USA TODAY 10Best
Georgia Aquarium makes biggest splash with readers
Best Aquarium (2014)
It seemed to be a case of Bigger is Better with our readers in the Best Aquarium Contest! Georgia Aquarium, with its massive tank the size of a football field, took top honors, while voters keen on The Lone Star State voted their Texas State Aquarium into a very close second.
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, in America's beloved Smoky Mountains, landed a solid third place finish and Chicago's Shedd Aquarium demonstrated its fans and followers with a very large fourth place finish. Rounding out the top five? A second Tennessee nominee, the Tennessee Aquarium in beautiful downtown Chattanooga.
This was one of the most popular Readers' Choice contests we've had to date, and it was so fun watching fans, followers, families and locals prompting each other to vote for their favorite. A great campaign was run by all!
The original 20 nominees were very carefully chosen, based on data provided by the AZA, so inclusion in the contest was an honor in itself. Being voted one of the 10Best by readers of USA TODAY and 10Best? An accolade worth bragging about!
The full list of winners in the 'Best Aquarium' contest category for 10Best Readers' Choice is as follows:
Congratulations to all our winners!
The other 10 nominees - all well worth a visit - were:
ABQ BioPark Aquarium - Albuquerque, N.M.
Adventure Aquarium - Camden, N.J.
Aquarium of the Bay - San Francisco
Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach, Calif.
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas - New Orleans
New England Aquarium - Boston
New York Aquarium - New York
Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport, Ore.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium - Tacoma, Wash.
Seattle Aquarium - Seattle
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Libby McMillan
10Best Senior Editor Libby McMillan is a bonafide... Read More
10Best Senior Editor Libby McMillan is a bonafide animal lover. She also likes the water so much she once lived on a houseboat for 4 years: manatees were her neighbors. Libby has recently visited a few of the nominees, and after doing the research necessary to choose the nominees, now has several other facilities on her own must-see list.
Libby McMillan
10Best Senior Editor Libby McMillan is a bonafide animal lover. She also likes the water so much she once lived on a houseboat for 4 years: manatees were her neighbors. Libby has recently visited a few of the nominees, and after doing the research necessary to choose the nominees, now has several other facilities on her own must-see list.
Lydia Schrandt
10Best Photo Editor Lydia Schrandt grew up... Read More
10Best Photo Editor Lydia Schrandt grew up dreaming of becoming a marine biologist, and while her career path changed, her love of marine life never did. She's been to many of the nominees, camera in hand, and considers the rest a bucket list for her future travels.
Lydia Schrandt
10Best Photo Editor Lydia Schrandt grew up dreaming of becoming a marine biologist, and while her career path changed, her love of marine life never did. She's been to many of the nominees, camera in hand, and considers the rest a bucket list for her future travels.
Travis Seward
As Editor in Chief of 10Best since its founding... Read More
As Editor in Chief of 10Best since its founding 11+ year ago, Travis Seward has seen a good portion of the USA, and truly appreciates how an eductional attraction can use influence upon a captive audience to affect a more positive future for the environment.
Travis Seward
As Editor in Chief of 10Best since its founding 11+ year ago, Travis Seward has seen a good portion of the USA, and truly appreciates how an eductional attraction can use influence upon a captive audience to affect a more positive future for the environment.