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America's 'Best Restroom 2014' Is Verdant And Curvy

Public bathrooms don't have to be boring. Just look at this year's contenders for the title of America's Best Restroom, which range from sculpture and doll themes to wash-tub basins. This year's winner is tucked along a "green wall" of plants.

The top bathroom in America is currently at Longwood Gardens, west of Philadelphia, according to Cintas, the business uniform and supply company that runs the Best Restroom competition.

"We are so pleased" to win, said Longwood's chief marketing officer, Marnie Conley. "Longwood Gardens is about beautiful horticulture, being a good steward to our environment, and providing an extraordinary experience for our more than one million guests each year."

Longwood's 17 commodious chambers are built into an enormous 4,200-square-foot green wall.

"In the contest, which attracted thousands of online votes, America chose Bowl Plaza in Lucas, Kansas as the No. 2 place 'to go,' " Cintas says. "The Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri took 3rd place."

Longwood Gardens received the award today, along with a $2,500 credit to help keep its unique restrooms clean. (We'll remind you that today is World Toilet Day.)

As we reported a year ago, the 2013 "King of Thrones" was in Minneapolis' Varsity Theater.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.