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V O L . X X I V N O. X V I 12 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2017 attendance C O M P I L E D B Y S T E P H A N I E R . M E A G H E R 2017 Attendance No. Employees No. Volunteers Description Top executive Year founded 1 Acadia National Park 1 Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor 04609 288-3338, nps.gov/acad 3,509,271 140 3,509,271 140 2,700 50,000 acres of the Acadia archipelago and Schoodic peninsula with historic carriage roads, hiking trails and motor roads along diverse natural habitats and glacially sculpted mountains Kevin Schneider 1916 2 Funtown Splashtown USA 774 Portland Road, Saco 04072 284-5139, funtownsplashtownusa.com 500,000 500 0 Amusement and water park Violet Cormier 1967 3 Sugarloaf Mountain Resort 3 Sugarloaf Mountain Resort 5092 Access Road, Carrabassett Valley 04947 800-843-5623, sugarloaf.com 400,000 1,000 400,000 1,000 200 Home to the only lift-serviced above treeline skiing and riding in the East; a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions Karl Strand 1951 Karl Strand 1951 Karl Strand 1951 4 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay 04537 633-8000, mainegardens.org 191,000 120 325 295 acres of tidal shore connects people, plants and nature through horticulture, education and research; cultivated gardens, woodland trails, education program, docent-led tours, electric-boat excursions Bill Cullina 1992 1 5 Portland Museum of Art 5 Portland Museum of Art 7 Congress Square, Portland 04101 775-6148, portlandmuseum.org 164,000 85 155 Significant holdings of iconic works from Maine, American, European and contemporary art; members-only events, free school tours, family activities, films, curator talks and exclusive tours of the Winslow Homer Studio Mark H.C. Bessire 1882 6 Allagash Brewing Co. 50 Industrial Way, Portland 04103 878-5385, allagash.com 150,000 125 Independent Portland brewer striving to make the best Belgian-inspired beers in the world; open seven days weekly for free tours and tastings Rob Tod 1995 7 Maine Wildlife Park 7 Maine Wildlife Park 56 Game Farm Road, Gray 04039 657-4977, mainewildlifepark.com 125,000 416 125,000 416 150 Over 30 species of native Maine wildlife that cannot be safely released back into the wild; nature trails, picnic and grilling areas, gardens, nature store, snack shack and adjacent fish hatchery Curt Johnson 1940 8 Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine 142 Free St., Portland 04101 828-1234, kitetails.org 115,928 23 35 More than 20 hands-on exhibits, education and enrichment programs, theater productions and more Suzanne Olson 1976 9 Songo River Queen II 9 Songo River Queen II 841 Roosevelt Trail, Naples 04055 693-6861, songoriverqueen.net 110,000 12 0 Sightseeing and cruise ship Kent Uicker 1971 Kent Uicker 1971 Kent Uicker 1971 10 Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory 740 Fort Knox Road, Prospect 04981 469-6553, fortknox.maineguide.com 106,450 20 35 Two-for-one admission fee attraction includes a preserved, Civil War seacoast fort and observatory with elevator rides over 400 feet up for views of the Penobscot Bay region Amy McRae 2006 & 1923 11 Great Falls Balloon Festival 11 Great Falls Balloon Festival Simard-Payne Memorial Park, Oxford St., Lewiston 04240 240-5931, greatfallsballoonfestival.org 100,000 0 60 Three-day hot air balloon festival over the falls in downtown Lewiston/Auburn; entertainment, food and balloon launches at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mell Hamlyn 1993 12 Farnsworth Art Museum 16 Museum St., Rockland 04841 596-6457, farnsworthmuseum.org 71,255 30 35 Celebrates Maine's role in American art through a collection of 15,000 works, the Wyeth Center, Farnsworth Library and more Christopher Brownawell 1948 1 SOURCE: 1 Opened to the public in 2007. N O T E S : N/A: Not available. S O U R C E : Each attraction via survey, visitmaine.com and Maine Offi ce of Tourism.