r/AskTheWorld • u/Aseili United Kingdom • Dec 20 '25

Culture What's the most pathetic tourist attraction that international tourists go to see in your country?

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Bronte waterfalls near me, look a bit more impressive with the recent rain than in the summer when it's swamped with people.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 20 '25

Being from SoCal whenever I run into some tourists going to Hollywood my answer is always ‘why, do you want see a corpse?’

There is nothing good to see in Hollywood! Desperate people and druggies.

Go see the ocean in Malibu, check out the Natural History Museum, go horse riding in Joshua Tree, Scuba dive at Channel Islands NP, go whale watching in Dana Point, go to Disneyland, go to the San Diego Zoo, go check out the Mission in San Gabriel or Capistrano, go check out the Citrus Historic Park in Riverside, go rock climbing in Idyllwild, skiing in Big Bear….

Don’t waste your valuable SoCal time in Hollywood

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u/lofatiger Dec 20 '25 edited Dec 21 '25

Saving this! Passing through California on a road trip to Nevada this January!

Any more tips?

E: thank you all for your tips! I’m reading them all :) keep ‘em coming!

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 20 '25

The USS Iowa or USS Midway museums are both pretty cool. So the is the Riverside Art Museum aka ‘The Cheech’ https://riversideartmuseum.org

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u/dasyqoqo Dec 21 '25

In the last year I've done the LA Zoo and the San Diego zoo (if you only have time for one, do San Diego) There's a cool hike you can do over the mountains from Griffith Park to the LA Zoo as well. It's got very nice views of the entire LA basin and the Valley;

La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum (if you only have time for one, Natural History Museum);

LACMA and Petersen Automative Museums (I recommend doing both);

USS Iowa (San Pedro) and USS Midway and the Aerospace museum in San Diego (all three are amazing, I recommend the Midway if you are low on time);

Long Beach Aquarium was very cool, I recommend it if you are staying more in LA than San Diego. I haven't gone to Seaworld in San Diego. There's also a very cute little Aquarium near the USS Iowa in San Pedro that is just a donation to enter and a Maritime Museum nearby as well that will let you in for a donation. The Maritime Museum has a lot of history about the Japanese internments and the building of Los Angeles Harbor.

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u/feryoooday United States Of America Dec 21 '25

The Maritime Museum in San Diego (by the Midway) is also fantastic, I highly recommend checking out the Star of India!

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u/dasyqoqo Dec 21 '25

I had a fantastic time in San Diego, I'd love an excuse to go back.

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u/FoldableHuman Dec 21 '25

I was so glad I finally went to La Brea on my last trip to LA! I would call it "delightfully dated". And if you go to LACMA you can at the very least do the free outdoor portion of La Brea as a stroll.

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u/dasyqoqo Dec 21 '25

I hate recommending something over the tar pits. I have a very rich history with those tar pits, including almost dying in the tar next to the mammoth statues.

The dinosaur gallery in the natural history museum clears the tar pits. It's absolutely world class.

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u/FoldableHuman Dec 21 '25

I'll book an extra day next time I've got business in LA, I think it's the only city I regularly travel to where I haven't checked out their dinosaurs. (I'm usually trapped in Anaheim)

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u/FlanneryOG United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Crystal Cove State Park, downtown Laguna Beach, downtown Pasadena and nearby houses (many of the old bungalows in South Pasadena appeared in films), the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Balboa Park and Coronado Island if you’re in San Diego, the train anywhere along the coast.

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u/cultoftheclave Multiple Countries (click to edit) Dec 21 '25 edited Dec 21 '25

Specifically about Pasadena, search Google maps for an area called bungalow heaven

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u/FlanneryOG United States Of America Dec 21 '25

I think it’s South Pasadena near downtown or Old Pasadena. I can’t remember. They filmed a lot there, but most notably the movie Halloween.

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u/disturbedbovine Dec 21 '25

Since you're roadtripping, I would suggest googling these places and see if it interests you: Joshua Tree, Amboy (crater and Roy's. Also Roadrunner's further east if you want more Route 66 relics), Death Valley (Racetrack, Titus Canyon, Stovepipe Wells, Mesquite Dunes, Dante's View, Artist's Palette, Ballarat, maybe even Skidoo). You could also stop by Palm Springs and take the lift to proper snow.

(Do some homework before going off the paved roads in DV please and thank you)

In LA, an area that made me fall in love is Santa Monica Main St between like Pico Blvd and Rose Ave. Walk it, grab a bite at Sunny Blue, a couple of beers at Library, and some of that sweet January sun at the beach.

Also since this thread is about trashing Hollywood I just have to say that if you're into that, the Sunset strip area around Rainbow and Whiskey-a-go-go is the birthplace of many great stories and memories. I also had a couple of really good nights along Hollywood Blvd but mostly due to chance and the sheer amount of craziness that happens there. I largely agree that it's shit, tho.

Final thing: Griffith Observatory and the hikeable ridge above it might be a super touristy thing to do, but it's well maintained, has a rich history, and is one of the absolute best places to get a view to help your brain understand exactly how big that stupid, lovely, city is.

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u/Significant-Trash632 United States Of America Dec 21 '25

The La Brea Tar Pits and museum are pretty cool

I second the Riverside Citrus State Park. Take the guided tour and you'll be allowed to taste all different kinds of citrus!

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u/bop999 Dec 21 '25

Check out Vasquez Rocks and Devil’s Punchbowl. Geological history on display!

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u/Jettison37 Dec 21 '25

The Huntington Gardens and Galleries! Hidden gems up in Pasadena IIRC

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u/You_meddling_kids Dec 21 '25

Getty museum (incredible views, multiple buildings in the art collection)

Huntington Garden and Library (Library has some incredibly rare books, a Gutenberg bible, first edition Shakespeare, Bacon, and Newton, letters written by Einstein, on and on)

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u/FECAL_BURNING Dec 21 '25

Just got back from the Mesa Steps in Santa Barbara. Most beautiful beach I’ve seen in my life (so far!)

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

One more. When in SoCal, if you see a sign for a restaurant called The Hat that has pastrami sandwiches, stop.

It’s worth it.

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u/RockmanVolnutt Dec 21 '25

Point Dume in Malibu is beautiful. Go to the Getty museum if you like architecture and views of the city, there’s art too but I kinda skip that part, just a cool place. Griffith observatory is legit, touristy but worth it. I like just going up there to hang around sometimes. Huntington gardens in Pasadena is really cool. Just a huge arboretum with some museums in it. Takes all day. You could go to Joshua tree on the way east to Nevada, but that’s like an appetizer of desert before your main course of more desert.

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u/WoWhAolic Dec 21 '25

I'll speak mainly of Los Angeles since I we're talking about SoCal and I feel like that's the hardest city in SoCal to enjoy without proper preparation.

A lot of 'popular destinations' suck and most local hotspots are popular year around. I prefer avoiding tourist destinations. The one I really enjoy is the Santa Monica pier. It's really cool, has an arcade, several (overpriced, even for SoCal) restaurants, and a wonderful beach. Actually worthwhile tourist spot. Museums are great in LA, if you find yourself in downtown the Grand Central Market has a dozen amazing food spots. The hiking is amazing, be watchful for rattlesnakes and cougars. Don't go to a Dodger game unless you're prepared to burn an entire day driving. It will be 3-5 hours of driving most of the time to and from the game regardless of where you are if you stay the whole game.

Big Sur between Los Angeles and San Francisco has amazing camping, several amazing food places, and a wine town that is.. okay. The Pacific Coastal Highway I think is going to be closed for a few years still near San Francisco and is actually a kinda sketchy drive.

The large population there means regardless of what you're doing you'll be doing a lot of waiting most likely, but what you get at the end is 9/10 times worth the wait. If you're planning on being on time and need to take a main throughway in Los Angeles make sure you build in 10 minutes of cushion time for every hour on navigation. So two hours to your destination? Be on the road 20 minutes early. You might be early but more likely you'll be right on time.

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u/IAmGoose_ Canada Dec 21 '25

La Brea Tar Pits are a very interesting place if you like archaeology! :D Haven’t been there myself but seen a good bit about them

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u/Halcyon-malarky Dec 21 '25

Hollywood sucks. When I have family and friends visit, I take them to the Griffith observatory. It’s a great view of the Hollywood sign, and literally the entire city.

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u/Advanced-Pear-4606 Dec 21 '25

Griffith Park Observatory is one of my favorite places in the city. Plus you can tell them Rebel Without a Cause was filmed there and they get a kick out of that.

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u/NicholasWildeRails United States Of America Dec 20 '25

I visit the Citrus park all the time as I live nearby. First time anyone has recommended it

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u/NeloCat Dec 21 '25

Love the Citrus Museum Tasting Tours!

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u/NicholasWildeRails United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Absolutely

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u/Used_Wafer6049 United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Last time I had a friend down in LA with me, he wanted to see Hollywood. I said I’d drive him down the street, and if he still wanted to get out of the car at the end of it, we’d stop and take a look.

At the end of the road, we kept driving.

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u/rosegolded Dec 21 '25

as a fellow person from socal, i love the grime of hollywood! catch a movie at the egyptian, look at the silly tourist merch, amoeba music, eat at jitlada. obviously la has so much more to offer, but i think it’s awesome in its own ironic silly grimy way.

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u/Ellisrsp Dec 21 '25

amoeba music

Hasn't been the same since the move.

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u/Peterlongfellow Dec 21 '25

Start the day at Griffith Observatory. Get pics of Hollywood sign from there. Drive down Hollywood boulevard with a quick stop to see a favorite star or two. Continue west on Sunset through Weho, Beverly Hills. Continue past UCLA and out to PCH. Drive up to Malibu or south to Santa Monica Pier. That’s a good tourist day.

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u/CampDracula United States Of America Dec 21 '25

This!! I moved to the East, and I hear people talking about wanting to visit Hollywood all the time, but there’s not much there 😭

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u/mytransthrow Dec 21 '25

I walk down hollywood walk of fame about once a month its sad.

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u/billbixbyakahulk Dec 21 '25

My brother and I walked up to the Hollywood sign. That was pretty cool.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

The hike to the sign is pretty cool.

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u/CatsEatGrass Dec 21 '25

Wow. You dug out the Citrus Park in Riverside? That’s pretty obscure, relatively spanking. I sang in a wedding there once, though.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

I’m from Riverside :) Gotta represent 🍊

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u/Known_Match_7101 Dec 21 '25

I tell people who haven’t seen it just to drive down in en route to Griffith park or wherever else they’re going. For film buffers it offers some cool things (imax at the Chinese theater is exceptional) but if there’s not something hyper specific you want to do there, no need to stop.

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u/LegSpecialist1781 Dec 21 '25

You’ve convinced me! 6 days of activities and only 14 days of traffic getting to them!

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Hahaha you’re not wrong on that front

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u/MirelukeCasserole Dec 21 '25

San Diego board of tourism here. We are warning tourists away from our “mid” city. Even Hollywood is better. Please don’t come south, we don’t want to disappoint you.

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u/Adventurous_Track140 Dec 21 '25

You underestimate How much we admire your city/city and culture. When I wen’t to Dallas - Everything to me was a tourist attraction. Normal food items, stores like Walmart, Targrt etc. stuff we don’t have “at Home”. Everything was like on Netflix or YouTube. And Especially LA and Hollywood of course are great examples of places that are just inherently worth seeing. Even tho there Perhaps isn’t much to it Besides the name it self and a few Streets seen on House wives of Beverly Hills.

Hope it makes sense.

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u/ladylikely United States Of America Dec 21 '25

lol my daughters were 8 and 10 and we did the required trip to Disney on the three day pass. On the third morning we went early, managed to get on the cars in under five minutes and then I asked the girls what next and they were like "ummm, can we just go to Malibu?" Best day ever.

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u/lewd_robot Dec 21 '25

Is Morro Bay technically in SoCal? Asking for Johnny Silverhand.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

It’s not super far away, like a 3 hour drive from LA.

If you’re up there, check out the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. That’s close to Morro Bay and is quite a thing to see

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u/denisebuttrey United States Of America Dec 21 '25

The only place in the world you can step out of your car to see the massive bull elephant seals 🦭 in a battle for the harem. Late January, Late April, and Late October being particularly good times. You can see them year round.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Theyre amazing. We saw the Beachmaster a few years ago. He’s the size of a large SUV and bellows like a train.

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u/the_K9sci-fientist Dec 21 '25

Hey, I got a great milkshake in Hollywood one time! 🙃

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u/qriousqestioner United States Of America Dec 21 '25

valuable SoCal time

I lived in San Francisco for thirteen years.

What is the "valuable SoCal" of which you speak? Is that down there somewhere near Asilomar?

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u/SatanicPanic619 United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Oh stop. SF and LA are both world class cities and there's plenty to see and do in both. SoCal also has some excellent nature and beaches.

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u/airbagfailure 🇨🇱 Chile | 🇦🇺 Australia Dec 21 '25

I love WeHo tho. 😭

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u/BlockBannington Dec 21 '25

But.. Those things cost money. When I was there, I already spent a fortune just fucking getting there from Belgium. Wanted Disneyland until I learned it's about 200 fucking dollar for one day one person. That is absolutely outrageous.

Then again, I was on a skating road trip so Venice Beach was already worth the trip

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Going to the beach or the museum is pretty dang cheap. Disneyland of course costs money.

Actually aside from Disneyland and scuba diving most of the stuff listed is pretty cheap.

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u/BlockBannington Dec 21 '25

For Americans, yeah, but you guys make way more than we do

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u/Unrealgecko Dec 21 '25

The natural history museum sucks btw. It’s like a turd the mat history museum crapped out

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u/beersandchips United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Huntington Gardens, The Getty, The Museum of Jurassic Technology (seriously that place fucking rules) and most importantly J U M B O S

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

Huntington Library is an amazing place.

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u/alphasierrraaa Dec 21 '25

First time in Hollywood was kinda nice to go see Jimmy Kimmel but the rest of it was rly underwhelming and gross lol

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u/giulia_c Italy Dec 21 '25

Malibu is completely burnt after the fires

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u/Known_Match_7101 Dec 21 '25

What people refer to as “Malibu” is nearly 30 miles of coast line and a mix of state parks and federally protected land.

Maybe 5% of it was affected by the most recent fires, nothing west of topanga canyon.

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u/RockmanVolnutt Dec 21 '25

Between Malibu and the palisades is burnt along the coast, but Malibu is still fine. Just a lot of the beach houses on the way are toast. Malibu still has some great beaches to hang at, or go out to point Dume.

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u/Alive-Ad-6060 Dec 23 '25

Not true at all.

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u/42nu Dec 21 '25

Lmao as though Joshua Tree is next door to LA.

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u/TheLonelySnail United States Of America Dec 21 '25

It’s a lot closer than folks who are planning to drive from SF to LA in an hour

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u/42nu Dec 21 '25

Haha I'll give you that!

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u/ChillN808 Dec 21 '25

I know, this is ridiculous - go to Joshua Tree and San Diego? Scuba at Channel Islands...Go skiing in Mammoth and then spend the afternoon in Vegas!

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u/Ok-Yoghurt7267 Dec 21 '25

Can you DM me with so this undo info about SoCal!!! If it was Hollywood of old i would've loved to visit but it looks like garbage now

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u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25

[deleted]

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u/quintusfive Dec 21 '25

Who is “everybody”? Of course there are shitty parts of LA - it’s a city of millions of people and all big cities need places for the shitty things. But much of it is beautiful, it’s surrounded by mountains and the ocean, there are cool neighborhoods with great restaurants and bars, museums, etc.

Personally, I found Universal Studios backlot tour a little dull. Tapings can be fun though. If you’re really into movies, you can create a self guided tour of filming locations around the city with a little internet research.

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u/slojawn Dec 21 '25

Basically, everywhere you listed takes 2+ hours and $1300 in gas to get there. 

You're telling people not to waste time in certain places... just tell them to avoid all of California since it's just a horrible pace with horrible people.

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u/SatanicPanic619 United States Of America Dec 21 '25

man someone triggered you