Now that the weather is warming up, it's only a matter of time before tourism season hits again.

And as long as there have been visitors flocking to far away places, there has been an ongoing debate about which are the 'must see' stops and which are 'tourist traps'.

To identify which places are overcrowded and overhyped, vacation rental website Casago scoured through tens of thousands of reviews on TripAdvisor, looking specifically for the words ‘tourist trap’.

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In the Tri-State (South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota) area, one attraction scored extremely high on the 'tourist trap' index.

Wall Drug
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The label was slapped on western South Dakota's iconic Wall Drug 1,049 times, which makes it the world's number-two biggest 'tourist trap' behind only San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf (1,050).

That hasn't hurt business much. More than two million visitors stop in each year to grab their free water and cheap coffee and doughnuts.

Wall Drug has been around since December 1931.

Antique Archeology - Le Claire IA
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Iowa's leading 'tourist trap' is a relative newcomer.

Antique Archeology, in Le Claire, is the home base for collectible pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, who made a name for themselves on the reality show American Pickers, which debuted in 2010.

It had 34 'tourist trap' mentions on TripAdvisor.

Mall of America - Bloomington MN
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In Minnesota, one of the state's most popular destinations is also considered its biggest 'tourist trap'.

Mall of America, in Bloomington, opened in 1992, and is still the largest mall in both the United States and the Western Hemisphere.

It attracts 42 million visitors each year.

It had 18 'tourist trap' mentions on TripAdvisor.

Other notable American places that made the list:

  • Times Square, New York City (661 mentions)
  • Navy Pier, Chicago (507 mentions)
  • Pike Place Market, Seattle (277 mentions)
  • Graceland, Memphis (202 mentions)
  • Gateway Arch, St. Louis (17 mentions)

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