History Museum in running for ‘best new attraction’ honor

The History Museum on the Square is hoping to replicate Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium by being named a best new attraction by USA Today readers.

The History Museum, located at 154 Park Central Square in downtown Springfield, is in the running for a USA Today readers’ choice award for 2019 attractions. As of deadline, it was ranked No. 3 out of 20 attractions on the list, behind No. 1 Otherworld in Columbus, Ohio, and No. 2 America’s Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York.

The voting continues through Dec. 30, and the winner will be announced Jan. 10, according to USA Today’s 10Best.com.

“We are honored to be nominated with other great institutions across the country,” History Museum Executive Director John Sellars said in a news release. “We are also proud to announce that in the museum’s first four months of operation, visitors came from 40 states and 25 countries.”

Wonders of Wildlife took home the top spot in January 2018, and later in the year, the attraction was voted by USA Today readers as the best aquarium in the United States.

The History Museum opened Aug. 8 after a five-year, more than $12 million renovation project, Springfield Business Journal previously reported. Features include six permanent galleries on three floors.