NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - There seems to be a travel destination for every taste.

You would think that some places have absolutely nothing to recommend them. Some are too desolate or bland. Others, like the edge of an active volcano, are just plain dangerous.

Still others may be better called repellents rather than attractions. Coarsegold California has a tarantula festival every October than capitalizes on the eerie ability of hairy, poisonous arachnids to draw in the crowds. Ecotourists eager to see Komodo dragons – a giant, cannibalistic, carrion-eating, septic-mouthed lizard – are helping to rebuild Indonesia's tourist industry after the nightclub bombing of 2002.

There are hundreds of tourist attractions in North America that, at first blush, sound not particularly attractive at all. Delve a little deeper, though, and you might find some redeeming value. Even if you don't, you have to admit these are not your normal roadside attractions.

Click to sample a few.