Tourist questions

[wmtire]

Who Says There's No Such Thing As a Stupid Question? These are questions that people actually asked of Park Rangers around the country. (Source: Outside Magazine, May 1995, pp. 120-121)

Grand Canyon National Park -------------------------------------
Was this man-made?
Do you light it up at night?
I bought tickets for the elevator to the bottom -- where is it?
Is the mule train air conditioned?
So where are the faces of the presidents?

Everglades National Park -------------------------------
Are the alligators real?
Are the baby alligators for sale?
Where are all the rides?
What time does the two o'clock bus leave?

Denali National Park (Alaska) ----------------------------------
What time do you feed the bears?
Can you show me where the yeti lives?
How often do you mow the tundra?
How much does Mount McKinley weigh?

Mesa Verde National Park ---------------------------------
Did people build this, or did Indians?
Why did they build the ruins so close to the road?
What did they worship in the kivas -- their own made-up religion?
Do you know of any undiscovered ruins?
Why did the Indians decide to live in Colorado?

Carlsbad Caverns National Park----------------------------
How much of the cave is underground?
So what's in the unexplored part of the cave?
Does it ever rain in here?
How many Ping-Pong balls would it take to fill this up?
So what is this -- just a hole in the ground?

Yosemite National Park -------------------------------
Where are the cages for the animals?
What time do you turn on Yosemite Falls?
Can I get my picture taken with the carving of President Clinton?

Yellowstone National Park ---------------------------------
Does Old Faithful erupt at night?
How do you turn it on?
When does the guy who turns it on get to sleep?
We had no trouble finding the park entrances, but where are the exits?

[dcheatwood]

Can I add one,? Wife asked me in Canada last year, while looking out the motel with down at Niagara Falls, I wonder if they turn the water off at night. Went to sleep that night still laughing. Awoke early the next morning to see barely a trickle of water going over the falls. She shouted, I told you! They turned the water off! Soon found out they divert the water at night to generate electricity. Felt very tiny. No dumb questions. Lol

[wrapperman]

I have one for y'all.

A few years ago I told my wife I would like to take her and our son to Hawaii. She said she would love to go but on one condition. That the flight has to be a NON-STOP flight, in which I agreed.
The plane we took was a very large plane and we were one of the first passengers to board and took our seat toward the front. After about fifteen minutes of people boarding and passing us my wife looked at me straight in my eyes and said "Bob, are all the people going to Hawaii"?
I replied "Nope, some have parachutes and they will jump when we fly over Las Angeles" "Here's your sign".
She didn't think that was funny.
My son and I still laugh at her comment!

[RamblerGuy]

A friend worked at Grand Tetons National Park. She heard these gems:

Where do they put the animals at night?

Who does the landscaping?

[ependydad]

I was a kayak guide and can't tell you the number of times I was asked if the lake, in Maryland, had alligators in it. Kids and adults did it.

Other than that, I had some fun with explaining to people that we paid the Great Blue Herons to show up during our paddles.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I was a kayak guide and can't tell you the number of times I was asked if the lake, in Maryland, had alligators in it. Kids and adults did it.

Down here in Louisiana, it's assumed all bodies of fresh water can have alligators in it. That includes bathtubs, kiddie pools and bird feeders.

[JoeMazz]

When I worked at Disney, this was an everyday question from guests:
"What time does the 3 o'clock parade start?"

[caper]

I work of a tour boat in the 1000 Islands region of Ontario. The Islands are located in the St. Lawrence River. It is a one hour tour. Some questions I have been asked.
How long will the One hour tour take?
Will we be dropped back off at the bus or do we have to walk back?
Are there really 1000 Islands? the answer is 1864 islands.
Is this the real St. Lawrence river?
How large is this lake?
My favorite is "are here sharks in the water here" We are over 600 miles away from the ocean.

[dcheatwood]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Down here in Louisiana, it's assumed all bodies of fresh water can have alligators in it. That includes bathtubs, kiddie pools and bird feeders.

Don't they? Lol

[BamaBob]

Living in Germany can have its humorous moments.

We were in the Tourist Information Center close to the Train Station in Stuttgart, Germany (where we lived for almost 4 years).

I overheard a guy asking a clerk for street map of the city--in English.

The clerk gave him a city guide with English translations of Points Of Interest. He opened the book and saw the fold out 'Stadtplan' (means 'City Map' in German).

He said 'I want one in English!'

But the street names are all German.' replied the assistant.

'OK FINE' replied the American - "where can I get a map with ENGLISH street names -how can I find my way around town?! I don't read German!"

HooooBOY...

I started to say something...then just smiled at the clerk, spoke a few quiet words of apology for stupid Americans in German and went on about my way