Tacky Tourist Photos

SUBMITTED BY: Ilya Mirman   LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nevada (2010) A shame that NBC weather guy and foodie Al Roker was immortalized by Madame Tussaud’s before his gastric bypass operation. It’s not easy to perfectly duplicate a jaw-numbing smile, but it looks like Ilya has a future career as a dental impressionist. (Rock concert photographer Ilya [...]

SUBMITTED BY: The Cole Family   LOCATION: Kauai, Hawaii (2013) Sarah pushes with her back muscles.  Ben pushes with his chest muscles. The Lighthouse Workout is coming to a gym near you! Kudos to photographer Jason Cole. It’s not easy to line up people perfectly for forced perspective photography, as this epic Tacky Tourist Photos [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Stacey Dunn Reid   LOCATION: Orlando, Florida (2012) We all know from the movie “Jurassic Park” that the T-Rex is a ruthless and heartless beast that will crush you to bits with little or no warning. Nowhere is safe. You could even be eaten while you are on the toilet. With that actor’s [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Carissa Joho and Helena Birtasevic   LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan (2013) Ever fantasize about eating AS MUCH as you want and getting paid handsomely for fans to gawk at the results? At the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena, Carissa does her best to puff out her cheeks and pass as the real deal. (Carissa Joho is [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Erik Paulsen  LOCATION: Bangor, Maine (1995) The lumberjacks of northern and central Maine claim that legendary giant Paul Bunyan was born there. The lumberjacks of Minnesota claim the Land of 10,000 Lakes as Bunyan’s birthplace. Who’s right? Who cares. The more kitschy Paul Bunyan statues in the world, the better. Bemidji, Minnesota has [...]

SUBMITTED BY: David Meerman Scott   LOCATION: Cairo, Egypt (2013) World famous papyrus researcher and Egyptian Ambassador Hassan Ragab was charmed by Disney’s EPCOT’s theme park — which inexplicably does not include Egypt — but he thought it was a bit “too computerized” for his tastes. Ragab’s attempt at a “more human” amusement park is the [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Brian Henderson and Anne Donelan   LOCATION: I-95, Dillon, South Carolina Anyone who has ventured on a Florida roadtrip from any East Coast destination can attest to the marketing power of the South of the Border truck stop, a.k.a. “America’s Favorite Highway Oasis.” It’s relentless Beat Down Marketing, pummeling you with billboard updates [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Alysha Lynch  LOCATION: Key West, Florida (2013) Mocking stereotypical tourists, the lifeblood of the Florida economy, nevertheless remains a popular sport. (Alysha Lynch is a competitive mud runner visiting Florida for the 2013 Ragnar Relay Race, a 200-mile sprint from Miami to Key West)

SUBMITTED BY: Michael Wasserman  LOCATION: Somewhere on the Zero-Degree Latitude Line, Kenya (2010) This tourist sign looks like a junior high school geography mural, but it was a welcome sight for recreational jumper and travel blogger Michael Wasserman. Obsessed with imaginary lines, Michael later visited another Equator photo-op in nearby Uganda, a site crawling with [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Jumping Norman    LOCATION: Agra, India (2012) In Ancient Times, we know which tourist would have been the Court Jester! (Jumping Norman is one of the world’s most preeminent practitioners of the joyful frozen-in-midair photo-op.  You can see all of his work on his Facebook page.)

SUBMITTED BY: Stacy G.   LOCATION: Orange, Connecticut (2012) At the PEZ Visitors Center, right next to the PEZ factory, you can carry the weight of the Candy World on your shoulders. (Stacy G. has previously shared her Las Vegas fling with Roman Gladiators)

SUBMITTED BY: Ari G.   LOCATION: Seaside Heights, New Jersey (2012) When Curly Fries, Fried Pickles or Salt Water Taffy won’t do… there’s a snack for every kind of customer strolling the Jersey boardwalks. (Ari G. is a New Hampshire fifth grader who recently won the Sphinx Rodeo).

SUBMITTED BY: Tacky Tourist Photos   LOCATION: London, England (2012) So maybe you can’t also be the Fastest Man on Earth, but you certainly can mimic his Greek mythology victory pose!

SUBMITTED BY: Rick Broussard   LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nevada (2012) Chorus of the Gods?  Rick’s melodic enthusiasm has little effect on his stiff back-up singers! If you happen to be at Caesar’s Palace, home of one of Evel Knievel‘s most bonecrushing stunts, make sure you keep your wife away from their flirtatious guards. (Rick Broussard, [...]

SUBMITTED BY: Ellie and Michael Mirman   LOCATION: Tel Arshaf (Tel Aviv), Israel (2012) Tourist sites are equally guilty of romanticizing the Vikings, but these Crusaders seem more likely to want to swap recipes than slit your throats! For the benefit of our Tacky Tourist history buffs, here’s the scoop on the Crusader fort just outside [...]