Popular Montana Attraction Named ‘Worst Tourist Trap’ in America

Growing up, I spent many hours in the backseat of the car on our regular family visits to Nebraska. For much of my life, I have stared out the window at the seemingly endless billboards advertising the one and only Wall Drug in South Dakota.

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You have seen one of these billboards if you have been anywhere within 400 miles of the Black Hills. Advertisements are set up nearly every mile, displaying reasons for you to pull over and spend money in a dusty town on the side of I-90. With a souvenir shop the size of a shopping mall, your sure to find a trinket trucker hat to take home with you.

According to a recent study from Cheapism, most people who stop into Wall Drug say that it is "crowded, overpriced, and stupid." This has much to do with why Wall Drug made the list of "Worst Tourist Traps in America."

Cheapism took it upon themselves to find the "Worst Tourist Traps" in every state. Spending days reading travel blogs and reviews to uncover the worst in America.

Montana has a giant tourism industry. Tourism accounts for almost as much revenue for the state as livestock and agriculture. It is big business. Lots of money flows in and out of Montana every year thanks to tourism. This is why "tourist traps" are set up to try and siphon some of that cash.

After researching all the popular tourist stops in Montana, Cheapism concluded that the "50,000 Silver Dollar Bar" in Haugen, MT is the "Worst Tourist Trap."

The collection of silver dollars on display at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Haugan was started in 1952, and by now there are coins covering the walls, bar, and ceiling. There's also a family-run restaurant, a motel with free RV parking, a convenience store, casinos, and "Montana's largest gift shop." If you'd like to marvel at other people's money while spending your own, this is the tourist trap for you.

Stopping at 50,000 Silber Doallr Bar has become a tradition for me and my friends, whenever we make a trip to Spokane or CDA. And just about every trip somehow involves someone buying a sword or nunchucks from the gift shop.

I wouldn't call 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar a tourist trap. I think of it more as an essential stop for my mental health.