Channeling an old fashioned school teacher at the Hillsborough Historical Society's Living History Event.

SUBMITTED BY: Kathie Fife   LOCATION: Hillsborough, NH (2011)

Remember when educators carried rulers and would crack your wrists for chewing gum or misspelling a word?

Well, in addition to shining the silverware of President Franklin Pierce, the Hillsborough Historical Society loves to romanticize mean old school teachers.

(Kathie Fife is a nature photographer and greeting card designer who specializes in New Hampshire scenes.)

Yum, Yum: The Atomic Cake Under Glass

SUBMITTED BY: Debby Greenberg  LOCATION: Los Alamos, New Mexico (2011)

So uranium yellowcake is a key ingredient for developing nuclear weapons, but you’re not supposed to eat it.

That wasn’t the case with this celebratory mushroom cloud cake enjoyed by U.S. military generals after the 1946 nuclear tests at the Bikini Atoll.  A replica of the cake now sits at the Los Alamos Historical Museum in New Mexico, home of the famed Manhattan Project.  

Frosting Fallout: This Pentagon PR stunt was meant to showcase America as a nuclear superpower. No word if the cake was actually served.

Our favorite element of this surreal pop culture moment is the cake decorations, which look like the plastic parts from the Battleship board game.

Museum exhibits like this exist so we can chuckle at the dessert disasters of the past and pledge not to repeat them.

Apparently, the more appropriate way to trivialize nuclear weapons is through alcoholic beverages. Check out this atomic bomb wine stopper currently for sale at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History gift shop:

(Debby Greenberg is a health care professional who appreciates the roadside attractions that come with business travel).

Gracious Host: George Washington mingles with commoners at his Mount Vernon compound. (Click the pic to find out how YOU can share your favorite tourist history photos!)

SUBMITTED BY: Mark Arsenault and Jennifer Levitz 
LOCATION: Mount Vernon, Virginia (2011)

Barack Obama won’t come greet you when you tour the White House.  Speaker of the House John Boehner won’t give you the time of day when you visit the Capitol.

But George Washington cares about his fans. The Father of Our Country’s PR handlers are also smart enough to make sure he’s never caught drowning his problems in alcohol… like a certain Benjamin Franklin!

The "Unconditional Surrender" statue commemorates the end of World War II. (Click pic to learn how you can submit your kiss to be immortalized here).

SUBMITTED BY: Mark Z.   LOCATION: Sarasota, Florida (2011)

The guy who made the Marilyn Monroe statue in Chicago apparently specializes in providing opportunities to look up the skirts of fiberglass Amazonian women.

But Mark’s parents are a lot classier. They preferred to re-enact the famous spontaneous kiss between a sailor and a nurse in Times Square.

Turns out that this J. Seward Johnson sculpture is controversial, too.

(Learn the story of Edith Shain, the real nurse in the kiss photo made famous by Life Magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt.)

Did Steve overdose on the Caerphilly Steak & Cheese? (Click above for visiting information to Wales' most majestic toilet).

SUBMITTED BY: Steve Uzdanovich   LOCATION: Caerphilly, Wales (2011)

Caerphilly Castle is known for its 13th Century military significance, especially its role in preventing South Wales from being invaded by the imperialistic North Wales (actually we have no idea which Welsh were the good guys or the bad guys).

In any case, marble bathroom vanities weren’t a priority for the King.

(Learn more about Medieval Tacky Tourist History at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire).

Getting to know each other at the Pirates of Nassau Museum (Click pic for visiting info)

SUBMITTED BY: Kaeli Conforti   LOCATION: Nassau, Bahamas (2011)

Young women just dig guys in silk ruffled shirts and unscrupulous morals.

But an honest gorilla looking for love? — Forget it!

King Kong fails to impress his date at the Empire State Building. (Madame Tussauds Wax Museum/Manhattan 2011)

(Kaeli Conforti is a New York City travel writer with a weakness for wax museums).

Coming to America in Style! (Click on the picture to learn more about the real Ellis Island experience)

SUBMITTED BY: Peggy Dillon and Adrienne Lopes   LOCATION: Ellis Island, New York (2010)

A brilliant exercise in historical product placement, Mattel and Ellis Island have teamed up to let you explore your ethnic heritage through cocktail dresses and itsy bitsy pairs of shoes.

“Wouldn’t Barbie have had a pink boat, complete with a hair salon and huge closet for her massive wardrobe?”  Peggy asks rhetorically.

When it comes to crossing the Atlantic on a steamship, it’s the only way to travel!

Explore Your Barbie Heritage: Dolls of the World

(Click here to buy your very own Ellis Island Barbie. Tacky Tourist Photos is not affiliated with Mattel or Barbie, but we strongly believe in the product.)

Witty irony at the Medieval fairgrounds

SUBMITTED BY: Ari Zackin    LOCATION: Hebron, Connecticut (2010)

Hey, the Pilgrims didn’t have a monopoly on public humiliation. The Europeans were huge fans of exploiting shame, too.

Between the squeezed rib cages of women in corsets and the sore necks of suckers posing for this photo-op, the Renaissance Faire is a perpetual goldmine for chiropractors.

(Ari Zackin recently bathed in camel drool for a TTP modeling shoot in Israel.)

Perhaps a subtle monument might mark the JFK assassination site more appropriately than a cheesy flea market banner?

SUBMITTED BY: Kerry Byrne   LOCATION: Dallas, Texas (2011)

The only thing more obnoxious than this yellow police tape sign would be an Oliver Stone conspiracy movie poster. On the sidewalk where President Reagan was shot, can you imagine a day-glo banner reading “THE GIPPER WAS SHOT HERE!”

Was there a second gunman besides Lee Harvey Oswald? Were there shots fired from the notorious grassy knoll?  Should the city of Dallas now spring for some extra grass seed?

(Football analyst and history buff Kerry Byrne travels in search of the world’s best beer.)

Although Brian wouldn't verbally commit to who his favorite non-terracotta soldier was, his body language says it all.

SUBMITTED BY: Brian Henderson   LOCATION: Xian, China (2010)

Sorry, but when your military is wearing leather skirts and Las Vegas showgirl hats, you don’t scare us.

(Brian Henderson is a well-traveled photojournalist with a passion for silly dance poses).