<story><title>America’s favorite family outings are increasingly out of reach</title><url>https://thehustle.co/americas-favorite-family-outings-are-increasingly-out-of-reach/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dylan604</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m sorry, but I&amp;#x27;ve been to the State Fair and comparing it as a Disney alternative is kind of a joke. State Fairs are glorified carnivals, and probably hire some actual carnys for the month they are open. To compare that to the rides at Disney is really a stretch. You could have at least suggested Six Flags like amusement park instead.&lt;p&gt;Your other points I&amp;#x27;ll agree with. State Fairs-&amp;gt;Disney was just too much of a stretch for me to accept.</text></item><item><author>aaronax</author><text>I think everything is just generally &amp;quot;nicer&amp;quot;. Stadium seats are cushier, parking lots are paved instead of gravel, sidewalks are a lot wider, more air-conditioned spaces, better food availability, etc.&lt;p&gt;And people expect more exciting and high quality things now, because they have seen a lot (comparably). Someone growing up in the 1930s wasn&amp;#x27;t able to hop on the interstate and go 300 miles away for the weekend. Those growing up in the 80s were more apt to do that sort of thing, and as mobility has increased, attractions (nicer ones) have been built out over the decades. Now that person who traveled to all sorts of attractions continues to seek out new things -&amp;gt; bigger and better of course. More $$$.&lt;p&gt;The basic, economical attractions are still there if you look. Just think smaller scale. Instead of national parks, go to state parks. Instead of Disney, go to the state fair. Instead of Broadway, find the local theater troupe. Instead of MLB&amp;#x2F;NFL, check out summer or arena leagues. Just because you read about an attraction that seems cool, is 1,500 miles away, and is the best of breed nationwide, doesn&amp;#x27;t mean you need to or even get to experience it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>woodruffw</author><text>I agree that it&amp;#x27;s an apples-to-oranges comparison, but maybe not in a way that casts Disney World in a positive light: it seems like the primary experience of Disney World is queueing for hours on rides that are references to things you already know, and paying a general &amp;quot;Disney tax&amp;quot; for being surrounded by familiar intellectual property. That&amp;#x27;s some people&amp;#x27;s thing, but it&amp;#x27;s not mine.&lt;p&gt;State and Country Fairs, on the other hand, are relatively diverse in their attractions: you can do the carnival stuff if you&amp;#x27;d like, or you can:&lt;p&gt;* Peruse your state&amp;#x27;s agricultural and crafts competitions&lt;p&gt;* Go to the livestock auctions&lt;p&gt;* See live music by local artists&lt;p&gt;* Go the the trade halls and look at&amp;#x2F;purchase goods by local businesspeople&lt;p&gt;* Attend the live performances and competitions (my favorite county fair[1] has tractor pulls and pig races)&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Dutchess_County_Fair&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Dutchess_County_Fair&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>America’s favorite family outings are increasingly out of reach</title><url>https://thehustle.co/americas-favorite-family-outings-are-increasingly-out-of-reach/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>dylan604</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m sorry, but I&amp;#x27;ve been to the State Fair and comparing it as a Disney alternative is kind of a joke. State Fairs are glorified carnivals, and probably hire some actual carnys for the month they are open. To compare that to the rides at Disney is really a stretch. You could have at least suggested Six Flags like amusement park instead.&lt;p&gt;Your other points I&amp;#x27;ll agree with. State Fairs-&amp;gt;Disney was just too much of a stretch for me to accept.</text></item><item><author>aaronax</author><text>I think everything is just generally &amp;quot;nicer&amp;quot;. Stadium seats are cushier, parking lots are paved instead of gravel, sidewalks are a lot wider, more air-conditioned spaces, better food availability, etc.&lt;p&gt;And people expect more exciting and high quality things now, because they have seen a lot (comparably). Someone growing up in the 1930s wasn&amp;#x27;t able to hop on the interstate and go 300 miles away for the weekend. Those growing up in the 80s were more apt to do that sort of thing, and as mobility has increased, attractions (nicer ones) have been built out over the decades. Now that person who traveled to all sorts of attractions continues to seek out new things -&amp;gt; bigger and better of course. More $$$.&lt;p&gt;The basic, economical attractions are still there if you look. Just think smaller scale. Instead of national parks, go to state parks. Instead of Disney, go to the state fair. Instead of Broadway, find the local theater troupe. Instead of MLB&amp;#x2F;NFL, check out summer or arena leagues. Just because you read about an attraction that seems cool, is 1,500 miles away, and is the best of breed nationwide, doesn&amp;#x27;t mean you need to or even get to experience it.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>nostrademons</author><text>Note that there&amp;#x27;s quality creep in any established institution.  Disneyland&amp;#x27;s attractions on opening day weren&amp;#x27;t all that different from a local carnival:&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;touringplans.com&amp;#x2F;disneyland&amp;#x2F;attractions&amp;#x2F;opening-dates&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;touringplans.com&amp;#x2F;disneyland&amp;#x2F;attractions&amp;#x2F;opening-date...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Favorites like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion didn&amp;#x27;t open until the late 1960s, a decade after the park did, and Space Mountain &amp;amp; Thunder Mountain didn&amp;#x27;t open until the late 1970s.</text></comment>