What tourist attraction was actually worth the hype (or even exceeded it)?

1. Walking into Diagon Alley at Universal Studios for the first time made me feel like I was actually there. I was 27 at the time, no other theme park has made me feel like a kid again, and I'm not even a super fan of Harry Potter, I just liked the movies. There really is so much attention to detail that it's worth every penny.
   — the_woot_shoot


2. I found Rome as a whole was stunning. The Coliseum in person left me in awe, the Vatican museums are incredible, and not to mention that so many beautiful churches and cathedrals get ignored just due to the sheer amount of them in the city. Also the ruins. Rome is incredible
   — futbolfan10


3. Alcatraz
   — old_gold_mountain






4. The Cliffs of Moher
   — ThunderFlash10


5. The Grand Canyon. Bill Bryson describes it (brilliantly, obviously) in one of his books and I couldn't believe that it could possibly be that magnificent. It turned out to be so spectacular that I'm pretty impressed with him for even trying to put it into words.
   — My2016Account


6. Devil's Tower in Wyoming. It was incredible to see it in person, especially being a fan of *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*!
   — emvogler






7. Tokyo Skytree. Some people prefer Tokyo Tower or just going up a really high business building, but there's something exhilarating about being up so high and getting a cool view from the cafe. Also, the nighttime view is fun.
   — punkyninja


8. Jasper/Banff parks - the whole area is just ridiculously photogenic.
   — fille_du_nord


9. Machu Picchu. Though it was many years ago and the only other people there that day were 4 archaeologists. Though Peru generally is a joy.
   — Verystormy






10. Stone Henge. While visiting London I took a day long bus tour of landmarks in England. One of the stops where we could get off was Stone Henge. I went into it with the mindset of “Yeah yeah, a bunch of organized rocks, let’s just get through this so we can move onto more interesting things.” I was absolutely blown away when we actually go there though. They were enormous compared to every picture of them you see. Really leaves you in awe when you think of people actually balancing the massive rocks on top of others.
    — ClavinColdidge


11. Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly. Easily one of the coolest places I've ever been. We wandered it for hours and learned so much, all while being the best kind of creeped out.
    — sleepyemoji


12. Hiroshima. Not exactly something to get "hyped" about, but something about being on those grounds, seeing the bomb blast dome, and just the overall ambience and feel of the place is something you won't easily forget.
    — dougiebgood






13. St. Peter's Basilica. The architecture of that whole building is breathtaking.
    — Sneaky_Dinosaur


14. The grand canyon really is breathtaking
    — poiuyt748


15. I mean, Pike’s Peak was literally breathtaking lol. But in all honesty, it was incredible. To be up that high and see that far was pretty cool. You look in one direction and you see the plains, look the other way and you see the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Absolutely amazing. 10/10 would go back.
    — Notorious1538