Mississippi claims two spots on USA Today's best museums list. See the winners here

Mary Boyte, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read

Mississippi has two museums that earned spots on this year's USA Today lists of best museums in the nation, voted on by readers.

Winners in the 2024 USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards are chosen via online voting by readers.

A panel of experts nominates restaurants, destinations and other entertainment options which the USA Today editors then narrow them down to present to the public for a four-week voting period.

Mississippi's two winners both sit in the heart of the state: Jackson.

Mississippi Children's Museum

The Mississippi Children's Museum earned third place on USA Today's best children's museums list.

The Mississippi Children's Museum's mission is to instill a lifelong interest in learning within its young visitors.

Opening in 2010, the museum was created as a years-long project to increase literacy and math and science proficiency in Mississippi's youth. The exhibits also aim to teach children about health and nutrition, as well as Mississippi history.

Beyond the indoor, interactive exhibits and activities, the Children's Museum offers several outdoor galleries, including a Literacy Garden.

The museum also hosts regular events and activities.

Tickets are $10 per person, with children under the age of 1 getting in free. The museum is closed on Mondays and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Lists of African Americans lynched in Mississippi are displayed in the second gallery, Mississippi in Black and White, in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. The Civil Rights Museum, seen Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024, has been named fourth on the list of the USA Today Best 10 history museums in the country.
Lists of African Americans lynched in Mississippi are displayed in the second gallery, Mississippi in Black and White, in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. The Civil Rights Museum, seen Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024, has been named fourth on the list of the USA Today Best 10 history museums in the country.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum ranked fourth on USA Today's best history museums list.

The museum, divided into eight galleries, takes visitors on an insightful journey through the past, present and future of Mississippi's pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, starting with the history of slavery in the state and the beginnings of the Jim Crow era.

Monuments dedicated to victims of lynching, mug shots of Freedom Riders arrested in the state and stories of Civil Rights veterans welcome observers as they move through the timeline.

In town for business, McKenzie James of Columbia, Md., uses her lunch hour to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024. Knowing she won't get through it all, she takes photographs of exhibits to read later. The Civil Rights Museum has been named fourth on the list of the USA Today Best 10 history museums in the country.
In town for business, McKenzie James of Columbia, Md., uses her lunch hour to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2024. Knowing she won't get through it all, she takes photographs of exhibits to read later. The Civil Rights Museum has been named fourth on the list of the USA Today Best 10 history museums in the country.

The exhibit ends with the question, "Where do we go from here?" Visitors are left to reflect on their own experiences both in the museum and in their everyday lives.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is one part of the Two Mississippi Museums, which also includes the Museum of Mississippi History. Both museums, opened in 2017, connect to create a comprehensive learning experience.

Admission for both museums ranges from $8 to $15 and is free on Sundays. The museums are closed Mondays and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: USA Today: MS Civil Rights Museum, MS Children's Museum on best list