They are a waste of time and a little creepy I guess, but mainly they are boring.
I went to Tussaud’s in Vegas earlier this year. The collection was pretty much all current/recent celebrities and Vegas icons, which is pretty much what I was expecting. Some of them looked better than others - Daniel Craig, Sinatra, and the Rock were almost lifelike; Britney Spears, Jenna Jameson, and Hugh Hefner less so. I enjoyed being able to snap pictures with them. They had a brand-new sculpture of Nicki Minaj which ended up getting roped off the day after I visited because of all the inappropriate pictures people were taking with it.
It wasn’t exactly high culture, but one does not go to Vegas in pursuit of high culture.
We have a Ripley’s here in DFW that is so awful, it’s great! The majority of the figures are only recognized by the clothes. There are only a couple that are current. I’m not sure why, because they can grab any figure (it seems) and just put a placard under it.
I’ve been to a couple of wax museums, and the hokiest one was the best. Thanks to the internet, you can experience it for yourself (the hokeyness, that is).
I’d say about 16 seconds is enough: note that the lighting is dim for a reason:
The best exhibit was next to the ticket counter. There was a funeral casket where 2 hands gripped a vacillating lid from the inside. A tape recorder murmured continuously: “Let me out, let me out; I’m not dead yet; let me out…” Good times.
Who actually goes to a wax museum expecting it to look real?
That notion comes from the 19th Century, before movies or TV, which made celebrities everyday commodities. The “realness” of the wax figure derived more from their original novelty than anything else.
Thanks for the feedback Dopers. It sounds like the consensus is that it’s not worth it. It popped up in a Google search for things to do in Sydney Australia but since I’ll only have a week and will probably never get to go back, I don’t think I’ll waste a vacation day on it.
Or a vacation hour.
Very sound judgment. This is the sort of thing that should only be done on a lark. And there are wax museums all over. Unfortunately.
Absolutely! But then, I’m the kind that keeps those roadside attractions in business (The Thing! 200 miles!). I hope to one day visit the Precious Moments attraction. 
I found this pic of the joys you’ll find at my Ripleys: Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax Museum | Grand Prairie Texas 2… | Flickr
Nowadays, it’s the wax figures that are the ones taking the selfies.
Selfie-taking Kim Kardashian figure at Madame Tussauds.
I went to Tussaud’s in Times Square a few years back. The most realistic figure there was Derek Jeter - you could get your picture taken standing next to him. The most amusing was Jessica Simpson. We were told (I didn’t check) that her backside was sponge rubber, for for those who wanted the tactile experience.
I don’t know how they accomplish it, but I’ve heard the face of Jennifer Lopez’s figure blushes when you touch its bum.
Bangkok has a Madame Tussauds. There are several booths in the vicinity where you can buy tickets, and the booths all have one wax figure, I guess to serve as some sort of teaser. Thais and Asian tourists are forever having their pictures taken with the figure. [I don’t think I’ve ever seen a farang (Westerner) doing that, but I’m sure some must.] Looks expensive. I can’t see the appeal.
We noticed the Madame Tussauds in Washington is up the street from Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was assassinated. We didn’t bother with that one either, but I shudder to think of the Lincoln display that may be in there.
When I was a locksmith we rekeyed some doors at Madame Tussauds. They were closed, and the manager basically just opened the front door for us and said to call him when we were finished, so we had the run of the place.
Being a couple of smartass young-ish guys (mid-to-late 20s), we quickly finished the job and then fully embraced the opportunity to take a lot of lewd photos of ourselves with the figures.
That’s the only time I’ve ever been there. I had a great time, but I’m certain that’s not the experience they want you to get from it.
A little bit of creepy, a lot of boring.
I went to the wax museum in Harper’s Ferry, WV. It’s cheesy and old fashioned, just what I expected.
I’ve been to a few and was invariably underwhelmed. Quite often the face really wasn’t a good likeness of the subject at all, and without the context of the clothing and display I would have had no chance at all of guessing it was Brad Pitt or whomever.
This. I went to Madame Tussaud’s in London in the early 70s. I was expecting to be amazed by how lifelike they were. Meh. They were like large versions of the ‘lifelike’ toys you buy in Walmart or something.
Hey, wait a minute! There’s no *statue *of Hef at that museum!
I’ve been to Madame Tussauds in Hollywood a few times. I agree that the whole idea is somewhat creepy, but in a fun sort of way like a bad Vincent Price movie–not only House of Wax but so, so many others.
The Chamber Of Horrors is always fun around Halloween.