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62 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 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 18 Tuckerman Hall 10 Tuckerman St., Worcester 01609 508-754-1234 • tuckermanhall.org 20,000 10 Small concert hall and assembly venue (8) Paul Levenson executive director 1902 (9) 19 Hardwick Vineyard and Winery 3305 Greenwich Road, Hardwick 01037 413-967-7763 • hardwickwinery.com 20,000 3 Family winery located on quiet country road that winds around the Quabbin Reservoir John Samek founder & owner 1997 20 Vaillancourt Folk Art 9 Main St., Suite 1-H, Sutton 01590 508-476-3601 • valfa.com 19,250 21 One of the last family-owned Christmas studios in America producing fine-art collectibles and ornaments with retail gallery, Christmas theater, Christmas museum and renowned outdoor Christkindle markets Luke M. Vaillancourt president Judi and Gary Vaillancourt co-founders 1984 21 Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust (10) 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham 01701 508-877-7630 • NativePlantTrust.org 18,000 25 45-acre native plant botanic garden in wooded setting with pond, brook and swamp Debbi Edelstein executive director 1900 22 Worcester Historical Museum 30 Elm St., Worcester 01609 508-753-8278 • worcesterhistory.org 12,000 15 Dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting Worcester's history across all time periods and subject areas for all audiences William D. Wallace executive director 1875 23 Animal Adventures Family Zoo and Rescue Center 336 Sugar Road, Bolton 01740 978-779-8988 • animaladventures.net 7,500 25 Animal rescue and educational facility open to the public and available for traveling presentations Ed and Brenda Laquidara owners & founders 1997 24 Fitchburg Art Museum 185 Elm St., Fitchburg 01420 978-345-4207 • fitchburgartmuseum.org 7,000 12 Art museum Nick Capasso director 1925 25 Museum of Russian Icons 203 Union St., Clinton 01510 978-598-5000 • museumofrussianicons.org 4,610 11 One of the world's largest collections of Russian icons Simon Morsink executive director 2006 26 Groton Hill Music Center 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton 01450 978-486-9524 • grotonhill.org 3,330 97 (11) Home to the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra and more than 30 professional performances and community events Lisa Fiorentino CEO 1985 27 Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University 14 Vernon St., Framingham 01701 508-215-5110 • danforth.framingham.edu 3,000 5 Cultural resource serving the region with transformational artistic experiences; the museum exhibits, collects and teaches Jessica Roscio director & curator 1975 28 The Center at Eagle Hill 242 Old Petersham Road, Hardwick 01037 413-477-6746 • thecenterateaglehill.org 2,600 2 Place to discover music, dance, theatre and artists of every discipline in a beautiful setting in Central Mass. Carl Mercier artistic director 2008 29 Clara Barton Birthplace Museum 66 Clara Barton Road North, North Oxford 01537 508-987-2056 • clarabartonbirthplace.org 300 1 Museum celebrating Clara Barton's life as teacher, Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross with items owned by Clara Barton and other family members Lynn Butler manager 1921 Sources: Each attraction via survey and their websites. Notes: Davis Farmland reported 2.5 million visitors in 2019, but did not respond to recent surveys. The farm's Mega Maze was destroyed by fire in June 2022 and was expected to re-open in September 2022. Unable to confirm data for Bolton's Nashoba Valley Winery, Harvard's Fruitlands Museums, Shrewsbury's Ski Ward Ski Area or the Worcester Palladium by press time. This list was updated since original publication in the March 20, 2023 edition of Worcester Business Journal. (1) WooSox led Minor League Baseball in tickets sold in 2022. (2) Facility can accommodate the needs of any size group from 15 to 15,000. (3) Nonprofit organization on 171 acres operated by Worcester County Horticultural Society (4) Named for American pioneer and folk hero John Chapman, who was born in Leominster. (5) All volunteer (6) Scheduled for Aug. 11-13, 2023 (7) More than 100 volunteers annually (8) Accommodates 521 for concerts, 270 for corporate dinners and 200 for weddings (9) Designed by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of America's first female architects (10) Part of Native Plant Trust, whose mission is to conserve and promote New England's native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. (11) Includes faculty of music school and administrative staff; concerts are organized by more than 60 volunteers. -Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher Imagine being a 16-year-old musician and performing in a 1,000-seat concert hall built to world-class standards for acoustics. That's something that youth musicians get to experience at the new Groton Hill Music Center. The center is the next evolution of the longstanding Nashoba Valley institution previously known as Indian Hill Music Center. In its old incarnation in Littleton, the youth orchestra rehearsed in a tiny hall and performed in the auditorium at Littleton High School, where the sound was hampered by the acoustics of a space not specifically built for music. "Now they're hearing how they actually sound," said Julie LeBlanc Pampinella, marketing and PR manager for Groton Hill. "The room, it honors the sound." The move to Groton brings the nonprofit organization full circle. It got its start in Groton in 1985 but soon moved to a prop- erty in Littleton. There, it hosted visiting performers, supported its own musicians, and created music education programs in partnership with schools and other organizations all around the region. The idea for the new facility came from an anonymous donor, a person with a longstanding relationship with the old Indian Hill operation who wanted to cement Central Massachusetts as an arts destination, said David RC Leary, director of mar- keting for the organization. Now, Groton Hill is the largest arts and culture nonprofit in Central Massachusetts, with more than $181 million in assets, accord- ing to the IRS. Groton Hill Music Center enters its first full season Vista Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Hall