Mammoth Cave National Park recently landed on the list as one of the most disappointing attractions in the United States.
According to Forbes, the cave was officially established as a national park in 1941. Decades later, in 1972, the cave was discovered to be the longest system in the world. Regardless of such pedigree, the park was unable to avoid its classification as "disappointing."
Brilliantly, the communications team in charge of the park's platforms made a quick pivot, and reaped massive rewards. On August 23rd, the Mammoth Cave Facebook account posted a playful response to the article, inviting newcomers to come visit what has "disappointed millions of people for over 225 years!"
The Facebook response was rewarded massively by other users. With nearly 30,000 shares and 8,000 comments, the response enjoyed a viral moment for itself. Moreover, commenters left messages along the lines of "love this," and "I'm in!"
National Park Turns Listing of "Disappointing" into a Viral Moment
Mammoth Cave, regardless of its listing as disappointing, is really quite incredible. The cave system is currently known to be 426 miles long, and the park welcomed 650,000 visitors last year. In a statement from park workers, the "4,000 years of human history" within the cave were highlighted as easy to celebrate. The workers did mention that some visitors complain of how dark the cave is, and how their is "nothing cool" to see. Regardless, invitations to the public to come "experience the disappointment themselves" have played very well online.
In reference to the article itself, the source used to identify the "disappointing" attractions is a bit of a mystery. Apparently, it has been reported that the research was conducted by online casino Jeffbet. Jeffbet uses sites like Google and Tripadvisor to compile rankings of the most and least disappointing attractions.
Mammoth Cave, while disappointing, was 3rd on the final list. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio landed at first and second. Perhaps surprisingly, the National Mall in D.C. was listed as the least disappointing attraction in the United States.
