# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/121 "2021-12-16T18:05:00Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Jackson Browne mentioned a particular corner in Winslow Arizona that seems well known now. The town of Temecula, CA stages a gunfight and shoot-out in the street several times every day. Knott’s Berry Farm famously had a stage-coach ride featuring a hold-up and shoot-out. So I wonder if Winslow, AZ entertains its tourists with an hourly staged drive-by performance featuring a girl in a flat-bed Ford. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/122 "2021-12-16T18:08:06Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s at least a display there, including the truck. But I don’t know if it’s acted out in any way. I wonder too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/123 "2021-12-16T18:16:20Z")
There is a bronze statue of a guy with a guitar, and a sign “standing on the corner”. But Winslow was a stop on Route 66 before that. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/124 "2021-12-16T18:18:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But to drive to a little town just to see a building that happened to be in a popular film? Sacramento’s a major metropolitan area and probably doesn’t fit the OP’s criteria, but it’s never really been much of a tourist draw (especially with San Francisco just a few hours away). But after the movie _Lady Bird_ came out there was a apparently an increase in tourism here, with people flocking to take selfies in front of the “blue house” and other landmarks seen in the film. Mostly people taking day trips from the Bay Area. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/125 "2021-12-16T18:24:11Z")
Well, they have the state capital, many museums, Old Town…I have gone there for tourist reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/126 "2021-12-16T18:28:25Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Sleepy Hollow, New York. I don’t remember North Tarrytown being all that interesting. I kid, I kid, I’m related to a Van Tassell, who does tours over there every Halloween. I nominate Holsten’s Ice Cream in NJ. They have tour buses and everything bringing folks over from NYC to visit. Nothing else in the area, just the restaurant. Apparently, it was featured in a notable episode of ---
**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 16, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/127 "2021-12-16T18:29:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is a bronze statue of a guy with a guitar, and a sign “standing on the corner”. [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51751270873_c61aaef034_b.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51751270873_c61aaef034_b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/128 "2021-12-16T18:42:07Z")
Burkittsville, MD, population 151, got a whole lot of attention and tourists starting about 1999 because of **The Blair Witch Project**. It’s a tiny one-road town between Frederick and Harper’s Ferry, about a half a mile long, with just houses, a post office, a church, and a general store. There really wasn’t much of anything to do there before, and the celebrity has not changed it in any way whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/129 "2021-12-16T19:02:04Z")
You’ve probably never heard of Goodwood, Ontario. But if you’re a fan of a certain sitcom, you know it very well. Goodwood is the fictional town of Schitt’s Creek. It’s a sleepy little village of about 600 or so residents, and it doesn’t even rate its own Wikipedia entry. There’s not much there to make you stop. I’ve been through it many times, on the way to my buddy’s farm, so when I watched the show, I immediately recognized it. But after Schitt’s Creek, it’s become a tourist destination: > **[Goodwood, Ont., becomes tourist hot spot as backdrop of Schitt's Creek | CBC...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/goodwood-schitts-creek-tourism-1.5192063)** > > The picturesque bedroom community of Goodwood, located north of Toronto, has become known as the real-life Schitt's Creek for hosting many key locations of the hit comedy series and attracting busloads of international tourists. > **[‘Schitt’s Creek’ Fans Arrive in Goodwood (Published 2020)](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/world/canada/schitts-creek.html)** > > The hamlet that was the backdrop for the hit television series “Schitt’s Creek” has become a pilgrimage site for fans, to the joy and consternation of locals. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/130 "2021-12-16T19:23:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > One thing I don’t get- why do people visit a town to see a movie landmark? > > But to drive to a little town just to see a building that happened to be in a popular film? I think one of the best examples of this is people still visit Rouleau, Saskatchewan, population 453, in the middle of the Canadian Prairies to visit the location where **Corner Gas** was filmed even though the set was torn down five years ago. At least people can still visit the “Dog River Hotel” and buy souvenirs before heading down the road to Moose Jaw. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/131 "2021-12-16T19:30:57Z")
Long as they don’t bother with Wullerton. \< spit \> ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/132 "2021-12-16T23:13:34Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > Or, if you prefer, Wall Drug. This one always baffled me. Then I found out you could get photographed with a jackalope or a miniature Mount Rushmore and it all made sense. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Roswell is probably the best bet in the US for meeting those specific criteria. This was going to be my guess. Maybe Area 51? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/133 "2021-12-16T23:54:14Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Winslow wasn’t exactly a tourist destination per se, but it’s home to the [La Posada](https://laposada.org/history/), one of Fred Harvey’s grand rail station hotels where many famous people stayed enroute to other southwestern destinations. I have stayed at the La Posada! We had a small workshop there in the 2000’s and it was more affordable than the Grand Canyon, so our little invitation-only scientific workshop was held in Winslow. We quickly found out that that 1) the town had only one attraction, “the Corner”, 2) the hotel had no wi-fi (though the manager’s office had wi-fi so he graciously left his door open, and if you were sitting close by, you could sort of get internet, and 3) the restaurant was excellent, one of the best the group had encountered over the years. ---
**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 17, 2021, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/134 "2021-12-17T01:20:58Z")
Off-topic FYI: the website for La Posada seems to be having technical issues (expired certificate?). The website was working ok when I originally posted the link. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/135 "2021-12-17T04:16:32Z")
I’ve heard that this gravestone has had to be removed because of so many people literally pissing on his grave. > **[G.G. Allin (1956-1993) - Find a Grave Memorial](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11337/gg-allin)** > > Punk Rock Musician. His shows were featured extreme performances. He would assault his audience and self-mutilate himself, among other stunts. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he was featured on many of the talk-shows preaching his vision of his... This has GOT to be heard to be believed, mainly because he manages to do it sans profanity. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dxcksJpqFck/maxresdefault.jpg ""GG" Allin | Mental Health & Personality") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxcksJpqFck) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/136 "2021-12-17T04:26:17Z")
For most of my life, I have lived not that far from the “Field of Dreams” site, which remains a popular tourist attraction. ---
**Author:** ![merrick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@merrick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrick)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/137 "2021-12-18T13:23:41Z")
It’s actually a fresh-water lake (largest by volume in the UK) but everything else you say stands. A better example in that part of Scotland would be Glenfinnan - people go there for two reasons - the [Glenfinnan Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenfinnan_Monument) (built 1815) to the 1745 Jacobite Rising and the [Glenfinnan Viaduct](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenfinnan_Viaduct) (built 1901), as seen in _Harry Potter_, numerous other films/TV shows and every “Greatest Train Journeys” series ever. There is nothing else at Glenfinnan except the visitor centre/gift shop. The setting is beautiful, surrounded by mountains at the head of Loch Shiel, but the challenge in that part of the West Highlands is to find unbeautiful scenery. ---
**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 18, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/138 "2021-12-18T21:39:34Z")
There are a lot of reasons why people go the the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but the reason a huge number of Americans and others go there is to visit the tomb of Jim Morrison. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/139 "2021-12-18T23:55:31Z")
Roswell NM only gets noticed because something crashed there in 1947 and some people believe it was an alien spaceship. And I’m pretty sure Ft. Sumner would have dried up and blown away a long time ago if it weren’t for Billy the Kid’s grave and three Billy the Kid museums being there. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2021, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998/140 "2021-12-19T05:35:02Z")
The Meteor Crater wouldn’t be a tourist attraction were it not for, well, the meteor crater. > **[Meteor Crater | Barringer Space Museum | Winslow, AZ](https://meteorcrater.com/)** > > Get up close to the Meteor Crater, the best-preserved meteorite impact site on earth with Guided Tours, NASA Space Capsule, Gift Shop & More! Located just off the I-40 in Northern AZ. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-that-became-tourist-attractions-for-one-reason/955998.md?page=8)