THIS FLORIDA MANSION IS THE MOST 'UNDERRATED TOURIST ATTRACTION' IN THE U.S., ACCORDING TO TRIPADVISOR

Researchers named Florida's Stetson Mansion America's most underrated tourist destination and the sixth most underrated in the world.

Everyone loves a good underdog story, a redemption arc, and a hero who deserves more limelight. That's why we should all apparently be booking visits to one particular historic site in Florida, which was just named one of the world's most underrated tourist attractions. 

In April, Wingie, a flight booking website, unveiled its findings from its research into the world's most underrated (and overrated) tourist attractions. And lo and behold, one of the most underrated spots happens to be right here in the U.S. 

To reach its conclusion, the team at Wingie analyzed reviews on Tripadvisor for the top 50 tourist experiences in every country. It then ranked the experiences based on several keyword indicators that showed if the experience was "perceived as underrated relative to the total number of reviews." The keywords included "impressive," "interesting," "amazing," "value for the money," and, naturally, "underrated." 

After tracking the terms, the team gave an overall percentage score to determine the ranking. Once the percentage was calculated, the researchers named Stetson Mansion in Florida America's most underrated tourist destination and the sixth most underrated in the world. 

"Over 1,000 comments referred to it as 'amazing' and 'beautiful,'" the findings, shared with Travel + Leisure via email, stated. "Hundreds of reviewers called the Victorian mansion 'spectacular' (880) and a 'must-see' (867). Almost 800 commenters said they 'loved it' (797), and the experience was described as 'interesting' over 500 times." In total, the attraction had an underrated percentage of 139 percent, based on its 8,290 positive comments. 

In case the name sounds familiar, yes, it is indeed connected to Stetson hats and was built by John B. Stetson himself. The home's nickname is even "the house that hats built." According to the home's website, it was built in 1886, making it the "only Gilded Age mansion, and the largest, grandest, most innovative home ever built in Florida before 1900." It was also the first house in Florida designed and built with Edison electricity, steam heat, and indoor plumbing. 

It's important to note that the home is not a museum, but rather, remains a private home that offers tours during the holiday season. It's closed to the public between January 21 and October 31, which gives it an extra air of exclusivity for those who can go to see it in person. 

As for the world's No. 1 most underrated attraction, that goes to Ahhh Ras Natango Gallery and Garden in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

If you are feeling particularly inspired, you could always make your way to the Stetson Mansion, then hop over to the nearby Orlando Airport for a quick 2-hour flight to see both, which would most certainly give you bragging rights for life. 

Related: These Are the Most Underrated National Parks in the U.S., According to Reddit

For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.

2024-04-19T13:29:42Z dg43tfdfdgfd