Hi there, I’m excited to be back here at Fresh Fiction today celebrating my
release of DRESSED TO KILL, Book 4 of the Tourist Trap
Mystery series. And like my affection for dive bars, I adore the little
tourist trap towns that survive on the tourist trade from coast to coast.
Last year, we visited Deadwood, South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. Now they know
how to bring in visitors. You could visit a bear sanctuary, pan for gold, or even
learn about history while you drove up the winding road that eventually led you
to the historic site. Did I stop and get souvenirs? You, betcha! My favorite is
a glass frog that I got at a shop that sold Native American items.
Tourist traps, I love them. Here’s a few reasons why.
9. It’s a great place to refresh your wardrobe. Nothing says USA like a
bright yellow Yellowstone zip up hoodie. My favorite for sitting around a
campfire.
8. You can do your Christmas shopping early. Every shop we visited last
year had Christmas themed items, especially, tree ornaments. Nothing says
Christmas like the young Elvis Presley smiling back at you from a singing ball.
Or a bear holding up a holiday greeting sign.
7. If you’re traveling with young ones, you can get new toys, coloring books,
puzzles to help pass the time. Just don’t leave the crayons on the back seat
when you lock up the car. When those puppies melt, you’ve got a mess on your
hands. And it decreases the value of your trade in.
6. It’s a great place to make the driver stop. My husband is a get in the
car and go kind of driver. We’ve made it from Illinois to Idaho in just over a
day. The good news is he’s a sucker for souvenirs, in fact, he’s looking for a
pair of authentic moccasins, so if you find some, let me know.
5. Typically, there’s a lot of history in the places. Driving through Kansas, I
found several Pony Express stops, right off the main road. Which got my mind
wandering. The Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois is a great place to spend a
day or an afternoon. So much stuff they don’t teach you in sophomore history. (Or
I’ve forgotten.)
4. You can show off your vacation photos on Facebook. Even if they’re
taken from the car as you whizzed past.
3. They're an easy place to pick up collectibles. I’ve got a bag of
antique (now – LOL) Beanie Babies I picked up while walking through tourist
towns.
2. You can visit other countries without carrying a passport. I loved
visiting Seattle’s World Fair exhibit with all the international shops. It’s a
great place to check out your heritage.
And the #1 reason to visit a tourist trap? It’s fun. As I’m writing the
series, I love walking through the streets of South Cove and checking on my old
friends. It may be a virtual vacation, but sometimes in this busy world, virtual
is better than no vacation at all.
So what about you? Do you love visiting tourist traps? Are your china cabinet
shelves lined with shot glasses, one from every state? Or are you a spoon
collector like me? My son even brought me back spoons from Europe when he took
his senior French class trip.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an
Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her
mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town
life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the
Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her
husband and two fur babies.
Website | Facebook |
Goodreads | Twitter
Jill Gardner—owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the tucked-away town of South
Cove, California—is not particularly thrilled to be portraying a twenties flapper
for the dinner theater murder mystery. Though it is for charity…
Of course everyone is expecting a “dead” body at the dress rehearsal…but this one
isn’t acting! It turns out the main suspect is the late actor’s conniving
girlfriend Sherry…who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill’s main squeeze.
Sherry is definitely a master manipulator…but is she a killer? Jill may discover
the truth only when the curtain comes up on the final act…and by then, it may be
far too late.
No comments posted.