The Africatown Heritage House is in elite company among contenders for the honor of “Best New Museum” in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice picks.

The Heritage House, which opened amid great fanfare on July 8, serves as a much-needed point of entry for tourism sparked by rising interest in the infamous final voyage of the slave ship Clotilda and in the Africatown community founded by some of its survivors. Its inaugural presentation, “Clotilda: The Exhibition,” also features relics recovered from the wreckage of the Clotilda.

Online voting opened Monday, Nov. 27, and runs 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 25. People are allowed to vote once per day.

On the new 10Best ballot it’s one of 16 candidate institutions, some of which are in established tourism destinations: The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum and the World War II American Experience Museum in Gettysburg, Penn.; the Jackie Robinson Museum and the Museum of Broadway in New York City; and the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas.

According to information provided by the History Museum of Mobile, the Heritage House was nominated “by travel journalists who have visited Mobile and followed the site’s progress over the year.”

Full contest rules and information on the contenders can be found at 10best.usatoday.com. The winner will be announced Jan. 5.

Africatown Heritage House is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets, which can be purchased in advance at clotilda.com, are $15 for adults; $9 for guests ages 65 or more, students age 18 or more with a valid school ID, and active or retired military with ID; $8 for children ages 6 to 18; free for children 5 and under; and free for Mobile County residents with proof of residency (though donations are encouraged).

For full information, visit clotilda.com.