Myrtle the Turtle should be very proud. Always Pets just came out with a ranking of the Top 35 Aquariums in the good ol’ U S of A and New England Aquarium did (to quote Larry David) pretty, pretty good.

Aquariums are a fascinating place. Where else can you stand face-to-face with an octopus besides in the deep sea or in your nightmares? Here sharks are your well-contained friends instead of filling your soul with panic while trying to mow down a clam strip roll in Chatham.

There are around 170 aquariums (or “aquaria” to be more book-savvy) in the country and 2 of the top 35 are here in New England. We’ll take it!

Here they are, the Top 35 Best Aquariums in the Country:

• #35 - Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium

  Where: Springfield, Missouri

  Opened: 2017

  One of the coolest features: 1.5 miles of trails to check out with around 35,000 fish, reptiles, birds and mammals along the way.

• #34 - Adventure Aquarium

  Where: Camden, New Jersey

  Opened: 1992

  One of the coolest features: Biggest shark collection on the East Coast.

• #33 - Long Island Aquarium

  Where: Long Island, New York

  Opened: 2000

  One of the coolest features: Scuba diving adventure with live sharks. Eeek!

• #32 - Steinhart Aquarium

  Where: San Fransisco, California

  Opened: 1923

  One of the coolest features: 40,000 live animals!!

• #31 - Oklahoma Aquarium

  Where: Jenks, Oklahoma

  Opened: 2003

  One of the coolest features: The insanely large 380,000-gallon shark tank & tunnel.

• #30 - PPG Aquarium

  Where: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

  Opened: 1967

  One of the coolest features: The living coral reefs.

• #29 - Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

  Where: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

  Opened: 1997

  One of the coolest features: The super-long 340 feet long aquarium tunnel. It just keeps on going…

• #28 - Reiman Aquarium

  Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  Opened: 1981

  One of the coolest features: Ten different geographically specific exhibits.

• #27 - Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

  Where: Virginia Beach, Virginia

  Opened: 1986

  One of the coolest features: Whale and dolphin watching excursions.

• #26 - Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

  Where: Draper, Utah

  Opened: 1999

  One of the coolest features: The Penguin Research Station.

• #25 - Georgia Aquarium

  Where: Atlanta, Georgia

  Opened: 2005

  One of the coolest features: It’s the #3 largest aquarium in the world!

• #24 - John G. Shedd Aquarium

  Where: Chicago, Illinois

  Opened: 1930

  One of the coolest features: It’s Amazon exhibit. Not the Bezos-type, the gnarly crocodile-type.

• #23 - Aquarium of the Pacific

  Where: Long Beach, California

  Opened: 1998

  One of the coolest features: Many rotating exhibits – always fresh!

• #22 - Seattle Aquarium

  Where: Seattle, Washington

  Opened: 1977

  One of the coolest features: The Window on Washington Waters.

• #21 - Downtown Aquarium, Houston

  Where: Houston, Texas

  Opened: 2003

  One of the coolest features: It doubles as a restaurant.

• #20 - North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

  Where: Kure Beach, North Carolina

  Opened: 1976

  One of the coolest features: The albino alligator!

• #19 - National Aquarium

  Where: Baltimore, Maryland

  Opened: 1981

  One of the coolest features: The Jellies Invasion.

• #18 - Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

  Where: La Jolla, California

  Opened: 1903!!

  One of the coolest features: The Feeling the Heat exhibit, dedicated to climate change education through demonstration.

• #17 - Downtown Aquarium, Denver

  Where: Denver, Colorado

  Opened: 1999

  One of the coolest features: The live mermaid show.

• #16 - New York Aquarium

  Where: Brooklyn, New York

  Opened: 1896!!!!

  One of the coolest features: It is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States.

• #15 - Waikiki Aquarium

  Where: Honolulu, Hawaii

  Opened: 1904

  One of the coolest features: The mahi-mahi hatchery.

• #14 - The Florida Aquarium

  Where: Tampa, Florida

  Opened: 1995

  One of the coolest features: The Waves of Wonder exhibit.

• #13 - Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

  Where: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

  Opened: 2000

  One of the coolest features: The Pet-a-Penguin program.

• #12 - Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

  Where: New Orleans, Louisiana

  Opened: 1990

  One of the coolest features: Wildlife of the Mississippi River exhibit.

• #11 - Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

  Where: Mystic, Connecticut

  Opened: 1973

  One of the coolest features: It’s the only aquarium in New England to have beluga whales.

• #10 - Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

  Where: Omaha, Nebraska

  Opened: 1984

  One of the coolest features: The eye-popping 450,000-gallon shark tank. It’s so big Mr. Wonderful might be hiding in there.

• #9 - Newport Aquarium

  Where: Newport, Kentucky

  Opened: 1999

  One of the coolest features: “Mighty Mike” who lives in Gator Alley. You go, I’ll pass (out).

• #8 - South Carolina Aquarium

  Where: Charleston, South Carolina

  Opened: 2000

  One of the coolest features: Touch some Atlantic stingrays in the touch tank.

• #7 - Tennessee Aquarium

  Where: Chattanooga, Tennessee

  Opened: 1992

  One of the coolest features: So much to see that they needed to expand to TWO buildings.

• #6 - Oregon Coast Aquarium

  Where: Newport, Oregon

  Opened: 1992

  One of the coolest features: Famous for being the longtime home of Keiko from “Free Willy.”

• #5 - Texas State Aquarium

  Where: Corpus Christi, Texas

  Opened: 1990

  One of the coolest features: The 400,000-gallon Dolphin Bay.

• #4 - Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium

  Where: Bloomington, Minnesota

  Opened: 1996

  One of the coolest features: An exhibit featuring six different types of seahorses.

• #3 - Monterey Bay Aquarium

  Where: Monterey, California

  Opened: 1984

  One of the coolest features: It’s one of the top aquariums in the world for marine conservation.

• #2 - Alaska SeaLife Center

  Where: Seward, Alaska

  Opened: 1998

  One of the coolest features: It’s the only aquarium in the world dedicated exclusively to the northern waters of the world.

• #1 - New England Aquarium (OH YEAH!)

  Where: Boston, Massachusetts

  Opened: 1969

  One of the coolest features: The 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank, which simulates a Caribbean reef system. Say hi to Myrtle the Turtle! She’s over 90 years-old, ya know!

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