go to Machu Picchu because I have a feeling that the awe factor is pretty high there, too.

 

[Fishy]

I cannot imagine that the Alamo is worse than Plymouth Rock.

Plymouth Rock would be the 10th biggest rock in my yard.

 

[superjohn]

I had the chance to visit Plymouth Rock around 5 years ago and it was unbelievable. My eyes sat transfixed on the majesty of that glorious rock for a good 3-4 hours, I've never seen anything like it. The only other place that came close to inspiring that same kind of awe was Holy Land in Waterbury CT.

 

[8893]

I cannot imagine that the Alamo is worse than Plymouth Rock.

Plymouth Rock would be the 10th biggest rock in my yard.

Maybe so, but no one intended Plymouth Rock to be a fortress from which to defend themselves against the world.

The Alamo is embarrassing. Every single soldier who was stationed there died in that battle, and when you see it, you understand exactly why. It is the functional equivalent of the Stonehenge stage set in This is Spinal Tap, but it was not intended to be a parody. I don't know why anyone would want to immortalize that event as a battle cry, condemning us to remember it. Thank God for 2004, which allowed me to have a different and much more pleasant memory when I hear the phrase now.

 

[Hugo]

I cannot imagine that the Alamo is worse than Plymouth Rock.

Plymouth Rock would be the 10th biggest rock in my yard.

My two biggest disappointments were easily the Alamo and Plymouth Rock. I visited Plymouth back in the early 70's and all I saw was this non descript rock enclosed within an iron fence and asked where Plymouth Rock was. I was told that I was looking at it. My reaction was something like "you're kidding me right. Now where is the real Plymouth Rock". The Alamo was just as disappointing and definitely over-hyped as is the River Walk in San Antonio. It's more of a stream than a river. However, the sidewalk cafes were fun and the beer was cold.

My favorite so far is Yosemite, but I am planning to go to Denali and Glacier Nat'l Parks so that could change if all I've heard about them is true.

 

[hthusky74]

Yosemite impressed me. I've been there twice and camped there once. I've never seen the Grand Canyon except flying over it in a 747. Even then it was awesome. I'm sure from ground level it must be incredible.

The Ted Kennedy Chappaquiddick Memorial Bridge was the least inspiring.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Yosemite impressed me. I've been there twice and camped there once. I've never seen the Grand Canyon except flying over it in a 747. Even then it was awesome. I'm sure from ground level it must be incredible.

The Ted Kennedy Chappaquiddick Memorial Bridge was the least inspiring.

Flying over the Grand Canyon is very cool.

I also remember flying over the Mississippi in the summer of 1993 after the major flooding. That was impressive to see how far the river had flooded compared to its normal levels.

I like the Southern Most Point in the US marker in Key West. Don't know why, I just like it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

 

[Dove]

I am not a major traveler.

Best for me: Helicoptering over Haliakula on Maui. The red dirt made the volcano look like I was over Mars.

Worst: Gotta go with the Plymouth Rock let-down. Would be the 24th biggest rock in my yard.

 

[jleves]

For the best (and again, this is where the west kicks the crap out of the east): Grand Canyon, Na Pali Coast, Yellowstone (even if old faithful is kind of boring, the rest is amazing), Zion, Bryce, Arches, Glacier, Redwoods, Badlands. Weirdly, I've never been to Yellowstone, but I have to imagine it rates up in that list.

Worst ever - Little Big Horn. If you leave there with a smile on your face, you're probably a serial killer.

Best that you can't drive to: Almost any mountain top in the Sierras. Cottonwood Lakes and Mt McKinley are two of my favorites.

 

[Robertelamin]

My two biggest disappointments were easily the Alamo and Plymouth Rock. I visited Plymouth back in the early 70's and all I saw was this non descript rock enclosed within an iron fence and asked where Plymouth Rock was. I was told that I was looking at it. My reaction was something like "you're kidding me right. Now where is the real Plymouth Rock". The Alamo was just as disappointing and definitely over-hyped as is the River Walk in San Antonio. It's more of a stream than a river. However, the sidewalk cafes were fun and the beer was cold.

My favorite so far is Yosemite, but I am planning to go to Denali and Glacier Nat'l Parks so that could change if all I've heard about them is true.

Really? I think the River Walk is the best part of San Antonio. I'm not sure why the size of the river even matters.

Also, South of the Border is undoubtedly the greatest tourist attraction in the USA and possibly the world.

 

[Fishy]

Plymouth Rock is a freaking lawn ornament, but I still recommend the whole Plymouth/Plimouth Plantation deal as a day trip, especially if you have kids.

A couple of speed bumps - Plymouth Rock itself and the Wampanoag Customs and Immigration nonsense when you get off the Mayflower II replica. That involves a guy dressed as an Indian scaring six-year olds by asking them inane questions about guns and small pox.

 

[Northbound]

I've been to the Grand Canyon about a half dozen times and it has never done it for me, its impressive, but kot near the top of my list. Glacier is great, blue ridge parkway is amazing, Zion, Bruce and arches are great as well.

A lot will depend on if your on a road or in it. Spending a month in a tent on Glacier is pretty fantastic, I'd have a different perspective if I just stayed on Going to the Sun road. There is nothing wrong with doing that, it's just different.

I think I'd have a better appreciation for the Canyon if I hiked down into it, but I hate the heat so there is no way that's happening.

The arch in stl is pretty cool.

The Adirondacks are amazing as are the Tetons, for different reasons.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Glacier was great, you may have to get there pretty soon. The parks in Utah were all great, we stayed in Cedar City alot as a jumping off point. Yosemite, Olympic in Washington. All the Western/Rocky Mmtn parks are great. The Pacific coast highway. As others have mentioned, The Adirondacks (a very under appreciated area), The Shenendoah Valley ...and everywhere in between, we live in a very beautiful country.

 

[Deepster]

My vote goes for the Napali Coastline in Kauai. Took a torpedo boat out there and went in and out of caves with waterfalls everywhere. My picutres don't capture 1/100th of it.

 

[RichZ]

I think I'd have a better appreciation for the Canyon if I hiked down into it, but I hate the heat so there is no way that's happening.

Do it in February. Heat is not an issue. Freezing the family jewels maybe, but not heat.

 

[prankster]

When you are looking to spend some time luxuriating in the company of old and crumbly brickwork, you almost cannot find a better place than Fort Jefferson National Park.

This delightful historic artifact is the largest masonry fort in the nation and possibly the world. It is a magnificent panorama of 19th century pork barrel spending, as all of the bricks were manufactured in Maine, or something.

Ostensibly built to "defend" New Orleans (although, precisely why an attacking navy would elect to pass directly beneath the guns of this fort, as opposet to merrily sailing by, unmolested, 6 miles farther out to sea is probably part of that whole "pork barrel" thing), the fort was used as a prison in the mid to late 19th century.

It's most (only?) famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd. He's the poor bastard who doctored JW Booth's leg right after he shot Lincoln, thus earning himself that venerable spot in the "hall of fame" of inmates.

It is nearly completely inaccessible from anywhere, and there are no amenities to be had.

From personal experience, I can confidently state that the surrounding water is warm.

 

[Waquoit]

The worst as a kid was "South of the Border". For years I saw tons of cars around town with South of the Border bumper stickers and decals. I had no clue what it was but I wanted to go. Finally hectored Dad enough to make him pull over during that drive to Florida and it turned out to be pretty much just a place that sold South of the Border bumper stickers. What a gyp.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Best -
1) Highway 1 in California, most notably Big Sur, Hearst castle, Montery/Carmel and Santa Barbara. I literally think about that drive on a daily basis. Amazing.

2) sunrise at Haliakula volcano in Maui (breakfast place when you get off the volcano - Kula lodge - is great too)

Don't have a worst, I love basically any vacation.

 

[Husky25]

For those saying Plymouth Rock and the Alamo are underwhelming are missing the point of the two places. Plymouth Rock has been chipped away, moved, and erroded for 300 years. Only a portion of what is believed to be the the original stone remains. What is more important is what happened (or supposedly happened) over the subsequent year. Plymouth Rock comemorates the ordeal of the original group of Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Without it, we would not have two days off from work, Family Gossip, Pants with expandable waists, Thursday Morning High School football, Thursday Afternoon NFL Football, or Black Friday.

Similar with the Alamo. The original structure was much bigger, and was never meant to withstand a fire fight beyond what the area Native Americans could muster. Beyond that, it comemorates the first battle of the Texan Revolution which ultimately gave Texas its independence.

I thought Old Faithful was cool only because they can pretty much the occurance of an untimable natural phenomenon. As far as other natural wonders, the Grand Canyon is indeed awesome, as is Mt. St. Helens (the crator is in the side of the mountain, not the top).

Man-Made: I enjoyed my time at the Gateway Arch, the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, and anything in Washington D.C. whenever I go.

As I've said in other post, I was barely whelmed by Mt. Rushmore. On the other hand it is not complete as originally intended.

 

[Mots010]

If you are physically capable, i highly recommend hiking to the bottom of the grand canyon and back. It is truly an amazing place.

My personal favorite, however, is Olympic National Park. I spent many days backpacking through the high peaks and beaches on the Olympic Peninsula, and that place is unbelievable.

 

[Waquoit]

As I've said in other post, I was barely whelmed by Mt. Rushmore. On the other hand it is not complete as originally intended.

Really? Maybe it was the day I went - mid-October, almost no one there, crisp with a blue, blue sky and big white clouds. I though it was very cool. I was expecting disappointment but I was totally whelmed.

 

[BearJWS]

Worst: The Alamo. Stayed in a hotel down the street, went walking one afternoon and 'bumped' into it. It appeared smaller than my house and easy to miss. Not sure what I expected but once there is enough.

You obviously never went to the basement of The Alamo...