By Greg Ellison

(Dec. 2, 2021) Since opening at 4 Jefferson St. in Berlin earlier this year, the Mermaid Museum has established a reputation for the unusual and has now earned a spot among best new attractions in the 2021 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice contest.

Museum proprietor Alyssa Maloof said the contest nomination was a surprise.

“It was really cool because the editors picked the top 20 new attractions in the U.S. and now we have a chance to win,” she said.

Online voting runs through Dec. 20 at noon, with winners unveiled on Dec. 31.

“You can vote every day to keep us on the map for new and unusual attractions,” she said.

Among the various sights held upstairs at the historic Odd Fellows building in downtown Berlin is an authentic Fiji mermaid and a fish-monkey hybrid creature made infamous in traveling sideshows operated by P.T. Barnum.

As of Tuesday, the Mermaid Museum was ranked eighth among 20 new attractions included.

“It’s just fun to be nominated and recognized for doing something new and unusual,” she said.

USA Today’s annual 10 best contests give readers insights regarding experiential travel destinations in the U.S. and internationally.

“I just want to keep it in the top 10 so it can show up on the list of top attractions,” she said.

To learn more details or vote visit 10best.com/awards/travel/best-new-attraction/