DENVER (KDVR) — Think of some of the most famous tourist attractions: Old Faithful, the Space Needle, the Hollywood sign.
Yes, they’re all instantly recognizable, and yet they are all listed among the worst tourist traps in the world. An iconic Colorado location also made its way onto that list.
USA Today analyzed 23.2 million Google reviews of 500 popular tourist attractions in the world with a focused search on keywords like “tourist trap,” “expensive” and “overrated.”
Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs was ranked in the top 20 most overrated tourist attractions in the world. While it made headlines for being one of the worst, at least it’s not Times Square.
Specifically, the reviews talk about Pikes Peak’s historic railway, which is the highest railroad in America. It’s a three-and-a-half-hour trip that starts at the Manitou Depot and goes up 9 miles to the 14,115-foot peak.
It’s the highest cog railway in the world and one of Colorado’s top attractions. And there’s still time to experience a unique sunrise ride before the end of the year.
While Pikes Peak is ranked as one of the worst, out of the 4,000 reviews, only 15% of them used words like “overrated.”
Pikes Peak isn’t the only “overrated” tourist attraction in the U.S.
Ten of the top 25 attractions are located in North America, and eight of them are in the U.S. The No. 1 worst tourist attraction in the world is Voodoo Doughnut in Oregon — a chain that now includes several locations here in Colorado.
Here’s the full list of the most overrated attractions in the world:
- Voodoo Doughnut, Oregon, U.S.
- The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto, Japan
- Manneken Pis, Brussels, Belgium
- Hollywood Walk of Fame, California, U.S.
- Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland
- Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal
- MONA: Museum of Old and New Art, Berriedale, Australia
- Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech, Morocco
- Old Faithful Geyser, Wyoming, U.S.
- Stonehenge, Wiltshire, U.K.
- Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy
- Tegallalang Rice Terrace, Ubud, Indonesia
- Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia
- Flam Railway, Flåm, Norway
- Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland
- Times Square, New York, U.S.
- Distillery District, Toronto, Canada
- Four Corners Monument, Arizona, U.S.
- Pikes Peak, Colorado, U.S.
- The Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic
- Space Needle, Washington, U.S.
- Hollywood Sign, California, U.S.
- Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain
- Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, Canada
USA Today also named the most overpriced attractions in the world, but the only overlapping locations were the Blue Lagoon in Iceland and the Space Needle in Seattle.
