California Surf Museum Finishes in Top Two for a USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Award!

Thank you to all who voted for CSM as “Best Attraction for Sports Fans” for USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award. It was definitely a group effort and with your help we made it into the top 10 and came in at #2!

These are the the top ten winners in this category:

1. Boise State’s Blue Turf
2. California Surf Museum
3. Field of Dreams Movie Site
4. S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
5. Kentucky Derby Museum
6. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
7. USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
8. International Tennis Hall of Fame
9. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
10. National Soccer Hall of Fame

“When we received a nomination from a panel of expert judges seeking a consensus on the nation’s 10 best attractions for sports fans, we were flattered to have made the cut,” said California Surf Museum President Jim Kempton. “When we got the news that, following 28 days of national ballot-casting, we had finished in the top two, we were ‘stoked’ to say the least!

“People might not immediately think of surfing as a major sport, but nearly three million Americans are dedicated to it as a way of life that numbers an estimated 23 million participants worldwide. Add to this a fan base of people who don’t surf but love and appreciate the spectacle, sport, tradition, history, and culture of surfing, then our showing begins to make perfect sense.”

Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of experts which includes editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. All voting is digital and the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award contest is accessible on the 10Best.com website.

The category “Best Attraction for Sports Fans” includes museums to legendary filming locations. These 20 attractions bring sports fans closer to the action as they pay homage to the people, places, and big moments that make sports so compelling.

Nominees in alphabetical order:

1. Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
2. Boise State’s Blue Turf, Boise, Idaho
3. California Surf Museum, Oceanside, California
4. College Football Hall of Fame, Atlanta, Georgia
5. Field of Dreams Movie Site, Dyersville, Iowa
6. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana
7. International Boxing Hall of Fame, Canastota, New York
8. International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Lincoln, Nebraska
9. International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island
10. Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
11. Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts
12. NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina
13. International Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, New York
14. National Soccer Hall of Fame, Frisco, Texas
15. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
16. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio
17. S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado
18. S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, Ishpeming, Michigan
19. USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing, New York
20. Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Knoxville, Tennessee

We thank you for your support of over 37 years of chronicling, advancing, and celebrating the sport of surfing and a lifestyle people around the world embrace and appreciate.