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wbjournal.com | August 5, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 15 H O S P I T A L I T Y & T O U R I S M F O C U S Top tourist attractions Ranked by annual attendance, 2018 Top tourist attractions Ranked by annual attendance in 2018 Attraction 2018 attendance No. of employees Description Chief executive Year founded 1 DCU Center 50 Foster St., Worcester 01608 508-755-6800 • dcucenter.com 553,320 152 Arena and convention center Sandra Dunn general manager 1982 2 Wachusett Mountain Ski Area 499 Mountain Road, Princeton 01541 978-464-2300 • www.wachusett.com 505,000 1,200 Ski resort open year-round for festivals, private events, weddings, summer outings and business meetings Jeff Crowley president 1934 3 Great Wolf Lodge New England 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg 01420 978-343-9653 • www.greatwolf.com 500,000 750 Two waterparks, slides and hot tub, fitness center, arcade, mini-golf, ropes course, climbing, 3 bars, resort and conference center Henry Tessman general manager 2014 3 Southwick's Zoo 2 Southwick St., Mendon 01756 800-258-9182 x 210 • www.southwickszoo.com 500,000 180 More than 850 wild animals; educational presentations, rides, picnic grounds, food and gift venues; events for large and small groups Peter Justin Brewer president 1963; incorporated in 1965 5 Nashoba Valley Winery 100 Wattaquadock Hill Road, Bolton 01740 978-779-5521 • nashobawinery.com 270,500 60 Winery, distillery, brewery, orchard vineyard and restaurant with locally grown and crafted beverages; wedding, outing and meeting venue Richard Pelletier president & CEO 1995 6 Old Sturbridge Village 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge 01566 800-733-1830 • www.osv.org 251,680 200 200-acre living history museum depicting a 19th-century New England rural farm village where visitors can talk with authentically costumed historians and see heritage breed farm animals James E. Donahue president & CEO 1946 7 The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts 2 Southbridge St., Worcester 01608 877-571-7469 • thehanovertheatre.org 214,000 54 Award-winning Broadway shows, music and more; historic theatre is a catalyst for the development of downtown Worcester (a) Troy Siebels president & CEO 2008 8 Mechanics Hall 321 Main St., Worcester 01608 508-752-5608 • www.mechanicshall.org 200,000 12 Performance and special events venue serving Central Massachusetts for over 160 years Kathleen Gagne (b) executive director 1857 9 EcoTarium 222 Harrington Way, Worcester 01604 508-929-2700 • www.ecotarium.org 170,863 42 Indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature, three floors of interactive exhibits, digital planetarium, science discovery programs, live animal habitats, trails, outdoor play and more Lucy Hale president 1825 10 Tower Hill Botanic Garden 11 French Drive, Boylston 01505 508-869-6111 • www.towerhillbg.org 151,317 N/A Year-round museum of plants on 171 acres owned and operated by the Worcester County Horticultural Society; events, cafe and gift shop Grace Elton CEO 1842 11 Wachusett Brewing Co. 175 State Road East, Westminster 01473 978-874-9965 • www.wachusettbrew.com 125,000 104 Craft brewery with tap room, restaurant, tours, outdoor seating and retail store Ned C. LaFortune founder & CEO 1994 12 Worcester Art Museum 55 Salisbury St., Worcester 01609 508-793-4330 • worcesterart.org 109,832 210 Houses art from more than 50 centuries, including paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photography, prints, drawings, new media, arms and armor Matthias Waschek The C. Jean and Myles McDonough director of Worcester Art Museum 1896 13 Worcester Palladium 261 Main St., Worcester 01608 508-797-9696 • www.thepalladium.net 100,000 60 Historic performance venue, home to the New England Metal & Hardcore and Rock & Shock Festivals, general admission seating Christopher Besaw general manager 1928; 1996 14 Fruitlands Museums Inc. 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard 01451 978-456-3924 • www.fruitlands.org 36,000 (c) 25 Four museum buildings of American history and art on 210 acres, 2.5 miles of walking trails, a cafe and museum store Catherine Shortliffe engagement manager 1914 15 Worcester Historical Museum 30 Elm St., Worcester 01609 508-753-8278 • www.worcesterhistory.org 25,000 16 Museum and library dedicated to collecting and preserving shared experience of the Worcester community through exhibitions and public programs; owns and operates Salisbury Mansion William D. Wallace executive director 1875 Source: Each attraction via survey. N/A = Not applicable or not available. Note: On April 14, Danforth Art Museum re-opened in its new location as part of Framingham State University. Lancaster's Johnny Appleseed Country Visitors' Center reported 165,000 visitors last year, but did not respond to the 2019 survey. Sterling's Davis Farmland and Davis Mega Farm Festival do not report attendance. Unable to confirm data for Charlton's Tree House Brewing Co., Hardwick Vineyard and Winery, Northborough's Tougas Family Farm, Clara Barton Birthplace Museum of North Oxford or International Fairgrounds of Uxbridge. The full list of tourist attractions is available in the digital edition of WBJ's 2019 Book of Lists, https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1143049-book-of-lists-2019/99?. For additional organizations that impact tourism in Central Mass., see WBJ's new list of Entertainment & Sporting Venues. (a) The Hanover Theatre's acquisition of 551 Main St. houses new function space, offices, rental space for a restaurant on the ground floor and The Hanover Theatre Conservatory for the Performing Arts on the lower level. (b) Succeeded Robert M. Kennedy upon his retirement, effective Sept. 26, 2018 (c) Includes private clients - Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com Source: Each attraction via survey. N/A = Not applicable or not available. Note: On April 14, Danforth Art Museum re-opened in its new location as part of Framingham State University. Lancaster's Johnny Appleseed Country Visitors' Center reported 165,000 visitors last year, but did not respond to the 2019 survey. Sterling's Davis Farmland and Davis Mega Farm Festival do not report attendance. Unable to confirm data for Charlton's Tree House Brewing Co., Hardwick Vineyard and Winery, Northborough's Tougas Family Farm, Clara Barton Birthplace Museum of North Oxford or International Fairgrounds of Uxbridge. The full list of tourist attractions is available in the digital edition of WBJ's 2019 Book of Lists, https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1143049-book-of-lists-2019/99?. For additional organizations that impact tourism in Central Mass., see WBJ's new list of Entertainment & Sporting Venues. (a) The Hanover Theatre's acquisition of 551 Main St. houses new function space, offices, rental space for a restaurant on the ground floor and The Hanover Theatre Conservatory for the Performing Arts on the lower level. (b) Succeeded Robert M. Kennedy upon his retirement, effective Sept. 26, 2018 (c) Includes private clients - Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com