Whether you’re looking for a history lesson, want to explore a different culture, or just want a fun and unique experience, Chicago has a variety of museums.
However, the region’s vast variety of museums extends beyond the city limits.
In fact, there’s one uniquely colorful destination in northwestern Indiana, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Chicago. Whiting’s Mascot Hall of Fame was recently named the nation’s top pop culture museum by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers Choice Awards.
Described by the magazine as a “fascinating museum,” the Mascot Hall of Fame pays homage to some of sports’ most popular mascots, with interactive exhibits and numerous memorabilia on display. The museum opened in 2018 with the goal of becoming “a premier institution that supports creative thinking with a backdrop of family fun and sports mascot entertainment,” according to its website.
Avid Chicago sports fans can stop by and learn about familiar faces like “Southpaw,” “Tommy Hawk,” and “Benny the Bull.” They are just a few of the dozens of mascots inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame.
The museum celebrated the win in a social media post, writing, “Thank you for believing in the magic of mascots and making us number one!”
“A huge thank you to all of our amazing fans who rallied behind us! Thanks to your unwavering support, we leapfrogged 19 other nationally recognized museums and achieved the coveted title. “We won the USA TODAY 10 Best Award for Best Pop Culture Museum,” the post reads in part. “This victory is as much yours as it is ours!”:
Although the museum was at the top of the list, it wasn’t the only Midwest institution recognized by USA TODAY.
The others were the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the OZ Museum in Wamego, Kansas.
Nominations for the 10Best Awards were submitted by a panel of experts, narrowed down to a finalist, and voted on by our readers.