Voting open now for Best Free Museum and Best History Museum
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA–JANUARY 22, 2020: For the second time, USA Today’s travel experts have selected the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center as one of the nation’s best museums, this time in two categories. The public is being asked to select the “best of the best.” Winners will be determined by votes cast online between now and February 17.
In 2016, the museum won first place in the race for Best Free Museum, a category that is offered only every few years. The museum is a nominee for the second time in the 2020 Best Free Museum category, and for the first time in the Best History Museum category. “We’re proud to be recognized by a national news organization like USA Today, along with such esteemed institutions as the Smithsonian and the Holocaust Museum,” BG (Ret) Pete Jones, President and COO of the National Infantry Museum Foundation, said. “But we have a first place position to defend. We intend to win the number one spot again this year!”
While no prizes are awarded, Jones says the bragging rights are even more important, especially since the NIM is the only Army museum or Georgia museum represented in these categories. “People all over the country will see USA Today’s endorsement and decide for themselves that the National Infantry Museum’s salute to Soldiers is a must-see attraction.”
Museum fans can cast a vote once a day in each category until the contest closes on February 17. The links below will take them directly to the voting pages. The top 10 winners will be announced February 28.
Since opening in 2009, the museum, often called “the Smithsonian of the Army”, has won a prestigious global award from the Themed Entertainment Industry, been included in a CNN Travel article about the 12 best military museums in the world, and is consistently ranked as one of the state’s top attractions on TripAdvisor. It welcomed its 3,000,000th visitor in July.
The 190,000-square-foot National Infantry Museum contains a collection of nearly 30,000 priceless artifacts documenting the Infantry story, which dates to 1775. Its signature attraction, the Last 100 Yards, features life-size vignettes of eight of the most important battles in Infantry history. Galleries tell the stories of the training of a Soldier, the Medals of Honor awarded to Infantrymen, and the sacrifices loved ones make in support of the military. Era galleries trace the most important periods of Infantry history, engaging visitors of all ages with high-tech, immersive displays. The museum’s campus includes an authentic World War II Company Street with seven restored buildings that were constructed on Fort Moore during the build-up to World War II. There are major memorials to the Global War on Terrorism and the Vietnam War, and a Memorial Walk of Honor paying tribute to Infantry units and organizations.
Every week, trainees transition into America’s newest Soldiers during formal graduation ceremonies on the museum’s Inouye Field. These public ceremonies are not only moments of pride for the families of the graduates, they are living and moving testimonials that enhance the general public’s appreciation of the United States Armed Forces.
To help the National Infantry Museum gain greater national exposure, please cast daily votes in USA Today’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards.
Best Free Museum
Best History Museum