The most disappointing tourist attractions

[Lady Whistledown]

Whether you were a kid (at which point in life you haven't been exposed to the harsh realities of regular disappointment and thus feel the pain so much more) or as an adult, which is the most underwhelming so-called tourist attraction you've been to?

I can remember being a child and watching (on John Craven's Newsround, natch) breathlessly excited presenters reporting on location from the coast off Portsmouth about the impending rise to the surface of King Henry VIII's favourite warship, the Mary Rose, lost to the nation for hundreds of years.

Then I got taken down to see it, and discovered it was essentially a few hundred rotting planks of wood nailed together inside a damp marquee. Brilliant.

I think this blatant con trick may well have tarnished forever my view of Portsmouth as a city, even if HMS Victory later went some way towards assuaging the boredom.

Any others?

 

[Horsham Gull]

Newhaven Fort

 

[Wozza]

Brighton beach.

 

[Nibble]

Birdworld
Dubai

 

[Lady Whistledown]

WELL worth the expense of bringing up from the ocean bed

 

[Dover]

Madame Tussauds. About 12 at the time, was just about OK. The Planetarium was fantastic though.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Rainbows End.

Went once. Loved it.

Went back. Saw a rat in among the crazy golf.

 

[glasfryn]

the Mona Lisa

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Oh and the old Sea Life Centre in Hastings.

Went. Saw a crab.

Sat on the beach afterwards with some fish and chips. Saw a porpoise.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

the Mona Lisa

Way smaller than you expect and surrounded by a hundred people at all times, blocking a true view of it because of their camera flashes.

I think the Mona Lisa is just a big French SCAM to extract money from people.

 

[CheeseRolls]

West Pier, I must have been about 6 and was gutted there was no amusements ! I got over it though and don't know anything about suspicious fires or anything, ok.

 

[8ace]

When I was in Tokyo we spent ages trying to find the Godzilla statue, when we eventually found it it was a lot smaller than we were expecting

 

[flint]

Salem witches museum

This was the most crap display I have ever seen. Stuffed dummies that could only broadcast "more weight" as you went past to indicate more stones to be put on them to confess to being witches

 

[Nibble]

WELL worth the expense of bringing up from the ocean bed

I think it's a pretty amazing sight and enjoyed visiting it. Lots of Naval history in my family so grew up around it all (not the Mary Rose obviously) and it fascinates me. I understand why a woman might not find it interesting though.

 

[willingdon_seagull]

Anything in Eastbourne

 

[Danny-Boy]

Madame Tussauds. About 12 at the time, was just about OK. The Planetarium was fantastic though.

Yes I had that impression at about the same age.

Nowadays you get more "live" impersonations of people - including cosmetic surgery - than waxworks, though doubtless collagen gives a waxy appearance.

Btw is that saddo still living in Eastbourne who made a living out of impersonating David Beckham?

I know someone in Seaford who prided himself on looking like Sven Goran-Eriksonn, I believe he even made a record.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I understand why a woman might not find it interesting though.

I was probably about ten years old. I wanted cannons and sails and muskets and plundered treasure chests. Not soggy, rotting oak forming half a ship.

 

[Notters]

Blackpool

Scarborough

Skegness

 

[Nibble]

I was probably about ten years old. I wanted cannons and sails and muskets and plundered treasure chests. Not soggy, rotting oak forming half a ship.

Arrrr! You should have kept on going East from Portsmouth till you reached TinTagel. Nothing but Pirates, smugglers and false claims to the Arthurian Legends. Opposite The Jamaica Inn (quite disappointing and situated under a flyover!) you can even visit a pub which has the very clever name of "ExcaliBAR" f***ing genius.

 

[The Wookiee]

Eiffell Tower