By Kim Steele

GATLINBURG – Sharks and stingrays swam behind Jim Pattison Jr. on Monday at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies as he accepted a trophy from TripAdvisor.com for being named the top U.S. aquarium.

“This is a very momentous occasion,” said Pattison, president of Ripley Entertainment Inc. “I can’t tell you how important this award is to our company. This is a world-class aquarium and we’re very proud of it.”

The trophy was presented to Pattison by Robin Ingle, TripAdvisor’s senior vice president. The aquarium’s top ranking was determined based on traveler popularity, consumer ratings and the Web site’s editors.

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