NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the travel planning and booking site, today announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice^® awards for Museums. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for museums worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period. TripAdvisor also highlighted bookable experiences for each winning museum.¹

"Travelers can learn more about local culture and make trips more memorable by visiting famous museums," said Brooke Ferencsik, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. "According to TripAdvisor booking data, museum ticket sales last year grew 29% for U.S travelers and globally, bookings increased by 40%. This year's award winning museums serve as inspiration for travelers wanting to join the trend and discover some of the world's finest collections of art, science, culture and history."  

Top 10 Museums in the U.S:

1. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum — New York City, New York
Located at the original footprints of the Twin Towers, visitors can remember and honor the lives lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993.

• Bookable experience: 9/11 Memorial Museum Admission on TripAdvisor from $26 per person

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art — New York City, New York
Travelers can experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world ranging from ancient Egyptian to modern American at "The Met," the largest and one of the most iconic museums in the U.S.

• Bookable experience: Viator VIP: Empty Met Tour at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on TripAdvisor from $175 per person 

3. The National WWII Museum — New Orleans, Louisiana
This museum offers a blend of impressive narrative and detail, featuring profound exhibits, multimedia experiences and a collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories to take visitors inside the story of the Second World War.

• Bookable experience: The National WWII Museum Ticket New Orleans on TripAdvisor from $30 per person 

4. Art Institute of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois
The collection of the Art Institute of Chicago attracts travelers as the home to renowned Ryerson and Burnham libraries, with approximately 300,000 works ranging from ancient art to contemporary pieces.  

• Bookable experience: Art Institute of Chicago Fast Pass Admission on TripAdvisor from $35 per person

5. USS Midway Museum — San Diego, California
The USS Midway was America's longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Today, the interactive museum lets visitors explore nearly 10 acres of exhibits and displays, including more than 30 restored aircraft and helicopters and flight simulators.

• Bookable experience: Skip the Line: USS Midway Museum on TripAdvisor from $18 per person

6. National Air and Space Museum — Washington, D.C.
Travelers visiting this popular Smithsonian museum can explore the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer exhibit, the Apollo 11 command module, "Columbia," and even touch a lunar rock.

• Bookable experience: Small Group Tour of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on TripAdvisor from $65 per person

7. American Museum of Natural History — New York City, New York
This museum offers something for travelers of every age and interest, featuring over 34 million objects in the permanent collections. An IMAX theater helps bring this museum, dedicated to understanding the past, into the 21^st century.

• Bookable experience: American Museum of Natural History Ticket on TripAdvisor from $23 per person

8. The Getty Center — Los Angeles, California
The collection offers changing exhibitions and outdoor art views, which span across European and American history from medieval times into the present, and includes works from artists like Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne.

• Bookable experience: Los Angeles Getty Scavenger Hunt Adventure on TripAdvisor from $15 per person

9. NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex — Titusville, Florida
At Florida's "getaway to space," travelers truly feel out of this world. They can observe the real space shuttle Atlantis, touch a moon rock or get an up-close view of a real Saturn V moon rocket.

• Bookable experience: Kennedy Space Center Day Trip with Transport from Orlando on TripAdvisor from $55 per person

10. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Washington, D.C.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the museum inspires people worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.

• Bookable experience: Select a highly-rated tour that includes a stop at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on TripAdvisor

Top 10 Museums in the World:

1. Musée d'Orsay — Paris, France

• Bookable experience: Paris 2-Hour Private Guided Tour to Orsay Museum on TripAdvisor from $79 per person 

2. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum — New York City, New York

• Bookable experience: 9/11 Memorial Museum Admission on TripAdvisor from $26 per person

3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art — New York City, New York

• Bookable experience: Viator VIP: Empty Met Tour at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on TripAdvisor from $175 per person 

4. The British Museum — London, United Kingdom

• Bookable experience: The British Museum Tour - The Ideas That Made Our World on TripAdvisor from $26 per person 

5. Prado National Museum — Madrid, Spain

• Bookable experience: Skip the Line: Prado Museum Tour in Madrid on TripAdvisor from $48 per person  

6. Acropolis Museum — Athens, Greece

• Bookable experience: Skip the Line: Guided Tour of Athens New Acropolis Museum on TripAdvisor from $42 per person 

7. Louvre Museum — Paris, France

• Bookable experience: 1.5 Hour Louvre Museum Must-See Private Guided Tour on TripAdvisor from $40 per person 

8. The National WWII Museum — New Orleans, Louisiana

• Bookable experience: The National WWII Museum Ticket New Orleans on TripAdvisor from $30 per person 

9. National Museum of Anthropology — Mexico City, Mexico

• Bookable experience: National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City: Admission and Guide on TripAdvisor from $11 per person 

10. War Remnants Museum — Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• Bookable experience: War Remnants Museum and Cu Chi Tunnels Day Trip from Ho Chi Minh City on TripAdvisor from $45 per person 

For the complete list of winners from the 2018 Travelers' Choice awards for Museums, as well as reviews and candid traveler photos, go to: TripAdvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Museums. Travelers can also follow the conversation on Twitter at #travelerschoice.

Note to editors
¹Current bookable experiences, tours and admission prices sourced from TripAdvisor and are current as of August 29, 2018. Prices listed on the TripAdvisor site are inclusive of any taxes or service charges that may apply when booking online tickets.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With over 661 million reviews and opinions covering the world's largest selection of travel listings worldwide – covering approximately 7.7 million accommodations, airlines, experiences, and restaurants -- TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat. TripAdvisor also compares prices from more than 200 hotel booking sites so travelers can find the lowest price on the hotel that's right for them. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in 49 markets, and are home to the world's largest travel community of 456 million average monthly unique visitors**, all looking to get the most out of every trip. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better.

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* Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2017
** Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique visitors, Q2 2018

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SOURCE TripAdvisor