ATCHISON — The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is in the final stretch of online voting as one of 16 new museums across the United States nominated for the “Best New Museum” by USA Today's Reader’s Choice Travel Awards for 2024, according to a media release from the museum.
Voting continues for the public to vote online every day until 12 Noon ET on December 25.
“With thousands of Amelia Earhart fans and admirers casting their vote for us — every day — until Christmas Day — we think the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum can soar to the top spot,” said Mindi Love Pendergraft, the museum’s executive director.
Celebrating Earhart’s aviation legacy in aviator’s Atchison, Kansas, hometown, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum is the only museum in the Midwest among the 16 new museums nominated across United States.
As of December 14, the Museum is ranking at #4 on USA Leaderboard for Best New Museum. Other nominated museums include The Punk Rock Museum in Los Vegas, NV; the Museum of Broadway in New York, NY; the Gettysburg Beyond Battle Museum in Gettsyburg, PA; the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in Buffalo, NY; and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, Calif.
“This special honor will not only shine a bright spotlight on our state-of-the-art museum in Amelia’s hometown, but also heighten the nation’s interest in exploring the many stellar museums and tourism attractions across Kansas and the Midwest,” added Love Pendergraft.
Named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2023, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum has been captivating visitors since its April grand opening with Earhart’s inspiring aviation legacy in the aviator’s Atchison, Kansas hometown. The Museum’s centerpiece, “Muriel,” is the world's last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E. Named after Earhart's younger sister, "Muriel" is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her final flight around the world. The state-of-the-art museum blends highly interactive STEM and historical storytelling to take visitors through Earhart's life as a trailblazing aviator who defied the odds to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The winner will be announced on Friday, January 5 at noon ET. USA Today 10Best provides original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.