# Places that became tourist attractions for one reason **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998 "2021-12-13T18:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/61 "2021-12-14T02:50:14Z")
Lourdes, France ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/62 "2021-12-14T02:54:49Z")
Is the font on that sign modern? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/63 "2021-12-14T03:17:15Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > It’s been mentioned above, but it would have been my fourth example. Similar places would be Monroeville AL ( _To Kill a Mockingbird_ ) or Mt. Airy NC ( _The Andy Griffith Show_ ) Let’s not forget the Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, PA where 1978’s _Dawn of the Dead_ was filmed. Over the years, many fans of the movie have traveled from far and wide just to visit the mall. People who probably never would have otherwise gone to Monroeville, PA. There used to be a museum in the mall, Monroeville Zombies, dedicated to the movie but it closed down and moved someplace else a few years back. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/64 "2021-12-14T03:56:13Z")
Not really attractions, but people stop, I’ll add Donner Pass and Donner Summit. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/65 "2021-12-14T03:57:45Z")
Well worth it too, I thought Delphi was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/66 "2021-12-14T09:27:34Z")
The Trinity Atomic Bomb Test site in New Mexico fills the bill. But there is no main street and nothing is sold if you visit on the two days the site is open to the public. It was refreshing to visit an historic place where no commercial or political activity was allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/67 "2021-12-14T10:34:52Z")
People would come from all over the United States and all over the world in fact to a little town in Georgia called Plains to be taught Sunday School by a former President of the United States. Across the town it is a homage to Jimmy Carter. His 1976 campaign headquarters which previously was a rail depot, his boyhood home, his school, the farm, the warehouse for his peanut business. Even his brother Billy’s gas station is a designated visitor spot because he was quite a character. [![](https://www.ragazine.cc/wp-content/grand-media/image/1976-Plains049.jpg) ](https://www.ragazine.cc/wp-content/grand-media/image/1976-Plains049.jpg) [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/35/ed/2a35ed862a9eb7051c1095b9d03b4b6e.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/35/ed/2a35ed862a9eb7051c1095b9d03b4b6e.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/68 "2021-12-14T10:51:56Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Did tourists go to Liverpool before the Beatles? > Would Gettysburg be anything but a small PA town if not for the battle? > Would Pisa be a world destination if not for the tower? > > Any other examples? It doesn’t have to be somewhere with only one attraction now, just somewhere that became interesting for only one reason. Liverpool is a major British city and would have had plenty of visitors even without the Beatles. Football tourism for instance is significant for any English city with a major soccer team. Fewer without the Beatle tourists, sure, but still. Pisa would also have plenty of tourists coming for a taste of Italy. Also fewer, but … The choice of examples make the OP extremely vague even if ignoring it being difficult to judge how many tourists would come to any significant city if you remove their most famous tourist attraction. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/69 "2021-12-14T11:10:54Z")
Henry David Thoreau’s cabin site. Although it is in a park, so I don’t believe that the 'streets are lined with shops selling touristy things." Stretching the point a bit, Mall of America. Who would have thought that people would fly to visit another shopping mall. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/70 "2021-12-14T12:21:14Z")
I remember in Kansas City there was some charter airline that would fly you to Minneapolis and back the same day to go to this mall in its early years (1993-94 maybe). It was ridiculously cheap (like $30-60 round trip, including coach to the mall and back and parking in KC) do I assume they were getting some kind of backhander from the mall for each victim they brought. And I think the mall was tiny then compared to what it grew to. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/71 "2021-12-14T12:52:37Z")
How about Gibsland, Louisiana? It was nothing - though there was a tiny college - before Bonnie and Clyde were spotted there, left town, were shot and killed a few miles away and brought back there. There are now two (feuding) museums in the town. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/72 "2021-12-14T14:20:32Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Is the font on that sign modern? 1920s, I think. Those are screen captures from [America in Color.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9269972/reference) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/73 "2021-12-14T14:38:18Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Pisa would also have plenty of tourists coming for a taste of Italy. Also fewer, but … Oh, I think Pisa is a fair shout. Being in Tuscany, it’s surrounded by FAR prettier and more architecturally significant towns and cities - the main reason to go to Pisa (minus the tower) is for the airport, as it’s the main international gateway to Tuscany. Literally the only reason tourists stop off in Pisa is to go to the tower - often while they’re killing time for a flight - and most never actually make it into the city centre, as the tower (and accompanying cathedral) are on the edge of town. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/74 "2021-12-14T14:41:31Z")
See “line crossing ceremonies” > **[Line-crossing ceremony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a "folly" sanctioned as a boost to morale, or have been created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long, rough voyages. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are common in the Navy ... ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/75 "2021-12-14T14:43:27Z")
One that popped into my mind was Stratford on Avon - yes, it’s very picturesque old town in the english Midlands, but then quite a lot are. Really the main reason people visit is because of Shakespeare, and the industry which has grown up there around his legacy (his [birthplace](https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/visit/shakespeares-birthplace/) and the [RSC](https://www.rsc.org.uk/)). I do heartily recommend it though, it has some lovely pubs. I also endorse the vote for Salem - the witches are the only reason I took a detour there. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/76 "2021-12-14T14:52:06Z")
Dawson City, Yukon Territory: Famous for being the site of the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th century. The town has kept the old buildings and there are tours of the gold dredges. It’s a beautiful area, but the vast majority of tourists are there for the history. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/77 "2021-12-14T15:06:41Z")
It’s a morbid example, but I suppose Hiroshima meets the OP’s narrowed-down criteria. It was a major Japanese city before 1945 but not exactly a tourist destination. It certainly didn’t choose to be the target of a nuclear bomb, but that event (which I suppose can be called “interesting”) now is the main reason why travellers from all over the world come there, especially for the anniversary on August 6 (which I attended there in 2019). And yes, they have gift shops (even in the Memorial Museum). By the way, it is home to a major Japanese corporation, car maker Mazda, and one of Japan’s leading baseball teams, the Toyo Carp. But these facts regardig Hiroshima’s status are eclipsed by the nuclear bombing. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/78 "2021-12-14T15:06:43Z")
I think that Shanksville PA might qualify with the National Flight 93 Memorial. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/79 "2021-12-14T15:16:59Z")
I can’t think how I managed to miss a local example: Hartfield in East Sussex. Never heard of Hartfield? But you’ve heard of Poohsticks Bridge, right? And The House At Pooh Corner, and the Hundred Acre Wood? All in (well, more or less in) Hartfield; as is Cotchford Farm, the home of AA Milne. But yeah, without Winnie The Pooh, nobody would have heard of it. Interesting fact (if you didn’t already know) - Brian Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones, lived and died at Cotchford Farm. Not sure how many Stones pilgrims Hartfield gets. Nobody has mentioned the small Irish town of Blarney - but in truth, I don’t know whether the town or the stone came first. j Full disclosure: of course I’ve played poohsticks there! ETA - not at Blarney - the other place! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/80 "2021-12-14T15:18:14Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > How many people go to Punxsutawney other than on Feb 2nd? > Just looked it up, their population anywhere from doubles to quadruples on that day. Similar to Sturgis, SD. Drive through in May and looks completely different then around the rally. It’s definitely a tourist attraction for one reason, and for one short period of time each year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998.md?page=5)