Oh the good old days. It seems like every day we are hearing that phrase as grandparents share some of the amazing and epic things they got to see and do, leaving us seething with jealousy. Unfortunately, this list of breathtaking tourist attractions won’t subside that jealousy. Take a look back at the “good old days” of travel, and see all the spots that no longer exist.
Statue of Liberty Torch
Visiting the Statue of Liberty while in New York City is basically a right of passage. If a person goes on a family vacation to the Big Apple and does not board the ferry boat and get one of those pointy, green, foam Liberty hats, did the visit to NYC ever really happen?
And for the families that are unafraid of heights, the option to climb all the way up to view the Manhattan skyline from Lady Liberty’s crown is a hard opportunity to pass up. So just imagine the sprawling views from her torch! Unfortunately, for now we’ll just have to imagine the views, because the climb to the torch has been labeled too dangerous for tourists since 1916.
The Azure Window
For anyone who might not have seen the Malta’s Azure Window gracing the digital pages of paradise destination travel blog, or on seemingly-endless Instagram feeds of so-called “influencers,” they might recognize this beautiful rock formation from its brief featuring on HBO’s Game of Thrones. And it’s a good thing that the captivating limestone arch was captured on film before it disappeared forever.
After withstanding hundreds of storms throughout the years, it took one storm in March 2017 for one of the world’s most beautiful tourist attractions to come crashing down. But while Mother Nature herself was responsible for taking away this incredible landmark, some of the other bygone tourist attractions on this list met a much more shocking demise.
Kaimu Beach
Kaimu Beach in Hawaii may be more popularly known as one of the island state’s world-renowned black sand beaches. The surprising and almost otherworldly sight of a beach covered in black sand instead of the usual glowing beige attracted thousands of tourists until 1990. Then, it all went up in flames. Literally.
In the early 1990s, while tourism was erupting, so was something else, specifically the legendary Kilauea Volcano. Lava from the eruption left Kaimu Beach and nearby town Kalapana buried under 50 feet of lava. Locals have been able to rebuild the town, but unfortunately the beach did not survive the devastation.
Wedding Cake Rock
Sometimes a wedding cake means a walk down the aisle. But for this wedding cake, getting to it means going on a bit of a more strenuous journey. Still, for the views that Wedding Cake Rock in Australia had to offer, the hike was worth it for thousands of thrill-seeking tourists.
Named for its tiers of glistening white sandstone rock, Wedding Cake Rock became increasingly popular as tourists shared their jaw dropping photos on social media. To avoid any future hikers harming themselves, officials installed a fence in 2015 to block entrance to the jetting perch. But it is still worth going to see now, since experts say it could all come crumbling down within the next 10 years.
AstroWorld
Six Flags AstroWorld, or just AstroWorld for short, was an essential part of childhood for many of the kids who grew up in the Houston, Texas, area. The sprawling theme park, which covered 104 acres of land, even included a water park. But after 37 years in operation, the rides all came to a halt.
In 2005, Six Flags announced that they would tear down the location, and in 2006 it was completely demolished. But the theme park still lives on in the minds of some of its biggest fans. For example, Houston-born rapper Travis Scott just named his latest album after the beloved park. That’s certainly one way for a theme park to face the music.
Guaira Falls
For any tourists chasing waterfalls, Guaira Falls was once an incredible option. Situated on the border of Paraguay and Brazil, the breathtaking waterfalls were among the strongest on earth. They pushed out an estimated 13 million gallons of water every second and could reportedly be heard from 20 miles away, or so we hear.
That all changed in 1982, when suddenly the waterfall dried up. It seems that even the strongest cascades were no match for man-made construction, because the newly-constructed Itaipu Dam blocked off the falls’ water source. Although readily visible, the falls technically exist somewhere, if you can find them under a massive lake.
Love Lock Bridge
There are a lot of ways to express love. Some people are gift givers, others prefer words of affirmation. But there are, apparently, a whole lot of couples who prefer to communicate their undying love by writing it on a lock at attaching it to a bridge over the River Seine in Paris.
Over time, the Pont des Arts Bridge amassed 700,000 locks and, while it was cool to look at, officials worried that the 45 tons added to the bridge from all those locks would ultimately collapse the entire thing. In 2015, city workers cut down the love locks due to unhappy locals who had complained for years. Nowadays, starry-eyed couples will have to find a new way to say “I love you” in the City of Lights.
Chacaltaya Glacier
For decades it was one of the best places to ski in the world. Then one day, it was gone. The Chacaltaya Glacier, in its glory days, was one of the highest glaciers on the planet and attracted thousands for skiing and snowboarding. But then all that history just melted away.
The 18,000 year old glacier in Bolivia began to noticeably change starting in the 1980s, and from that point on it kept deteriorating. By 2009, the entire glacier was gone, and as it washed away as did the tourism to the area. The bygone tourist site now hosts a research observatory and some abandoned ski resorts.
Disney’s Discovery Island
For anyone taking a look at the official map of Disney World in Florida, they might notice a large green island that appears to host absolutely nothing on it. The mysterious island now has no way for tourists or even park employees to get to it. But once upon a time, that very island hosted its own piece of Disney World known as Disney’s Discovery Island.
The bygone tourist site that once hosted tropical animals and birds was abandoned in 1999 and the animals were moved over to Animal Kingdom in the same park. For now, no one really goes onto the island, and we imagine the site is actually pretty creepy. But who knows, maybe one day Disney will find a new use for the island property.
Tree of Ténéré
The Tree of Ténéré was at one point considered the most isolated tree in the world. The beautiful tree was smack in the middle of the Sahara desert and had been used as a landmark by traveling caravans for centuries. The tree’s existence goes back to a time when the Sahara desert was much more livable.
The tree met its lonely end when an intoxicated truck driver from Libya ran him down. The remains of the desert enigma were taken to the Niger National Museum and they remain their till this day. As a form of tribute, a metal pole has been placed near the location where the tree once stood. The new loneliest tree in the world is a spruce in New Zealand.
Old Man of the Mountain
New Hampshire’s White Mountains were famous for having the outcropping of a face on the mountainside. It was nicknamed the Old Man of the Mountain. For decades, it was one of the state’s biggest tourist attractions and was even described by the US politician Daniel Webster as being a sign from God.
He was quoted as saying the following about the Old Man of the Mountain, “ In the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.” Sadly, the face no longer exist. In 2003, the old man’s face cracked and slid off the side of the mountain. Locals were so down trout over losing the face that they placed flowers at the mountain’s base.
Caves of Altamira, Spain
Like the Lascaux paintings in France, these charcoal paintings date back over 14,000 years. They’re a fantastic place for any history buff to visit. One of the caves even features a painting from over 35,000 years ago! Their preservation is nearly mind-boggling.
Unfortunately, it turns out that having tons of tourists panting excitedly around the ancient paintings was degrading the materials. They didn’t have modern, durable paints to use, after all. The caves were officially closed in 2002, although there is a replica nearby that interested tourists can still visit.
Plymouth, Montserrat, Britain
This town was once a big draw in the Caribbean where tourists could enjoy some fun in the sun. However, in 1997 everyone was forced to evacuate when volcanic activity threatened the population. It’s a good thing they did; the entire town was buried beneath hot lava.
You’d think that they could come back in once the volcano had finished, but the volcano had other ideas. To this day, it continues to bubble and threaten another massive eruption. Although people are allowed on the island, the majority of Plymouth is off-limits just in case.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon is located in Iceland, and gained famed thanks to HBO’s smash hit series Game of Thrones as well as in a Justin Bieber music video. It is quite a stunning site: lush green stretches, vertical face cliffs, and clean, rushing water. Tourists began flocking to the incredible landscape in droves.
Iceland’s chief environmental agency reported that over a million people visited the landmark since 2015.
Because the stampede was causing damage, Iceland banned tourists from visiting in May of 2019.
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