These California attractions are among top tourist traps in the world, USA Today says
Several California destinations made USA Today’s lists of top 100 tourist traps, most overpriced and most overrated attractions in the world.
The news publication analyzed 23.2 million Google reviews of the 500 most popular tourist attractions on Earth to see how frequently they mentioned the terms “tourist trap,” “overrated” or “expensive” and then compared the attractions.
National parks, state parks, lakes, mountains and sports stadiums were removed from the list, according to USA Today. The list was further reduced based on the total number of reviews submitted for each attraction.
Here’s where California locations landed in each category:
California’s top tourist traps
The United States hosts 51 of the top 100 locations labeled as “tourist traps,” eight of which are in California.
The number one “tourist trap” in the world is the Four Corners Monument in Arizona, according to USA Today. The phrase was used in 139 of its 10,839 Google reviews.
Calico Ghost Town in San Bernardino County landed as the No. 3 “tourist trap” in the world. Eighteen of its 1,972 reviews mentioned the phrase.
The regional park is an old west mining town established 1881 and abandoned just over a decade later. “California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town” has shops and restaurants along with camping, hiking and off-roading.
At the No. 15 spot sits San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf with 37 of its 8,743 Google reviews calling it a “tourist trap.”
Visitors to Fisherman’s Wharf can take a bay cruise, go to museums, watch whales and make a trip to Alcatraz Island.
Winchester Mystery House sits at No. 23. Thirty-eight of 12,770 reviews call it a “tourist trap.”
San Jose’s 160-room historic landmark is a mystery because nobody knows what drove wealthy widow Sarah Winchester to continuously renovate the house until she died 36 years after she purchased it.
Other top 100 “tourist traps” in California, according to USA Today:
No. 29- Hollywood Walk of Fame
No. 42- Santa Monica Pier
No. 51- Hearst Castle on the Central Coast
No. 53- Napa Valley Wine Train
No. 75- Cable Cars in San Francisco
Most overpriced attractions in California
California, again, has a third-place location in USA Today’s tourist attraction rankings. The California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco, had 153 of its 4,580 Google reviewers call it “expensive.”
The nonprofit was beaten only by Blue Lagoon in Grindavik, Iceland, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, Canada.
Daytime admission to the academy varies by time and date, ranging from $37 to $47 for adults.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the ninth most expensive tourist attraction in the world, as 822 of 35,324 Google reviewers noted its high costs.
Admission to the aquarium is $59.95 for adults, $49.95 for youth, $44.95 for children, $49.95 for seniors and free for children 4 and under.
California’s third top 25 “overpriced” attraction is the Napa Valley Wine Train. “Expensive” is used to describe it in 49 of 2,273 reviews.
There are multiple experiences, and a full day on the train could cost up to $800.
Winchester Mystery House also made the list of overpriced attractions, landing at No. 18. The word “expensive” was mentioned in 242 of its 12,700 reviews.
A guided tour through the houses costs $41.99 for adults, $34.99 for seniors and $19.99 for children aged 5 to 12.
The last attraction in the top 25 is Disneyland. “Expensive” is mentioned 2,198 times in 121,200 reviews.
The price of one-day tickets for one park fluctuates depending on the day, and can reach $179.
Other top 100 “overpriced” attractions in California, according to USA Today:
#35- San Diego Zoo
#53- Exploratorium
#62- Hearst Castle
‘Overrated’ attractions in California
California has 11 of the top 100 attractions in the world that are called “overrated” in Google reviews, five of which weren’t named on other lists.
In the top 25 are Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and its notable sign.
“Overrated” is used in 170 of 41,785 reviews of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and 13 of the 9,116 reviews of the Hollywood Sign.
The Griffith Observatory, in Los Angeles, is USA Today’s 64th most overrated attraction, with 8 of 11,176 reviewers saying so.
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge lands at No. 91 on the list, with 41 of 68,362 reviews mentioning that it’s “overrated.”
Seven of 12,228 reviewers call La Brea Tar Pits, in Los Angeles, “overrated.”
Previously mentioned California attractions on USA Today’s “overrated” list:
#44- Napa Valley Wine Train
#45- Santa Monica Pier
#58- Winchester Mystery House
#67- Monterey Bay Aquarium
#71- Fisherman’s Wharf
#77- California Academy of Sciences
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