Mammoth Cave goes viral after making list of 'most disappointing' tourist attractions

Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park is proving any press is good press.

The attraction heralded as the world's longest known cave system landed on a list of the most disappointing tourist attractions in the country. And now the park is going viral – not for being on the list, but for its response to being on the list.

The 2024 study, conducted by online casino JeffBet , looked at 45 popular U.S. tourist attractions to determine which had the most low-star reviews on Google and Tripadvisor containing terms relating to disappointment, such as "subpar," "did not like" and "not worth it." Its findings named Mammoth Cave National Park the third most disappointing attraction in the U.S.

Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ranked second, and the list dubbed the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the No. 1 most disappointing U.S. tourist attraction.

Mammoth Cave National Park recently embraced the bad press, writing up a sarcastic Facebook post that has since garnered over 100,000 likes, 8,000 comments and 30,000 shares as of Tuesday.

"Come experience what has disappointed millions of people for over 225 years!" the park teased, encouraging Facebook users to "visit our website and choose from one of our many activities that will leave you unfulfilled! You can be disappointed by a 'dry hole with very few stalagmites and stalactites' or discover nothing 'other than trees' on over 80+ miles of hiking, biking, horseback riding, and water trails."

The park wrapped up the post with saying, "A world of regret awaits you at Mammoth Cave!"

The comments are full of Facebook users pouring out their love for the park that encompasses over 52,000 acres in south central Kentucky.

"I’ve been there several times when I was younger. It’s an amazing place!!! I took many tours," wrote one commenter. "I personally think it’s awesome. Part of my childhood. This marketing is legit," wrote another.

Some users took part in the joke.

"I can’t wait to disappoint my children by bringing them like my parents did me. Generations of disappointment," one person wrote.

Despite JeffBet's "disappointing" designation, Mammoth Cave National Park boasts a 4.7 average star rating on Google from nearly 11,000 reviews.

One reviewer even referenced the JeffBet list in their five-star rating.

"After hearing that this park had been listed as 'The Most Disappointing', I just knew that I had to take my malcontent little millennial self over for a visit," they wrote. "Unfortunately, I must say, I was severely disappointed with the lack of disappointment!"

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mammoth Cave goes viral after making list of 'most disappointing' tourist attractions