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60 Worcester Business Journal | Book of Lists 2023 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H O S P I T A L I T Y Top tourist attractions Ranked by 2022 attendance, then employees Attraction Annual attendance 2022/ local employees Services offered Top executive(s)/ year founded 1 New England Sports Center 121 Donald Lynch Blvd., Marlborough 01752 508-229-2700 • nes.com 3,000,000 45 Hockey, figure skating and public skating with eight full- size rinks, a mini rink and studio rink as well as pro shop, two restaurants and video arcade; home of the Lady Flames and Minuteman Flames Minor Hockey Association Ollie Vieten general manager 1994 2 Wachusett Mountain Ski Area 499 Mountain Road, Princeton 01541 978-464-2300 • wachusett.com 655,000 1,421 Accessible mountain skiing and winter fun with three high-speed quads and 110 skiable acres Jeff Crowley president 1934 3 Great Wolf Lodge New England 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg 01420 978-343-9653 • greatwolf.com/new-england 650,000 675 Family resort and waterpark Henry Tessman general manager 2014 4 Worcester Red Sox (Polar Park) 100 Madison St., Worcester 01608 508-500-1000 • woosox.com 546,955 250 Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox with 75 home games at Polar Park in Worcester's Canal District; holds capacity for 9,508 fans (1) Larry Lucchino chairman & principal owner 2021 5 DCU Center 50 Foster St., Worcester 01608 508-755-6800 • dcucenter.com 450,000 750 Gathering place for entertainment, sporting events and public functions; home to the Worcester Railers and Massachusetts Pirates (2) Sandra Dunn general manager 1982 6 Southwick's Zoo 2 Southwick St., Mendon 01756 800-258-9182, ext. 212 • southwickszoo.com 350,000 300 Family-owned zoo on over 200 acres with 850 animals in naturalistic habitats including chimpanzee, giraffe, white rhino, lion and tiger; see deer forest, daily shows, zipline, sky ride, train ride and more Peter Justin Brewer president 1965 7 New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill (3) 11 French Drive, Boylston 01505 508-869-6111 • nebg.org 206,507 58 Open to the public year-round for garden viewing, trail walking, educational classes, events, weddings, exhibits, garden shop and café Grace Chapman Elton CEO 1842 8 Old Sturbridge Village 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge 01566 800-733-1830 • osv.org 200,000 200 Living history museum James E. Donahue president & CEO 1946 9 Johnny Appleseed Visitors' Center (4) 1000 Route 2 West, Lancaster 01523 978-534-2302 • visitnorthcentral.com 165,000 4 Open daily, year-round with tourism information and growing collection of exhibits and gift shop for local artisans to showcase crafts and products Roy Nascimento president 1997 10 Tougas Family Farm LLC 234 Ball St., Northborough 01532 508-393-6406 • tougasfamilyfarm.com 150,000 80 Family-owned farm with pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apples and pumpkins; visit the barnyard, playground, farm store and kitchen for seasonal baked goods, ice cream, cider donuts and more Kerrie Ward manager 1981 11 The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts 2 Southbridge St., Worcester 01608 877-571-7469 • thehanovertheatre.org 145,155 230 Performing arts Troy Siebels president & CEO 2008 12 EcoTarium 222 Harrington Way, Worcester 01604 508-929-2700 • ecotarium.org 107,812 57 Museum of science and nature, an indoor-outdoor experience dedicated to inspiring a passion for science and nature in visitors of all ages Noreen Johnson Smith president & CEO 1825 13 Worcester Art Museum 55 Salisbury St., Worcester 01609 508-793-4330 • worcesterart.org 90,600 182 Connects people, communities and cultures through the experience of art Matthias Waschek director 1896 14 Mechanics Hall 321 Main St., Worcester 01608 508-752-5608 • mechanicshall.org 65,000 14 National Registered Historic Place that offers 19th- century elegance, modern amenities and red-carpet service for events and performances Kathleen Gagne executive director 1857 15 Indian Ranch and Samuel Slater's Restaurant 200 Gore Road, Webster 01570 508-943-3871 • indianranch.com 60,000 150 Outdoor amphitheater and onsite restaurant on Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg with summer concert series and campground Suzette Raun president, Indian Ranch 1946 16 Spencer Fair 48 Smithville Road, Spencer 01562 508-885-5814 • spencerfair.org 35,000 0 (5) Traditional country fair taking place annually over Labor Day weekend Bobby Knight president 1888 17 Bolton Fair (Fairgrounds at Lancaster) (6) 318 Seven Bridge Road, Lancaster 01523 978-365-7206 • boltonfair.org 30,000 0 (7) Annual fair with animal shows, exhibits, events and entertainment Rose Darden president & fair manager 1874 The Hanover Theatre received a $225,000 grant in February from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as part of the Gaming Mitigation Program, which uses casino revenues to help cultural institutions attract performances. New England Botanic Garden is on pace to complete its six-year, $28-million Growing Boldly fundraising campaign by the end of 2023. In May, the EcoTarium received $20,000 in a cultural facilities fund grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to perform a 20-year capital needs assessment. Wachusett is planning to replace its summit quad, built in 1994, for the 2024-2025 season, likely with a high-speed six- passenger chair. Nearly all of the WooSox inaugural and biggest corporate sponsors have renewed their deals, some through 2030.