‘World of regret awaits’ at this letdown of a national park, Kentucky officials brag

On the heels of a ranking that included Mammoth Cave National Park among the most disappointing attractions in the United States, the Kentucky park is doubling down on its negative reviews.

“Come experience what has disappointed millions of people for over 225 years!” Mammoth Cave National Park said in an Aug. 23 post on Facebook.

The post, which mocks its own park, has received nearly 100,000 interactions and more than 29,000 shares as of Aug. 26.

Mammoth Cave was ranked the third most disappointing U.S. tourist attraction, trailing only the Kennedy Space Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to WEHT. The study says 19.38% of reviewers considered their experience at the park disappointing.

“While we think the world’s longest cave system and over 4,000 years of human history is AMAZING, others find that the cave is ‘very dark’ and there is ‘nothing cool’ here to see,” the national park said.

Reviewers mostly have nice things to say about the park. On Google, it has a 4.7 rating out of 5 from nearly 11,000 reviewers. And on Tripadvisor, the park has a 4.5 rating out of 5.

But the experiences for some reviewers weren’t as pleasant, and the park took notice.

“If you would like to experience the disappointment of Mammoth Cave, visit our website and choose from one of our many activities that will leave you unfulfilled!” the park said. “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.”

“A world of regret awaits you at Mammoth Cave!” the park added.

Commenters enjoyed the park’s cheeky response to the ranking. There’s no such thing as bad press, right?

“Thanks for the laugh - y’all and our beloved Mammoth Cave are national treasures,” one commenter said.

“This is so great. Thanks for having such a ‘deep’ sense of humor,” another person commented.

Mammoth Cave, located primarily in Edmonson County, is about a 95-mile drive southwest from Louisville.

This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 12:00 PM with the headline "‘World of regret awaits’ at this letdown of a national park, Kentucky officials brag."