The Wildly Famous And Unusual Michigan Attraction That Was Named The State's Biggest Tourist Trap

If you're a person who is into kitschy things, you probably love American roadside stops and attractions like the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum in Ohio, the giant dinosaur statues in California, or the World's Largest Fire Hydrant in South Carolina. A lot of them out there are tons of fun. You could pay a visit to Carhenge, a Nebraska recreation of the famous ancient monument Stonehenge, or the adorable and giant Lucy the Elephant in New Jersey. However, some of these are less impressive and are considered by many to be tourist traps. 

One famous spot in Michigan has taken the title for the state's biggest tourist trap more than once, and that's the Mystery Spot in St. Ignace. According to the "story" of the Mystery Spot, 1950s surveyors discovered an area around 300 feet in diameter where their equipment started to do some odd things and they started to feel dizzy.

If you visit, you can walk through spaces that make it seem like gravity is all screwy, and see things like rubber balls seemingly rolling uphill. You may sit down in a chair and not be able to get out of it, take a tour, try a zipline, and even play mini-golf (which does seem odd if the gravity is off). Whether that's worth it to you or not comes down to your love of cheesy, silly things, and no one would blame you if you just adore them.

Tourist trap or not, many reviews on Tripadvisor are pretty positive, especially because they're not charging an arm and a leg for the experience. Even some of those who didn't love it seemed good-natured about it. One reviewer says, "We only did the tour, not the maze or zipline. Was it worth $10 each? Nope. Did we chuckle about how convoluted it is? 100% yep." 

About 26 miles from Cheboygan, the Mystery Spot's $10 fee (at the time of this writing) is probably worth it if you're on a road trip and eat this stuff up. A guided tour will let you experience optical illusions that make it seem like gravity is misbehaving. You may get lightheaded from the illusions because they trick the eyes. There is also a maze to walk through, as well as an 18-hole golf course; you can do both of those and the guided tour for around $15. You could also try out the site's two ziplines, and while those are a separate fee of around $20, it's not a bad way to pass the time and get some social media pics if you need to stretch your legs. 

There are also plenty of parking spaces and bathrooms, which make it worth it on a road trip. However, it's not open in the colder months, so it's worth checking the website before you go. While you're road-tripping through Michigan, you can also head south to Hell, Michigan, where you can pay to be mayor for the day.