9 NYC Tourist Traps To Avoid On A Visit To Times Square

Real New Yorkers tend to avoid Times Square like the plague. According to Times Square Billboard, the neon-lit destination gets 131 million visitors annually, from nations all over the world. That is around 360,000 people walking on the narrow sidewalks daily, stopping for prolonged periods to admire the lights and electric atmosphere. As you would expect, busy locals who need to go about their daily lives as efficiently as possible hate these crowds. Retailers and businesses in the area do not agree.

For them, the more traffic the destination gets, the more profit they can make from visitors excited to experience the famous area. Some of these businesses may even offer good value. However, many are exorbitantly overpriced, a major characteristic of tourist traps, historically known to squeeze the most profit from as many unsuspecting visitors as possible while delivering mediocre value. The result is a slew of disappointed visitors who ranked Times Square the top tourist trap in the world in a study by Preply, calling it names like "underwhelming" and "overrated."

While many of Times Square's tourist traps fall under the overpriced umbrella, others are best avoided for other reasons. Some are generic and unrepresentative of local culture or history. Some are traps because visitors typically feel disappointed after seeing them. One exception is "Midnight Moment," one of the world's longest-running digital art shows, but this isn't the only Times Square attraction worth seeing. All it takes is a bit of research for visitors to find which attractions are tourist traps and which ones are worth both your time and money. Using our personal experience and data from travel forums and travel boards, we've come up with a list of disappointing attractions to avoid — with suggestions on what to do instead.

You won't find this attraction among the other institutions on Museum Mile in the Upper East Side. That area is reserved for icons like The Met, with its artworks numbered in the millions, and the iconic Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The Museum of Broadway is instead nestled among the theaters of Theater District in Times Square, next to the historic Lyceum Theater, with the famous Minskoff Theater being just one block away. It promises to engage visitors with exhibits on the history of Broadway productions, practical insights into the making of a play, and costumes from past shows.

While it partially delivers on this promise, the museum's hefty ticket prices and small size make it disappointing for many. The whole experience is can take anywhere between 90 minutes and four hours (depending on your interest). With tickets ranging from about $49 for general admission to about $57 for flexible admission, the cost of entry to Museum of Broadway is mismatched with the value visitors get from the smaller exhibits. As one visitor on Reddit explained: "MoMA and the Met don't even cost that much. Never mind, I get the somewhat negative views if $40 gets maybe an hour's experience. I'm from DC, I can't get behind a museum that costs that much unless it really has upper-tier level of stuff."

The Redditor is on to something. When a visitor can spend a whole day enjoying millions of art works for an admission of $30 in a famous museum like The Met, it isn't difficult to see why visitors perceive the more expensive Museum of Broadway as a tourist trap. Our recommendation? See the Theater Collection at the Museum of the City of New York, where many other exhibits on NYC's history can be enjoyed for $23.

With five locations across the U.S. and collections promising realistic-looking wax figures, Madame Tussauds is catnip for pop culture fanatics. Wax-constructed celebrities on show include Hollywood stars, musicians, politicians, and other notable figures. The museum also encourages cameras, leading visitors to believe they'll get photos that appear as if they actually met their favorite celebrities. Of course, visitors in our research consistently agreed the museum didn't live up this hype.

The museum was consistently criticized for exhibiting unrealistic figures that didn't warrant the expensive ticket prices. One visitor had experienced unrealistic-looking celebrities in the London branch, and so wouldn't recommend New York City's on Reddit, saying "If Madame Tussauds is anything like the one in London ... skip it. Expensive and will contain several exhibits where the people don't look anything like the real person." Another visitor criticized Times Square's museum specifically on Tripadvisor, saying, "The quality of the wax statues varied from excellent reproductions to such poor images that one would not recognize the person."

It turns out both New York City and London have high numbers of unrealistic figures. The NY Daily News documents the worst wax figures in Madame Tussauds and both cities had among the highest numbers. There was even a viral uproar on social media in 2017 when Beyonce's figure in Times Square looked nothing like her. Visitors also think that Madame Tussauds museums are tourist traps as they do not each offer a unique experience. One visitor on Reddit summed it up perfectly by saying, "Madame Tussauds is the same in every touristy city on Earth and it's equally awful in all of them." We recommend visiting one of these underrated NYC museums instead.

The existence of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits prove that chain restaurants can serve delicious food. When combined with their more affordable prices, the restaurants are a good choice for budget eats that hit the spot. However, if prices start to skyrocket, diners have shown that they prefer eating at home to indulging in either fast food or chain restaurants, according to CNN. But when you're a budget traveler staying in a cramped NYC hotel room, you may not have a choice but to eat out.

Visitors who dine in one of the chains in Times Square sometimes leave disappointed. Most complain that the restaurants serve food that is lower quality than meals served in their home locations, all while being more expensive. One diner on Yelp said about the Times Square's Applebees, "For starters the service sucks ... The food was mediocre at best. They definitely charge WAY TOO MUCH for what you get. $20+ for a chicken tender platter is wild. Where I'm from (also in NY) it's about $15 at most."

Another visitor on Yelp agreed that prices were highly inflated and "touristy," saying the restaurant was "conveniently located but forgot about the inflated Times Square tourist prices ... food was basic ... and much more expensive." The tourist trap of restaurants charging premium prices and delivering lower than average meals isn't unique to Times Square. Inflated prices are just one sign that a restaurant is likely a tourist trap in NYC and worldwide. We also recommend completely avoiding the national chains and heading to some of Times Square's better restaurants that also have good prices. Local favorite Los Tacos No. 1 is good for high-quality, affordable Mexican, and John's Pizzeria is a great option for classic, New York Style pizza.

You can't walk a block in Times Square without someone offering "discounted' tickets" to a show. You get approached while admiring the neon lights around Times Square, and the stranger promises they can sell you a highly discounted ticket to see (insert a famous comedian), who will be at one of the comedy clubs around the area. You pay, excited to see a celebrity comedian.

But don't expect that big name comedian to perform when you get to the venue. The ticket is usually legitimate, it's the experience you were sold that is a scam — one that may be overpriced for the quality of comedy you end of getting. Here's one Redditor's experience with the tourist trap: "Fell for this scam in high school multiple times ... in the sense of expecting one of the big named comics they name dropped ... if you want good comedy, go to the cellar."

There are better options for visitors wanting to see good stand-up comedy — but you will have to head downtown and out of Times Square. Having lived in NYC for more than a decade, I can wholeheartedly recommend Comedy Cellar near Washington Square Park. It has such high-tier comedy because established comedians often use the club to test out their new material before heading out on their expensive tours. This means visitors get expert-level comedy at non-expert prices. Its long history with the biggest names also means audiences have a chance to get an impromptu performance from a celebrity at any time. This was the case in 2015, when Jon Stewart just showed up and decided to perform. At a cost of $18 to $25 (plus a two-drink minimum), the club is well worth it.

Times Square has a plethora of souvenir shops that are basically interchangeable and rarely sell unique souvenirs that can't be found at other souvenir shops in the city (at a cheaper price). The destination isn't known for offering keepsakes that are culturally relevant or uniquely reflective of New York City. So, when travelers shop in one of these Times Square establishments, they often feel like they're shopping in a tourist trap designed only for out-of-towners and not to giving an authentic taste of the city.

To illustrate, we surveyed two Times Square souvenir stores with websites: Grand Slam New York and NY Gift Loft. We found they both had the same or very similar mass-produced merchandise on sale, with "I Love NY" t-shirts and mugs being prevalent. There was nothing unique or locally-made, but visitors who just want a T-shirt to show they've gone to the Big Apple once won't mind these touristy items.

For those looking to purchase something more representative of the city, we recommend getting a unique souvenir that's locally-crafted in NYC from Exit9, a locally-owned gift store with strong ties to creative designers in the city. Shopping in the gift shop of your favorite attraction in NYC is another idea. For example, the New York Transit Museum has subway train replicas and Grand Central Terminal themed souvenirs that you won't find in any Times Square store. And the Museum of the City of New York has nice NYC coffee table books and other souvenirs you won't find anywhere else. If you don't necessarily want a souvenir emblazoned with NYC iconography on it, you can still have a uniquely New York shopping experience by visiting the world-famous shopping spectacle that is Fifth Avenue as well.

Dave and Buster's is supposed to be the place to visit for good food and games. Visitors can watch sports on big screens, play the latest arcade games, and order eats and drinks from a long menu. The Times Square branch of the eatery regularly offers discount deals like, promotions pairing food and games for one price and half-price days. But visitors don't always get what they expect. Many complain about the quality of the food and service for the price paid, and some complain that the deals don't pan out as games are overpriced and sometimes do not work.

On some review sites, visitors overwhelmingly hated the service and overpriced food. One visitor on Yelp said that the "food and services were terrible. Never again." Another patron on Yelp was even more detailed, saying, "I definitely would not recommend the food here. The burger we ordered was extremely salty ... the truffle fries that came with it was also very salty and soggy. The tenders we got were not crispy."

From these reviews, it seems Dave and Buster's is another tourist trap restaurant with overpriced food that is subpar once delivered to the table. But that's not the only issue with the attraction. Visitors also complained that deals weren't as advertised and games were overpriced, One patron said on Tripadvisor: "After getting to the game floor, it was just ridiculously priced and none of us ended up having a good time." Instead of overpaying for a subpar experience, visitors who want some exhilarating fun may want to head to the nearby Spygames to indulge their spy fantasies in a fun, interactive setting.

In Times Square, anything can happen, and any character can pop up at any time. Among the sights you may see are costumed characters dressed like popular personalities from Disney and other kids' favorites. But don't mistake Times Square for Disney. At Disney World, at least, the smiling characters are happy to take photos with your family for free because it's part of the job (unless you order the amusement park's photo pass service). In Times Square, there is no such luck.

If you see a costumed character smiling charmingly or waving at your kids, they are simply trying to entice them into wanting to take a photo. Once you fall for the trap and snap a photo, you are on the hook to pay the character. Unlike Disney, where there is no pressure and the atmosphere is pleasant and fairy-tale like, these characters are New York tough and won't let you get away without paying. In fact, in a much publicized incident, one costumed character chased a visitor who refused to pay (via New York Post).

If you don't want to pay the $10 to $50 they usually demand, take advice from this user on Reddit: "My tip is don't engage with anyone — they'll want money, be it for a photo of a Disney costume or a blank CD that someone tries to thrust in your hand. Try to walk with purpose, be assertive but not rude."

Times Square brings in 15% of New York City's revenue while taking up only 0.1% of New York City's total land area. With such high revenue at stake, it's not surprising that Time Square would be peddled as a "must see" destination when visiting New York City. But for all its hype, visitors still tend to leave disappointed. In fact, in addition to the aforementioned Preply study, a second study from LoveExploring.com found Times Square to be America's worst tourist trap, thanks to unrelenting crowds and poor quality gift shops.

Both studies echo what we found in our research. The destination may draw people with its larger-than-life reputation, but once they get there, many visitors find the area to be a madhouse of packed bodies, flashing lights, and overpriced shops and attractions. One Redditor summed up the destination by saying, "Between dodging the masses of tourists, street performers, and scammers, [Times Square] quickly loses its charm."

The one exception is the Theatre District, which Times Square is part of. The district is far from a tourist trap. An integral part of New York culture that has been serving up entertaining shows for more than a century, the Theatre District is a local favorite and home to such legendary shows as "Wicked," "Hamilton," and "Chicago." While Times Square itself may be a tourist trap, we highly recommend seeing a play or musical here on a first (or hundredth!) visit to New York City.

New York City's New Year's Eve Ball Drop has been around since 1907. At that time, the ball was adorned with lightbulbs instead of the LED lights and crystals which cover today's glitzy ball. Its sensationalized reputation draws about 1 million people to the streets of Times Square to watch the yearly tradition, and over a billion more watch from the warmth of their homes. But the actual experience of the event is anything but glamorous, prompting many visitors to call it "overrated."

The unpleasantness starts with visitors being packed into a small area with all the other attendees. In my experience, visitors would need to arrive as early as 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. to get a spot to see the ball drop 16 hours later at midnight. That wouldn't be so uncomfortable if leaving was allowed. But strict security rules and the logistics of the setup make it impossible to leave and return to your spot (including leaving to use the bathroom). Many visitors actually wear adult diapers to get through the ordeal.

One user on Reddit said, "You want to stand outside in the cold wearing adults diapers for hours while squeezed on all sides by other humans just to watch a ball?" If it's in your budget, and you want to avoid this discomfort, we recommend shelling out for a spot in any of the other places with views of the area the ball drops from. Visitors on a budget may want to experience the ball drop virtually at this immersive adventure in the heart of New York City.

Experience from living in New York City for more than 10 years, along with scouring through travel blogs, forums, and visitor reviews on websites like Tripadvisor, Reddit, and Yelp was the first part of our research process. At this stage, attractions that disappointed visitors or got many unfavorable reviews were put into a list. Once we had our list, we looked at definitions of what a tourist trap was to see which attractions fit the definition. This final list is the result of that process.