National Comedy Center Nominated for USA Today Readers’ Choice “Best New Museum” Travel Award

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The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution and state-of-the-art museum dedicated to comedy as an art form, has been nominated for the 2020 USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Award for “Best New Museum,” it was announced today by USA Today. The National Comedy Center was one of 20 new museums in the United States nominated for this award by a panel of nationally-recognized travel experts for the USA Today travel award series, which celebrates outstanding destinations, attractions and experiences.

The National Comedy Center is asking visitors, fans and supporters to cast their vote for the museum as part of the public voting process to select a winner. Everyone is invited to vote daily, now through Monday, February 17, 2020 at noon ET.

Vote for the National Comedy Center daily at www.VoteComedyCenter.com.

The winner of the “Best New Museum” award will be announced on Friday, February 28, 2020.

In 2019, the National Comedy Center was nominated for the USA Today “Best New Attraction” award, where it was voted #2 out of 20 new attractions by USA Today readers, and chosen as the #1 museum and #1 ticketed attraction in the USA Today poll.

About the
National Comedy Center

The National Comedy Center is the United States’ official cultural institution and museum dedicated to presenting the vital story of comedy and preserving its heritage for future generations, as formally designated by the U.S. Congress in 2019. Opened in August 2018 in Jamestown, New York, the museum complex offers an unprecedented visitor experience using state-of-the-art technology, interactivity and personalization to create the first true 21st Century museum environment.
TIME just named the National Comedy Center one of its “World’s Greatest Places,” – one of only “100 new and newly noteworthy destinations to experience right now” and one of only nine attractions to visit in the United States. Condé Nast Traveler called the National Comedy Center “One of the best museums in the country,” while People magazine recently named it one of “100 Reasons to Love America.” Comedy industry authority The Interrobang named the design team second on its list of “Innovators Who Changed Comedy” in 2018. Visitors from all 50 states and nine countries have given the Center a rare 5/5 raring on TripAdvisor, ranking among the highest in the attraction and tourism industry

Based on the vision of Jamestown native Lucille Ball for her hometown to become a destination for comedy, the National Comedy Center showcases comedy’s great minds and unique voices in ways that engage, inspire, educate and entertain. As a non-profit institution, the National Comedy Center was funded by a mix of federal, state and private philanthropic support, including partnerships with I LOVE NEW YORK ™, Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State’s Empire State Development.

The museum attracted visitors from all 50 states and 18 countries, with 88.7% of National Comedy Center visitors coming from outside Chautauqua County. The museum attracted visitors from all 50 states and 18 countries, with 88.7% of National Comedy Center visitors coming from outside Chautauqua County.

Design for the National Comedy Center was led by the most prominent cultural and interactive design firms in the world, whose portfolios collectively include the award-winning 9/11 Memorial Museum, The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, The College Football Hall of Fame, SNL: The Experience, and more.

The National Comedy Center has been embraced by the entertainment industry, with props, costumes and archival material provided by many of the most revered names in comedy. The Comedy Center recently announced a major initiative to preserve Carl Reiner’s personal “Dick Van Dyke Show” script archive. Exhibition partners include the Kelly Carlin and the George Carlin estate, George Shapiro and Jerry Seinfeld, Dan Aykroyd, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Joan Dangerfield, The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, The Harold Ramis Family, The Garry Shandling Estate, George Schlatter, Bill Marx and the Harpo Marx Family, the Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams estate, Desilu Too, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Corporate Archive, and many more.
The National Comedy Center operates the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, which explores the lives, careers and legacy of the “First Couple of Comedy,” and the incredible impact they had on the world.

For over 25 years, the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown has showcased comedy’s rising young comedians and greatest stars, including Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Jay

Leno, Lily Tomlin, Lewis Black, Trevor Noah, Joan Rivers, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Gaffigan, Paula Poundstone, Ray Romano, Bob Newhart and The Smothers Brothers, and over one hundred other comedic artists. The 28th annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, presented by the National Comedy Center, was held this past, headlined by Sebastian Maniscalco and John Mulaney.

Stay connected to the National Comedy Center:
Website: www.comedycenter.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalcomedycenter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucilleBallComedyFestival/
Follow on Twitter and Instagram at @ntlcomedycenter