Worcester Business Journal

58 Worcester Business Journal | Book of Lists 2024 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H O S P I T A L I T Y Most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2023 attendance, then local employees Attraction Annual attendance 2023/ 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 1,000,000 69 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 Jason Silbor general manager & ice scheduler 1994 2 Wachusett Mountain Ski Area 499 Mountain Road, Princeton 01541 978-464-2300 • wachusett.com 900,000 1,200 (1) 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 700,000 750 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 519,651 200 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 Charles Steinberg president 2021 5 DCU Center 50 Foster St., Worcester 01608 508-755-6800 • dcucenter.com 485,357 750 Gathering place for entertainment, sporting events and public functions; accommodates groups from 15 to 15,000 Sandra Dunn general manager 1982 6 Southwick's Zoo 2 Southwick St., Mendon 01756 800-258-9182, ext. 212 • southwickszoo.com 450,000 175 Family-owned zoo over 200 acres with 850 animals including chimpanzee, giraffe, white rhino, lion and tiger; deer forest, petting zoo, daily shows, rides, new Within the Wild Carousel Peter Justin Brewer president 1965 7 New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill (2) 11 French Drive, Boylston 01505 508-869-6111 • nebg.org 224,279 60 Open to the public year-round for garden viewing, trail walking, educational classes, exhibitions, events, weddings, 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 200,000 150 Living history museum James E. Donahue president & CEO 1946 9 Discovery Museum 177 Main St., Acton 01720 978-264-4200 • discoveryacton.org 193,965 (3) 75 Museum of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) Marie Beam CEO 1982 10 Hanover Theatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts 2 Southbridge St., Worcester 01608 877-571-7469 • thehanovertheatre.org 180,000 100 Dynamic downtown destination where all people can experience power of the performing arts Troy Siebels (4) president & CEO 2008 11 Johnny Appleseed Visitors' Center (5) 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 12 Mechanics Hall 321 Main St., Worcester 01608 508-752-5608 • mechanicshall.org 135,000 40 National Registered Historic Place that offers 19th- century elegance, modern amenities and red-carpet service for events and performances Kathleen Gagne executive director 1857 13 EcoTarium 222 Harrington Way, Worcester 01604 508-929-2700 • ecotarium.org 130,000 50 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 14 Worcester Art Museum 55 Salisbury St., Worcester 01609 508-793-4330 • worcesterart.org 115,488 130 Connects people, communities and cultures through the experience of art Matthias Waschek director 1896 15 Ski Ward Ski Area 1000 Main St., Shrewsbury 01545 508-842-6346 • skiward.com 100,000 175 Year-round outdoor recreation with summer & winter tubing, skiing, snowboarding, beach volleyball leagues and cycling; event packages and May-October outdoor dining, bar & ice cream Stephanie LaCroix general manager 1939 16 Tougas Family Farm LLC 234 Ball St., Northborough 01532 508-393-6406 • tougasfamilyfarm.com 100,000 75 Family-owned farm with pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apples & pumpkins; barnyard, playground, farm store and kitchen for seasonal baked goods, ice cream, cider donuts & more Kerrie Ward manager 1981 17 Indian Ranch and Samuel Slater's Restaurant 200 Gore Road, Webster 01570 508-943-3871 • indianranch.com; samuelslaters.com 50,000 150 Outdoor amphitheater and on-site restaurant on Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg with summer concert series and campground Suzette Coppola president, Indian Ranch 1946 18 Blackstone Heritage Corridor Visitor Center at Worcester 3 Paul Clancy Way, Worcester 01607 508-373-7056 • blackstoneheritagecorridor.org 50,000 4 Interpretive, recreational and cultural amenity serving as a gateway to the City of Worcester and the entire National Heritage Corridor Devon Kurtz executive director 2018 19 Spencer Fair 48 Smithville Road, Spencer 01562 508-885-5814 • spencerfair.org 35,000 0 (6) Traditional country fair taking place annually over Labor Day weekend Bobby Knight president 1888 20 Groton Hill Music Center 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton 01450 978-486-9524 • grotonhill.org 30,000 100 Home to the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra and more than 30 professional performances and community events Lisa Fiorentino CEO 1985 21 Bolton Fair (Fairgrounds at Lancaster) 318 Seven Bridge Road, Lancaster 01523 978-365-7206 • boltonfair.org 30,000 0 (7) Annual fair with animal shows, exhibits, events and entertainment; Aug. 9-11, 2024 Rose Darden president & fair manager 1874 22 The Center for the Arts in Natick 14 Summer St., Natick 01760 29,014 9 (8) Venue showing art films, programs and performances David Lavalley executive director 1997 0 $1M $2M $3M $4M '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 Discovery Museum grants and contributions 508-842-6346 • skiward.com dining, bar & ice cream 1939 16 Tougas Family Farm LLC 234 Ball St., Northborough 01532 508-393-6406 • tougasfamilyfarm.com 100,000 75 Family-owned farm with pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apples & pumpkins; barnyard, playground, farm store and kitchen for seasonal baked goods, ice cream, cider donuts & more Kerrie Ward manager 1981 17 Indian Ranch and Samuel Slater's Restaurant 200 Gore Road, Webster 01570 508-943-3871 • indianranch.com; samuelslaters.com 50,000 150 Outdoor amphitheater and on-site restaurant on Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg with summer concert series and campground Suzette Coppola president, Indian Ranch 1946 18 Blackstone Heritage Corridor Visitor Center at Worcester 3 Paul Clancy Way, Worcester 01607 508-373-7056 • blackstoneheritagecorridor.org 50,000 4 Interpretive, recreational and cultural amenity serving as a gateway to the City of Worcester and the entire National Heritage Corridor Devon Kurtz executive director 2018 19 Spencer Fair 48 Smithville Road, Spencer 01562 508-885-5814 • spencerfair.org 35,000 0 (6) Traditional country fair taking place annually over Labor Day weekend Bobby Knight president 1888 20 Groton Hill Music Center 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton 01450 978-486-9524 • grotonhill.org 30,000 100 Home to the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra and more than 30 professional performances and community events Lisa Fiorentino CEO 1985 21 Bolton Fair (Fairgrounds at Lancaster) 318 Seven Bridge Road, Lancaster 01523 978-365-7206 • boltonfair.org 30,000 0 (7) Annual fair with animal shows, exhibits, events and entertainment; Aug. 9-11, 2024 Rose Darden president & fair manager 1874 22 The Center for the Arts in Natick 14 Summer St., Natick 01760 508-647-0097 • natickarts.org 29,014 9 (8) Venue showing art films, programs and performances David Lavalley executive director 1997 23 Vaillancourt Folk Art 9 Main St., Suite 1-H, Sutton 01590 508-476-3601 • valfa.com 23,500 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 24 Worcester Historical Museum 30 Elm St., Worcester 01609 508-753-8278 • worcesterhistory.org 23,000 18 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 25 Tuckerman Hall 10 Tuckerman St., Worcester 01609 508-754-1234 • tuckermanhall.org 20,000 7 Small concert hall and assembly venue; accommodates 521 for concerts, 270 for corporate dinners, 200 for weddings Paul Levenson executive director 1902 (9) 26 Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust (10) 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham 01701 508-877-7630 • nativeplanttrust.org 18,000 25 45-acre botanic garden in wooded setting with pond, brook and swamp; part of Native Plant Trust, which conserves New England's native plants for healthy, biological diversity Tim Johnson CEO 1900 27 Hardwick Winery 3305 Greenwich Road, Hardwick 01082 413-967-7763 • hardwickwinery.com 10,000 4 Year-round family farm winery located on scenic winding road by Quabbin Reservoir; more than 25 locally handcrafted wines, seasonal sangrias, wine slushees, live local music and more John Samek founder & owner 1997 28 Animal Adventures Family Zoo and Rescue Center 336 Sugar Road, Bolton 01740 978-779-8988 • animaladventures.net 10,000 N/A Animal rescue and educational facility open to the public and available for traveling presentations Ed and Brenda Laquidara owners & founders 1997 29 Fitchburg Art Museum 185 Elm St., Fitchburg 01420 978-345-4207 • fitchburgartmuseum.org 9,700 27 Art museum Nick Capasso director 1925 30 The Icon Museum and Study Center 203 Union St., Clinton 01510 978-598-5000 • iconmuseum.org 5,571 11 Nonprofit art museum Simon Morsink executive director 2006 31 Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University 14 Vernon St., Framingham 01701 508-215-5110 • danforth.framingham.edu 5,000 8 Exhibits, collects and teaches dynamic programming for transformational artistic experiences with welcoming galleries and art studios to engage visitors Jessica Roscio director & curator 1975 32 Samuel Slater Experience 31 Ray St., Webster 01570 508-461-2955 • samuelslaterexperience.org 4,300 2 (11) Historical museum with immersive, multi-media storytelling & interactive exhibits on local textile manufacturing and life & work of Samuel Slater, father of the American Industrial Revolution Barbara Van Reed director 2017 33 The Center at Eagle Hill 242 Old Petersham Road, Hardwick 01037 413-477-6746 • thecenterateaglehill.org 3,565 2 A place to discover music, dance, theater and artists of every discipline in a beautiful setting Carl Mercier artistic director 2008 34 Willard House and Clock Museum 11 Willard St., North Grafton 01536 508-839-3500 • willardhouse.org 2,025 6 Largest collection of Willard Clocks worldwide with 18th century Willard clock shop on its original foundation; monthly events with antique car shows, stargazing parties, bat walks, concerts, painting series and lectures Robert C. Cheney (12) executive director 1971 35 Clara Barton Birthplace Museum 66 Clara Barton Road, North Oxford 01537 508-987-2056 • clarabartonbirthplace.org 200 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 Sadie Vivenzio executive director 1921 Sources: Each attraction via survey as of Q1-Q2 2024 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 or the Worcester Palladium by press time. (1) Employee figure includes seasonal workers. (2) Nonprofit organization on 171 acres operated by Worcester County Horticultural Society (3) Additional 53,593 remote visitors in school classrooms (4) In June, Troy Siebels announced he would step down as president and CEO after the organization's board finds a successor. (5) Named for American pioneer and folk hero John Chapman, who was born in Leominster. (6) All volunteer (7) More than 100 volunteers annually (8) Additional 200 volunteers (9) Designed by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of America's first female architects (10) Data from WBJ's 2023 survey (11) Additional 15 volunteer docents (12) Third generation clock maker and world's authority on Willard clocks; his father and grandfather were the official timekeepers for the City of Worcester. -Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, research@nebusinessmedia.com Source: Guidestar

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