Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Wins #1 'Best Patriotic Attraction' In USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice 2016 Travel Award Contest

Readers were asked to vote for their favorite patriotic attractions from a pool of 20 nominees, including the Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Boston's Freedom Trail, etc. over a four week period of voting. Nominees for all categories were chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. Rules allowed the public the right to vote online for one nominee per category, per day. Voting closed on June 28, 2016. The winners are listed here: http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-patriotic-attraction/.

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, which opened in June 2012 and is owned and operated by Historic Tours of America, is situated over the same body of water where the Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. The museum tells the story of the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party and immediate aftermath that led to the start of the American Revolution. The museum provides a unique immersion experience in history by representing key events in from 1773 to 1775, through live actors, tea [crate] throwing off authentically resorted tea ships, high-tech interactive exhibits, and an award-winning multisensory film, Let it Begin Here. On display at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is the Robinson Half Chest, one of only two known surviving tea chests from the original Boston Tea Party (the second is owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington DC).

The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is open 7 days/week from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (summer/spring) and from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (fall/winter). Tours run every 30 minutes in the fall/winter and every 15 minutes in the spring/summer and last 1 hr.

"We are humbled and honored to be awarded 'Best Patriotic Attraction' among such an esteemed group of nominees," says Shawn P. Ford, Executive Director of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. "Every day, the entire team at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is passionate about telling and teaching the story The Boston Tea Party, celebrating and recognizing its significance in American History. We could not be more proud to have received this recognition and thank everyone who voted for us. "

Coming up in December 2016, The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and the Old South Meeting House team-up to host the annual Boston Tea Party Reenactment which takes places every December 16 with hundreds of reenactors. This year will mark the 243^rd anniversary of The Boston Tea Party.

This annual reenactment, one of the largest moving theatrical reenactment performances in the United States, is an opportunity for the public to experience one of America's most iconic public protests, live, where reenactors bring to life the story of The Boston Tea Party and theatrically recreate the evening of Dec., 16, 1773. It begins with a fiery tea tax debate at Old South Meeting House, the actual historic hall where the colonists gathered to protest taxation without representation. Then, the public joins a lively procession to the waterfront, and watch as the Sons of Liberty destroy hundreds of pounds of actual [expired] tea direct from London's East India Company into Boston's historic harbor at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. The 243^rd Boston Tea Party Anniversary & Annual Reenactment will be taking place this year on Fri., December 16, 2016. For more information go to: www.december16.org.

ABOUT USA TODAY AND 10BEST.COM:
USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.  Through its unique visual storytelling, USA TODAY delivers high-quality and engaging content across print, digital, social and video platforms. An innovator of news and information, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation and serves as the host of the American conversation – today, tomorrow and for decades to follow. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.6 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 6.6 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than 16 million downloads on mobile devices. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. 10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world. The core of the site's uniqueness is its team of local travel experts: a well-traveled and well-educated group who are not only experts in their fields - and their cities - but discriminating in their tastes. These local experts live in the city they write about so the content is constantly updated.

ABOUT BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM:
The Boston Tea Party, "the single most important event leading up to the American Revolution," occurred the night of Dec. 16, 1773. With the grand opening in June 2012, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, owned and operated by Historic Tours of America, is dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history (1773 to 1775). Through actors, tea throwing reenactments, high-tech interactive exhibits, authentic replica ships: the Beaver and the Eleanor and an award-winning multisensory film, Let it Begin Here. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is open 7 days/week from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Summer/Spring) and from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Fall/Winter). Tours run every 30 minutes in the fall/winter and every 15 minutes in the spring/summer and last 1 hr. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum was voted 'Best New Museum' by Yankee magazine in the '2012 Best of New England Issue' and 'Best of the New 2012' by Boston Globe Magazine. To learn more visit www.bostonteapartyship.com or call 1-855-(TEA)-1773. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is located at 306 Congress St. on the Congress St. Bridge, Boston, MA 02210.

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SOURCE Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

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