Last Day To Vote To Name Florida Aquarium Best In Country

TAMPA, FL -- USA Today is currently accepting votes for the top 10 aquariums in the United States as part of its Readers' Choice 2019 awards.

Nominated by a panel of experts, The Florida Aquarium is among 20 of the country's top aquariums in the running to be named the best based on its high-quality exhibits and visitor interactions. All 20 nominees are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Fans are invited to vote once a day until voting ends on Monday, April 22 at noon. The 10 top vote-getters will be announced on Friday, May 3. Read the official Readers' Choice rules here.

Competing against The Florida Aquarium are:

• Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey
• Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California
• Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans
• Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta
• Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California
• Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• New England Aquarium in Boston
• New York Aquarium in New York City
• Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky
• North Carolina Aquariums
• Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon
• Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Seattle Aquarium in Seattle
• Shedd Aquarium in Chicago
• South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina
• Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas
• Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver

The Florida Aquarium is currently in third place behind Ripley's and the Audubon Aquarium. Cast your vote here or you can vote on The Florida Aquarium's website.

As the aquarium vies to be the best in the country, it also is preparing for a new exhibit that will allow visitors to touch a jellyfish without worrying about getting stung.

The aquarium hopes to open its Moon Bay interactive exhibit before the summer. The 2,000-gallon habitat will permit visitors to touch the moon jellies and watch their bell-shaped bodies glow and change colors.

Inhabiting oceans for more than 500 million years, moon jellies have short tentacles covered with specialized stinging cells. But the irritation or sting caused by touching the tentacles is relatively mild and doesn't last. Aquarium guests will be instructed on how to properly touch a moon jelly without getting stung.

"This exciting new touch experience will undoubtedly change perceptions of these amazing animals, provide a rare opportunity for guests to interact with jellies, and enhance our world-class guest experience," President and CEO Roger Germann.