We know it’s pretty wonderful, but now everyone knows that Bristol Harbor is one of the best in the country (the fourth best, to be specific), according to users of US Harbors, an online aggregator of information about coastal and marine weather, tide information, printable tide charts, and harbor-local boating and fishing information.

The Best Harbor contest is an annual, crowd-sourced, online competition to find the “Best Harbor” in the United States. It was started by US Harbors in 2019, allowing users to vote on their favorite of the over 1,500 coastal and Great Lakes harbors on usharbors.com. Now in its 5th year, the contest runs from mid-May to June.

Each year millions of people around the country have a chance to vote, submit photos and stories, and let the world know what makes their harbor the best. US Harbors makes it a fun event, providing hidden facts about harbors and surprise giveaways on US Harbors social channels throughout the voting period. According to US Harbors, the contest truly reflects the pride and passion people feel for their local coastal communities.

Reached for comment, Harbormaster Gregg Marsili, busy getting ready for next week’s onslaught of visitors, was characteristically modest about the honor that is a direct result of the development and infrastructure work his department has put in for the last decade.

“We’re pretty happy about it,” he said. “It’s thanks to all the investment the Council has made on the fuel dock, the Maritime Center, and the Marina expansion.”

“The one thing we always hear from guests is that they love how everything is so walkable and convenient,” he added. “It’s a great little community to come visit.”

Bristol wasn’t the only southeastern New England harbor on the list — Block Island took the top spot, while Padanaram and Gloucester, Mass. took 3rd and 7th, respectively. The other harbors in the top 10 were Destin, Fla.; Shelter Cove, Hilton Head, S.C.; Pillar Point, Princeton, Calif.; Charlevoix, Mich.; Brookings, Ore.; and Depoe Bay, Ore.