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wbjournal.com | March 24, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 13 M E E T I N G S , T O U R I S M & G O L F G U I D E F O C U S 202 Brigham St., Northborough, MA • 508-393-2444 For Tee Times: www.juniperhillgc.com Juniper Hill Golf Course Celebrating 90 Years of Golf • Friendly Atmosphere • Two well groomed, established courses • No membership fee • Excellent meeting facilities • 36 Challenging Holes • Top 10 Public Golf Course in Massachusetts • Golf Teaching Center Call us at 508-351-9500 Give the gift of golf Gift certificates for golf, lunch, lessons and equipment are available in the Pro Shop 508-393-2444 Outings & Functions 3 to 300 guests in a variety of settings 20 14 Summer St., Natick 01760 508-647-0097 • natickarts.org 30,000 8 Regional nonprofit arts venue established in 1997 featuring concert performances, feature films, and community programs executive director 1997 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. 8-10, 2025 Rose Darden president & fair manager 1874 22 Vaillancourt Folk Art 9 Main St., Suite 1-H, Sutton 01590 508-476-3601 • valfa.com 27,400 20 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 23 Museum of Worcester (8) 30 Elm St., Worcester 01609 508-753-8278 • worcesterhistory.org 23,000 (2) 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 24 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) 25 Native Plant Trust's Garden in the Woods 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham 01701 508-877-7630 • nativeplanttrust.org 17,000 28 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; technology-enabled classroom for workshops Tim Johnson CEO 1900 26 Fruitlands Museums Inc. (10) 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard 01451 978-456-3924 • thetrustees.org 17,000 25 Historic museum on 210 acres with stunning views and opportunities to explore art, history and nature in exhibitions, historic house tours, walking trails, retail store and seasonal cafe D. A. Hayden regional vice president, MetroWest 1914 27 Fitchburg Art Museum 185 Elm St., Fitchburg 01420 978-345-4207 • fitchburgartmuseum.org 11,930 25 Mission to inspire creativity and learning and to contribute to the well- being of our diverse communities in Fitchburg, North Central Mass. and New England Nick Capasso director 1925 28 Hopkinton Center for the Arts 98 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton 01748 508-435-9222 • hopartscenter.org 10,208 15 Classes for youth, teens and adults in visual and performing arts to communities in Worcester County with music, theater and dance performances Kelly Grill executive director 2011 29 Animal Adventures Family Zoo and Rescue Center 336 Sugar Road, Bolton 01740 978-779-8988 • animaladventures.net 10,000 10 Animal rescue and educational facility open to the public for general admission and guided tours; available for traveling presentations Ed and Brenda Laquidara owners & founders 1997 30 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 31 The Icon Museum and Study Center 203 Union St., Clinton 01510 978-598-5000 • iconmuseum.org 6,000 11 Nonprofit art museum Simon Morsink executive director 2006 32 Blackstone Heritage Corridor Visitor Center at Worcester 3 Paul Clancy Way, Worcester 01607 508-373-7056 • mass.gov/orgs/department-of-conservation- recreation 5,000 7 Interpretive, recreational and cultural amenity serving as a gateway to the City of Worcester and the entire National Heritage Corridor Brian Arrigo commissioner 2018 Sources: Each attraction via survey as of Q1 2025 and their websites. Notes: Unable to confirm data for Bolton's Nashoba Valley Winery, Sterling's Davis Farmland and Mega Maze or the Worcester Palladium by press time. (1) Nonprofit organization on 171 acres operated by Worcester County Horticultural Society (2) Data from WBJ's 2024 survey (3) Additional 55,990 remote visitors in school classrooms (4) Named for American pioneer and folk hero John Chapman, who was born in Leominster. (5) Plans to retire June 2025 (6) All volunteer (7) More than 100 volunteers annually (8) Formerly Worcester Historical Museum (9) Designed by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of America's first female architects (10) Part of The Trustees of Reservations and filed under 200 High St., Boston, MA 02110 -Compiled by: Stephanie R. Meagher, research@nebusinessmedia.com Most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2024 attendance, then local employees Attraction Annual attendance 2024/ local employees Services offered Top executive(s)/ year founded 1 Wachusett Mountain Ski Area 499 Mountain Road, Princeton 01541 978-464-2300 • wachusett.com 1,000,000 1,400 Accessible mountain skiing and winter fun with three high-speed quads and 110 skiable acres Jeff Crowley president 1934 2 New England Sports Center 121 Donald Lynch Blvd., Marlborough 01752 508-229-2700 • nes.com 1,000,000 65 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 1994 3 Great Wolf Lodge New England 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg 01420 978-343-9653 • greatwolf.com/new-england 625,000 720 Family resort and waterpark Alex Matthews general manager 2014 4 DCU Center 50 Foster St., Worcester 01608 508-755-6800 • dcucenter.com 514,174 800 Gathering place for entertainment, sporting events and public functions; accommodates groups from 15 to 15,000 Sandra Dunn general manager 1982 5 Worcester Red Sox (Polar Park) 100 Madison St., Worcester 01608 508-500-1000 • woosox.com 509,955 250 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 Charles Steinberg president 2021 6 Southwick's Zoo 2 Southwick St., Mendon 01756 800-258-9182, ext. 211 • southwickszoo.com 483,000 287 Family-owned zoo with over 200 acres and 950 animals from around the world, deer forest, petting zoo, shows, rides, attractions seasonal events including The Great Jack O'Lantern Journey and Winter Wonderland Cindy C. Brewer-Lavoie president 1965 7 New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill (1) 11 French Drive, Boylston 01505 508-869-6111 • nebg.org 213,105 66 Connects people with plants year-round through garden viewing, trail walking, educational programs, art exhibitions, special events and more, with 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 (2) 150 Living history museum James E. Donahue president & CEO 1946 9 Hanover Theatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts 2 Southbridge St., Worcester 01608 877-571-7469 • thehanovertheatre.org 189,499 108 Downtown destination for the performing arts and hub for meetings, celebrations and special events with Carroll Plaza and the PopUp and BrickBox spaces at the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC) Alan Seiffert president & CEO 2008 10 Discovery Museum 177 Main St., Acton 01720 978-264-4200 • discoveryacton.org 189,209 (3) 75 Children's museum of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) Marie Beam CEO 1982 11 EcoTarium 222 Harrington Way, Worcester 01604 508-929-2700 • ecotarium.org 136,650 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 12 Johnny Appleseed Visitors' Center (4) 1000 Route 2 West, Lancaster 01523 978-534-2302 • visitnorthcentral.com 121,150 6 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 13 Ski Ward Ski Area 1000 Main St., Shrewsbury 01545 508-842-6346 • skiward.com 100,000 (2) 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 14 Worcester Art Museum 55 Salisbury St., Worcester 01609 508-799-4406 • worcesterart.org 100,000 120 Connects people, communities and cultures through the experience of art Matthias Waschek director 1896 15 Tougas Family Farm LLC 234 Ball St., Northborough 01532 508-393-6406 • tougasfamilyfarm.com 60,000 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 16 Mechanics Hall 321 Main St., Worcester 01608 508-752-5608 • mechanicshall.org 60,000 35 National Registered Historic Place that offers 19th-century elegance, modern amenities and red-carpet service for events and performances Kathleen Gagne (5) executive director 1857 17 Indian Ranch and Samuel Slater's Restaurant 200 Gore Road, Webster 01570 508-943-3871 • indianranch.com; samuelslaters.com 60,000 N/A Outdoor amphitheater and on-site restaurant on Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg with summer concert series and seasonal campground Suzette Robert president, Indian Ranch 1946 18 Groton Hill Music Center 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton 01450 978-486-9524 • grotonhill.org 50,000 30 Nonprofit music education and performance center, presenting over 50 renowned artists annually in two halls; music school with over 2,000 students of all ages and abilities Lisa Fiorentino CEO 1985 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 The Center for the Arts in Natick 14 Summer St., Natick 01760 508-647-0097 • natickarts.org 30,000 8 Regional nonprofit arts venue established in 1997 featuring concert performances, feature films, and community programs David Lavalley executive director 1997 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. 8-10, 2025 Rose Darden president & fair manager 1874 22 Vaillancourt Folk Art 9 Main St., Suite 1-H, Sutton 01590 508-476-3601 • valfa.com 27,400 20 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 23 Museum of Worcester (8) 30 Elm St., Worcester 01609 508-753-8278 • worcesterhistory.org 23,000 (2) 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 24 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) 25 Native Plant Trust's Garden in the Woods 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham 01701 508-877-7630 • nativeplanttrust.org 17,000 28 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; technology-enabled classroom for workshops Tim Johnson CEO 1900 26 Fruitlands Museums Inc. (10) 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard 01451 978-456-3924 • thetrustees.org 17,000 25 Historic museum on 210 acres with stunning views and opportunities to explore art, history and nature in exhibitions, historic house tours, walking trails, retail store and seasonal cafe D. A. Hayden regional vice president, MetroWest 1914