The birthplace of American democracy has perfected the distinctly undemocratic practice of charging outrageous fees for mediocre experiences.
I made a classic mistake assuming that states with rich histories would offer proportionally rich value for tourist dollars.
Virginia’s attraction operators apparently studied colonial taxation methods and decided King George III wasn’t ambitious enough.
The Commonwealth has achieved the impressive feat of making visitors nostalgic for reasonable 18th-century tax rates.
1. Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg charges up to $110 per day ticket.
The experience forces visitors through endless gift shops disguised as historical buildings.
Many attractions remain closed without warning.
The 18th-century charm gets overshadowed by aggressive commercialization and overpriced tavern meals.
2. Virginia Beach Boardwalk
The 3-mile concrete boardwalk attracts over 12 million visitors yearly.
Parking costs are outrageous and finding a spot becomes a nightmare during peak season.
Holiday light displays charge $30 per car on weekends.
The crowds make simple walking impossible, and the concrete surface lacks the charm of traditional wooden boardwalks.
Why It’s On This List: Visitors complain about chaotic parking situations, unwieldy summer crowds, and expensive holiday events that cost $30 just to drive through light displays.
3. Natural Bridge
This 215-foot limestone arch charges $15 per adult just to see a rock formation.
The former private attraction became a state park but still feels like a tourist trap.
The gift shop dominates the entrance experience.
The walking trail is short and doesn’t justify the admission price for a quick glimpse of the bridge.
Why It’s On This List: Visitors must walk through a massive gift shop to reach the attraction, and many feel the $15 admission fee is excessive for what amounts to a 10-minute viewing experience.
4. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Single-day tickets reach $115 during peak times.
The park adds a mandatory 5% service charge to every purchase, including food and souvenirs.
Parking alone costs $30, and Fast Lane passes cost 2.5 times more than competing parks.
The beautiful theming can’t justify the Disney-level prices without Disney-level service.
5. Luray Caverns
Adult admission costs $28 just for the underground tour.
The experience includes forced stops for expensive photo opportunities throughout the cave system.
The complex surrounds visitors with additional paid attractions like garden mazes and museums.
What should be a natural wonder becomes a calculated money-extraction operation.
6. Jamestown Settlement
This recreation charges $19.95 per adult to see replica buildings and costumed interpreters.
The experience feels artificial compared to the actual Historic Jamestowne site nearby.
The gift shop prices rival airport boutiques.
Many exhibits focus more on selling merchandise than providing educational value about America’s first permanent English settlement.
7. Mount Vernon
George Washington’s estate charges $28 per adult for basic admission.
The mansion tour lasts only 30 minutes despite the high entry fee.
Additional experiences, like the distillery tour, cost extra.
The grounds are beautiful, but the commercialization of America’s first president’s home feels excessive and disrespectful.
8. Virginia Safari Park
This drive-through zoo charges $19.95 per person plus $5 per car for feed bags. The animals look underfed and bored, constantly begging for food from vehicles.
The facility has faced animal welfare investigations.
Many animals show signs of stress from constant car traffic and inadequate care standards.
9. Virginia Beach Neptune Festival
This annual September festival creates massive overcrowding along the oceanfront. Hotel prices triple during the event weekend, often exceeding $300 per night.
The free entertainment gets overwhelmed by crowds exceeding 500,000 people.
Traffic jams can last for hours, and finding parking becomes nearly impossible.
10. Monticello
Thomas Jefferson’s home charges $29 per adult for house tours.
The experience feels rushed, with large groups shuffled through rooms quickly.
The gift shop prices are astronomical, selling simple souvenirs for three times the normal retail cost.
The historical significance gets overshadowed by aggressive commercialization efforts.
Why It’s On This List: At $29 per person for a hurried group tour, visitors spend more time being directed through gift shops than learning about Jefferson’s architectural innovations and historical contributions.
11. Virginia Aquarium & Science Center
This Virginia Beach attraction charges $24.95 per adult for what amounts to a small regional aquarium.
The exhibits look dated compared to major aquariums in other cities.
The shark tunnel is disappointingly short.
Many tanks appear understocked, and the interactive exhibits often break down without being repaired promptly.
Why It’s On This List: At nearly $25 per person, families pay premium prices for an aquarium that feels more like a roadside attraction than a world-class marine facility.
12. Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Richmond’s Poe Museum charges $8 per adult to see artifacts in a building where Poe never actually lived.
The exhibits feel sparse and poorly maintained for the admission price.
The museum consists of only four small rooms.
Most displays are reproductions rather than authentic items, making the experience feel like a expensive historical gift shop.
Why It’s On This List: Visitors pay $8 to see mostly replica items in a building with no actual connection to Poe, while learning little beyond basic biographical information available online for free.
13. Maymont Park Mansion
While the grounds remain free, mansion tours cost $12 per adult.
The Victorian home feels over-commercialized with aggressive gift shop placement throughout the building.
Tours get rushed through rooms with large groups.
The historical significance gets overshadowed by constant sales pitches for overpriced Victorian-themed merchandise.
Why It’s On This List: The mansion charges $12 for rushed group tours that spend more time promoting expensive gift shop items than explaining the Dooley family’s historical importance to Richmond.
14. Dinosaur Land
This roadside attraction in White Post charges $6 per person to see fiberglass dinosaur statues. The models look cheap and poorly maintained, with peeling paint and broken parts.
The experience lasts about 15 minutes for most visitors. Children quickly lose interest in the static displays that lack any educational value or interactive elements.
Why It’s On This List: Families pay $24 for a group of four to walk through a field of deteriorating fiberglass dinosaurs that provide no educational content and minimal entertainment value.
15. Great Dismal Swamp Canal Trail
The visitor center charges for parking while providing minimal facilities. The trail itself lacks proper maintenance, with broken boardwalks and overgrown vegetation blocking views.
Mosquitoes and ticks make the experience miserable during warmer months. The promised wildlife viewing opportunities rarely materialize due to poor habitat management.
Why It’s On This List: Visitors pay parking fees to access poorly maintained trails plagued by insects, with minimal wildlife viewing opportunities and inadequate visitor facilities.
16. Chincoteague Pony Centre
This private facility charges $15 per adult just to see ponies in small paddocks. The famous wild ponies live on nearby Assateague Island, not at this commercial operation.
The gift shop dominates the experience more than actual pony interaction. Many visitors expect to see the legendary swimming ponies but find only domesticated horses in cramped enclosures.
Why It’s On This List: Tourists pay $15 expecting to see famous wild Chincoteague ponies, but instead find regular horses in small pens while being constantly directed to expensive souvenir shops.
17. Virginia Beach Fishing Pier
The pier charges $12 just to walk on it, plus additional fees for fishing licenses and equipment rental. The structure feels overcrowded and poorly maintained during peak season.
Fishing success rates remain extremely low due to overfishing and poor water quality. Most visitors leave empty-handed after spending $50+ on fees and equipment.
Why It’s On This List: Visitors pay $12 just for pier access, then additional fees for fishing that rarely produces catches, making it an expensive way to stand on a crowded wooden platform.
18. Foamhenge
This Styrofoam replica of Stonehenge charges $5 per car to see foam blocks arranged in a field. The attraction lacks any historical or educational significance beyond novelty photos.
The foam deteriorates visibly from weather exposure. What starts as quirky roadside art becomes depressing when visitors realize they paid money to see trash in a field.
Why It’s On This List: Families pay $5 to photograph deteriorating foam blocks that provide no historical, educational, or entertainment value beyond a few Instagram photos.
19. Presidents Park Williamsburg
This abandoned attraction featured giant presidential busts that now decay in a private field. While technically closed, tour companies still charge $25 to view the deteriorating sculptures.
The busts show severe weather damage with cracked faces and missing pieces. The “educational” experience amounts to looking at rotting fiberglass heads while guides make up historical facts.
Why It’s On This List: Tour operators charge $25 to view abandoned, deteriorating presidential sculptures on private property while providing questionable historical information about the defunct attraction.
20. First Landing State Park Beach Access, Virginia
This Virginia Beach area state park charges $10 per vehicle for parking plus additional fees for beach access during peak season. The beach remains overcrowded despite the fees, with limited facilities for the cost.
Parking fills up quickly, forcing visitors to park illegally and risk tickets. The promised “natural beauty” gets overshadowed by crowds, noise, and insufficient restroom facilities for the number of visitors.
Why It’s On This List: Families pay $10 just to park, then face overcrowded beaches with inadequate facilities, while illegal parking creates safety hazards and expensive tickets for desperate visitors.