It might be more appropriate to refer to these hot family vacation spots as tourist traps.

The word tourist trap has negative meaning to some people. They purposely avoid these places.

But each one of these places has something that draws visitors to them. They are extremely popular. They have to be or they wouldn’t get stuck with the name “tourist trap”.

Here a few top tourist traps that I prefer to label as hot family vacation spots.

Who can resist the lure of the world's largest deep blue diamond? The billion-year-old Hope Diamond, at the Smithsonian Institute, has crossed oceans and continents and passed from kings to commoners. It’s value has been estimated at as much as a quarter billion dollars.

The ever popular Circle Line Cruise circumnavigates Manhattan Island providing an unforgettable view of the famous New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, World Trade Center Memorial, the United Nations Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge .

Key West’s nightly arts festival, Sunset Celebration, at Mallory Square. Here you can see street performances that attract thousands of visitors like the Bed of Nails and Glass Walker or the Escape from Chains and Straight Jacket.

Hollywood Boulevard is another hot family vacation idea. There’s the Walk of Fame, The Hollywood Entertainment Museum, Kodak Theater. The Hollywood sign can be seen from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the most famous movie theatre in the world.

The kids will love Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle. This famous shop features such lovely sights as a genuine shrunken head fashioned out of goat skin, the well preserved mummy of a gunshot victim and other assorted mostly tacky items. It sure draws the crowds.

Durgin-Park in Boston is famous for it’s homey family style atmosphere and great seafood, particularly the chowder. Since 1742 they’ve been serving it up to grateful fans who sit at large common picnic tables.

The beignets and the coffee with chicory is what people crave when they come to the Café du Monde in New Orleans. Open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week they must have what people want, judging by the crowds.