UPDATE: Florida Aquarium was voted one of North America’s 10 Best Aquariums, finishing #2! The winner was Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies (in that aquatic paradise, Gatlinburg, Tennessee).

USA Today Travel Media Group’s popular 10Best contests invite readers to vote for the 10 best among destinations selected by experts in various categories. 

Tampa’s competition for the Top 10 was steep: 20 aquariums in all, from Camden, NJ to Vancouver, Canada, all chosen by travel writers and aquarium and zoo professionals. The 10Best writeup called Florida Aquarium “one of the top aquariums in the South,” and highlighted, among other features, its Florida Wetlands Trail, Journey to Madagascar and Stingray Beach. 

Voting ended on Friday, May 3.

For more info, go to 10Best.com. 

PS: Bok Tower Gardens made it onto a 10Best list, too; in the vote for the 10 Best Botanical Gardens, the Lake Wales landmark finished third behind gardens in Missouri and Minnesota.