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Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies voted best in the nation... again!

East Tennessee is home to two top ten aquariums in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice vote, with Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies taking the #1 spot and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga coming in at #9.

Gatlinburg is home to America's favorite aquarium once again! 

Readers voted Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies as the No. 1 aquarium in the nation in USA Today's 2019 10Best Readers' Choice poll. 

This is the second time Ripley's has taken the top spot in this poll after being voted No. 1 in the U.S. in 2017. It was also ranked No. 5 in the world  in a 2017 TripAdvisor poll.

The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga also came in at No. 9. It, too, has been a perennial contender for best aquarium in the nation -- ranking No. 5  in the same poll in 2017. 

Here's the full list of winners: 

  1. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies - Gatlinburg, Tenn.
  2. The Florida Aquarium - Tampa, Fla.
  3. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas - New Orleans, La.
  4. Texas State Aquarium - Corpus Christi, Texas
  5. Mystic Aquarium - Mystic, Conn.
  6. Newport Aquarium - Newport, Ky.
  7. North Carolina Aquariums - Multiple Locations
  8. Vancouver Aquarium -Vancouver, Canada
  9. Tennessee Aquarium - Chattanooga, Tenn.
  10. Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach, Calif.

“This award is so meaningful because it was decided by the public, our guests who visit our aquarium and make us a part of their family vacation," manager Ryan DeSear said. "We work hard to offer our guests the best customer service at one of the world’s finest aquariums in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, and we cannot thank our guests and community enough for voting Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies the Best Aquarium in North America.” 

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