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LEISURE & HOSPITALITY 68 | HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL • DECEMBER 24, 2018 MOST VISITED TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CONNECTICUT (Ranked by estimated 2017 attendance) Source: Each attraction via survey, Connecticut Office of Tourism. Notes: N/A = not available or not applicable. Lake Compounce of Bristol and Ski Sundown of New Hartford do not disclose attendance. Hartford's Dillon Stadium is expected to be revitalized and reopened by spring 2019. (a) Includes part-time employees. (b) Named interim CEO in July, after the passing of the late Felix Rappaport. (c) Run by the Bushnell Park Foundation. (d) An additional 11 seasonal employees. (e) An additional 66 student interns. (f) Approximately 150 student employees. (g) An additional 31 part-time employees. —Compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher. Most visited tourist attractions in Connecticut (Ranked by estimated 2017 attendance) Rank Attraction 2017 attendance Employees/ Volunteers (a) Description Top executive(s) Year founded 1 Foxwoods Resort Casino 350 Trolley Line Blvd. Mashantucket, CT 06338 800-369-9663; www.foxwoods.com 11,816,196 5,500 0 Hospitality, entertainment, gaming, retail, dining, golf, spa and hotel Rodney A. Butler (b) 1992 2 Mohegan Sun 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. Uncasville, CT 06382 888-MOHEGAN; www.mohegansun.com 9,000,000 7,150 0 Entertainment, gaming, dining, shopping, hotel, spa, meetings and conventions Ray Pineault 1996 3 Mystic Aquarium 55 Coogan Blvd. Mystic, CT 06355 860-572-5955; www.mysticaquarium.org 700,821 370 684 Underwater worlds and creatures including beluga whales, penguins and more; interactive experiences, exhibits and animal adventures Stephen M. Coan 1973 4 Riverfront Recapture 50 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT 06016 860-713-3131; www.riverfront.org 617,000 99 1,835 Variety of events and recreational activities Michael Zaleski 1981 5 The Lyman Farm Inc. d/b/a Lyman Orchards 32 Reeds Gap Road Middlefield, CT 06455 860-349-1793; www.lymanorchards.com 600,000 50,250 0 1,100 scenic acres in central Connecticut with Pick Your Own Orchards, bakery, cafe, cheese and more; beginner and championship public golf on 45 holes John Lyman III Stephen L Ciskowski 1741 6 The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk 10 N. Water St. Norwalk, CT 06854 203-852-0700; www.maritimeaquarium.org 506,236 119 347 Exhibits, sharks, seals, sea turtles, jellyfish, river otters and other animals native to Long Island Sound and its watershed; study cruises, educational programs and IMAX movie theater Brian Davis 1988 7 Bushnell Park (c) P.O. Box 230778 Hartford, CT 06123 860-232-6710; www.bushnellpark.org 500,000 1 50 Weekly tours of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch and monthly tours of the park, monuments and statues; newly renovated carousel is open year-round Mary Zeman 1854 7 Elizabeth Park Conservancy 1561 Asylum Ave. West Hartford, CT 06117 860-231-9443; www.elizabethparkct.org 500,000 7 1,000 The oldest municipal rose garden, tulips, annuals, perennials, iris, dahlias, herbs, medicinals, rock garden, hosta garden, duck ponds, recreational and picnic areas, running trails, playground, cafe Christine M. Doty Park 1897, Conservancy 1977 9 The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts 166 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT 06106 860-987-5900; www.bushnell.org 316,000 100 570 Two performance halls and multiple public event spaces, more than 450 events annually, Broadway tours, symphonies, family entertainment, concerts, local arts and community events David Fay 1929 10 Mystic Seaport 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT 06355 860-572-0711; www.mysticseaport.org 300,000 300 600 Maritime museum featuring historic vessels, a working preservation shipyard, recreated seafaring village, exhibits, galleries and more Stephen C. White 1929 11 Connecticut Science Center 250 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT 06103 860-724-3623; www.ctsciencecenter.org 295,843 86 101 Science-based museum, educational and tourism venue Matt J. Fleury 2009 12 Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo 1875 Noble Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06610 203-394-6565; www.beardsleyzoo.org 280,000 37 (d) 127 (e) Three-hundred animals representing primarily North and South American species; South American rain forest with aviary, prairie dog exhibit, farmyard; hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, cafe, picnic grove, indoor carousel Gregg Dancho 1922 13 Yale University Art Gallery 1111 Chapel St. New Haven, CT 06510 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu 232,185 149 0 (f) Oldest college art museum in America, and the third oldest in the world; holds more than 200,000 objects Jock Reynolds 1832 14 Quassy Amusement & Waterpark 2132 Middlebury Road Middlebury, CT 06762 203-758-2913; www.quassy.com 230,000 350 0 Family amusement and waterpark on Lake Quassapaug with more than two dozen rides and attractions George Frantzis II 1908 15 Essex Steam Train & Riverboat (Valley Railroad Co.) 1 Railroad Ave. Essex, CT 06426 860-767-0103; www.essexsteamtrain.com 183,649 N/A Narrated steam-train and riverboat excursions, meals on the Essex Clipper Lunch & Dinner Trains, sunset cruises, music cruises and fall foliage trains; Christmas North Pole Express and Santa Special Train Kevin Dodd 1971 16 Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre 95 S. Turnpike Road Wallingford, CT 06492 203-269-8721; oakdale.com 180,000 35 0 Year-round concert venue and event space for graduations, weddings, parties, proms, galas, meetings and more Lorraine Nuha 1954 17 Historic Ship Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum 1 Crystal Lake Road Groton, CT 06349 860-694-3174; www.ussnautilus.org 133,763 7 35 U.S. Navy's official submarine museum with tours of the Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine along with exhibits ranging from the Revolutionary War era to present day Bradley M. Boyd 1964 18 Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170 Whitney Ave. New Haven, CT 06511 203-432-5050; peabody.yale.edu 125,000 64 (g) 123 Jurassic-age dinosaur skeletons from the Peabody's paleontology collections, Rudolph Zallinger's mural "The Age of Reptiles"; exhibits on ancient Egypt, early man, CT geology, CT birds, minerals and meteorites David Skelly 1866 19 The Goodspeed 6 Main St. East Haddam, CT 06423 860-873-8668; www.goodspeed.org 120,000 N/A Produces award-winning musicals featuring Broadway actors, directors and designers; surrounded by top-notch restaurants, shops and galleries; first theatre in the nation to be honored with two Tony awards Michael Gennaro 1963 Source: Each attraction via survey, Connecticut Office of Tourism. Notes: N/A = not available or not applicable. Lake Compounce of Bristol and Ski Sundown of New Hartford do not disclose attendance. Hartford's Dillon Stadium is expected to be revitalized and reopened by spring 2019. (a) Includes part-time employees. (b) Named interim CEO in July, after the passing of the late Felix Rappaport. (c) Run by the Bushnell Park Foundation. (d) An additional 11 seasonal employees. (e) An additional 66 student interns. (f) Approximately 150 student employees. (g) An additional 31 part-time employees. —Compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher. A federal judge dealt a significant blow in September to the Mashantucktet Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nation's joint efforts to build an East Windsor casino that would compete with MGM Resorts' new Springfield casino. The judge ruled that the operators of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods don't have legal standing to compel Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to take measures that would allow the casino project to move forward. Riverfront Recapture in May announced a new Riverfront Innovation Fund that will seed as much as $200,000 for new projects and programs. The Connecticut Science Center marked a milestone in 2018 by hosting the Association of Science-Technology Centers' (ASTC) annual conference in September.