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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 57 BO O K O F L I S T S 2 0 2 3 H O S P I TA L I T Y / E N T E RTA I N M E N T Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2021 attendance 1 Open to the public in 2007 2 Represents partial-year opening This list was compiled by Timothy Doyle and Stephanie R. Meagher and published in the Aug. 1, 2022 issue of Mainebiz. N O T E S : Augusta's Maine State Museum, with 2019 attendance of 43,634 visitors, is closed for renovations and expected to re-open in 2025. Gray's Wildlife Park and Portland's Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine did not respond to the 2022 survey; based on 2019 attendance figures they would be ranked in the top ten tourist attractions. S O U R C E : Each attraction via survey. Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2021 attendance Attraction 2021 attendance/ Maine employees Description Top executive(s) Year founded 1 Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor 04609 288-3338• nps.gov/acadia 4,069,098 115 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 Brandon Bies 1916 2 Sugarloaf Mountain Resort 5092 Access Road, Carrabassett Valley 04947 800-843-5623• sugarloaf.com 350,000 750 One of the largest ski resorts in the East, home to Sugarloaf Golf Club and a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions. Karl Strand 1951 3 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay 04537 633-8000• mainegardens.org 336,000 120 Full day experience for the whole family with ornamental, educational, and children's gardens, waterfalls, stonework, experiential art, youth and adult education, and sculpture. Miles of trails offer waterfront and woodlands that are quintessentially Maine. Gretchen Ostherr 1992 1 4 Funtown Splashtown USA 774 Portland Road, Saco 04072 284-5139• funtownsplashtownusa.com 300,000 500 Family-owned water and amusement park offering fun and activities for all ages. Violet Cormier 1967 5 Fryeburg Fair 1154 Main St., Fryeburg 04037 935-3268• fryeburgfair.org 170,000 650 Eight-day agricultural fair with food, horse & oxen pulls, tractor & truck pulls, livestock competitions, Woodsmen's Field Day, exhibits, and Maine products. Rachel Andrews Damon 1851 6 Songo River Queen II 841 Roosevelt Trail, Naples 04055 693-6861• songoriverqueen.net 118,000 10 Sightseeing cruise ship Kent Uicker 1971 7 Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory 740 Fort Knox Road, Prospect 04981 469-6553• FortKnoxMaine.com 113,326 25 Historic site with Civi-war seacoast fort and observatory hosting elevator rides over 400 feet up for views of the Penobscot Bay region. Dean Martin 1844 8 Allagash Brewing Co. 765 Warren Ave., Portland 04103 800-330-5385• allagash.com 100,000 145 Award-winning craft brewery Rob Tod 1995 8 Great Falls Balloon Festival Simard-Payne Memorial Park, Oxford St., Lewiston 04240 212-4921• greatfallsballoonfestival.org 100,000 0 Free entry, balloon launches, carnival, food vendors, children's area, parade, fireworks, Family Fun Day and live music; to be held Aug. 19-21 in 2022. Tracy Collins 1992 10 Portland Museum of Art 7 Congress Square, Portland 04101 775-6148• portlandmuseum.org 92,543 83 More than 18,000 works of art, exhibitions, guest speakers, free school tours, family activities, films, curator talks and tours of the Winslow Homer Studio. Mark H.C. Bessire 1882 11 Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine 250 Thompson's Point Road, Portland 04102 828-1234• kitetails.org 62,505 2 Non-profit organization that inspires discovery and imagination through exploration and play as a community resource devoted to children's continued development and learning Julie Butcher Pezzino 1923 12 Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum 49 Thames St., Portland 04101 828-0814• mainenarrowgauge.org 60,000 5 Scenic, affordable, family-friendly train rides along Casco Bay with year- round events. Griffin Bourassa 1993 13 Acadian Boat Tours 47 West St., Bar Harbor 04609 801-2300• acadianboattours.com 56,000 18 Sightseeing boat tours including local sites along shoreline, Puffin trips, fishing tours, lighthouse tours, private charters and more. Diane Smith 2000 14 Farnsworth Art Museum 16 Museum St., Rockland 04841 596-6457• farnsworthmuseum.org 51,000 32 Celebrates Maine's role in American art through collection of 15,000 works, the Wyeth Center, Farnsworth Library and more. Christopher J. Brownawell 1948 SOURCE: Each attraction via survey. Note: Augusta's Maine State Museum, with 2019 attendance of 43,634 visitors, is closed for renovations and expected to re-open in 2025. Gray's Wildlife Park and Portland's Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine did not respond to the 2022 survey; based on 2019 attendance figures they would be ranked in the top ten tourist attractions. 1 Open to the public in 2007 2 Represents partial-year opening -This list was compiled by Timothy Doyle and Stephanie R. Meagher and published in the Aug. 1, 2022 issue of Mainebiz.