After tallying the votes, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo are winners of the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest.

As learned from a  My New Orleans press release, this year, the Aquarium held tightly to its 3rd place ranking from 2019, and Audubon Zoo moved up from its 9th placing in 2019 to 6th place. The 20 total nominees were hand-picked by a panel of travel experts, and nearly all are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The USA TODAY’s 10Best begins with the following sentiment: “Someday, we’ll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we’ll keep supporting the places that inspire us.”

Recently, Audubon Zoo reopened on June 3, 2020, following a nearly three-month hiatus period, and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas reopened on July 16, 2020, following a four-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After following State and City public health directives, Audubon is reopening its family of parks and museums following a phased approach that strictly limits attendance and programming. Advance tickets to the Zoo and Aquarium are now required and can be reserved here.

All 20 aquariums nominated by the USA TODAY ranking are highly-visited establishments, and the list creators have great respect for them. “Aquariums put us face to fin with aquatic life from the world’s oceans, lakes and waterways in a fun and educational setting. The best aquariums also play a vital role in animal conservation by taking part in rescue efforts and advocating for the environmental health of our oceans. These 20 aquariums, nearly all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and nominated by a panel of 10Best experts, represent the best in North America for their high quality exhibits and visitor interactions.”

Ron Forman, Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO had this to say about the rankings: “We’re thrilled to be honored by the most meaningful judges we could ask for—our guests. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been devastating to non-profit, accredited zoos and aquariums across the country, including Audubon’s, so receiving this recognition of our value to our community and the nation as we work to fully reopen to the public means so much to all of Audubon’s staff and supporters.”

In a similar line of thinking, Zoos are composed of internal and majority- external habitats, so the pandemic hit them differently, but our appreciation for Zoological parks didn’t waiver. “North America is home to hundreds of zoological parks, including more than 200 facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Short of heading out into the world’s wild places, nothing beats a visit to the zoo to foster an appreciation for the striking animal diversity of our planet. We asked a panel of travel experts to nominate their favorite North American AZA-accredited zoos – facilities that excel in the fields of animal care and enrichment, while also facilitating meaningful interactions between animals and human visitors.”

For information on Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium’s hours of operations and current guidelines for visiting, you can visit their site.

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