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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2024 attendance C O M P I L E D B Y S T E P H A N I E R . M E A G H E R C O M P I L E D B Y S T E P H A N I E R . M E A G H E R Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2024 attendance Attraction 2024 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 3,961,663 150 50,000 acres of coastal islands and the Schoodic Peninsula on the mid- coast with diverse natural habitats, historic motor roads, carriage roads and hiking trails Kevin Schneider Brandon Bies 1916 2 Sugarloaf Mountain Resort 5092 Access Road, Carrabassett Valley 04947 800-843-5623 • sugarloaf.com 360,000 850 Member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions, one of the largest ski areas in the East and year-round destination for skiing, golf and lift-serviced mountain biking Karl Strand 1951 3 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay 04537 633-8000 • mainegardens.org 331,609 123 More than 325 acres to inspire connections between people and nature and promote plant conservation through horticulture, education and plant science Gretchen Ostherr 1992 1 4 Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine 250 Thompson's Point Road, Portland 04102 828-1234 • kitetails.org 207,111 69 Museum and theatre to imagine and learn through play with three floors of interactive exhibits for all ages Julie Butcher Pezzino 1923 5 Fryeburg Fair 2 1154 Main St., Fryeburg 04037 935-3268 • fryeburgfair.org 200,000 650 Agricultural fair with food, horse & oxen pulls, tractor & truck pulls, livestock competitions, Woodsmen's Field Day, exhibits, Maine products and rides by Dreamland Amusements Rachel Andrews Damon 1851 5 York's Wild Kingdom 23 Railroad Ave., York Beach 03910 363-4911 • yorkzoo.com 200,000 100 Zoo and amusement park with animal exhibits, 15 rides, food and gift shop Samantha Sauls 1980 7 Urban Air Adventure Park 333 Clarks Pond Parkway, South Portland 04106 771-2010 • urbanairtrampolinepark.com 155,000 90 Indoor adventure park with skyrider, climbing walls, ropes course, warrior course, trampolines and more; birthday parties and events Anthony Dill 2016 8 Portland Museum of Art 7 Congress Square, Portland 04101 775-6148 • portlandmuseum.org 139,000 80 More than 18,000 works of art, exhibitions, guest speakers, free school tours, family activities, films, curator talks and tours of Winslow Homer Studio Mark H.C. Bessire 1882 9 Fort Knox Maine & Penobscot Narrows Observatory 3 740 Fort Knox Road, Prospect 04981 469-6553 • fortknoxmaine.com 111,801 24 Historic site with preserved Civil-war seacoast forts and public bridge observatory hosting elevator rides over 400 feet up for panoramic views of the mid coast and Penobscot Bay region Dean Martin 1844 10 Allagash Brewing Co. 50 Industrial Way, Portland 04103 800-330-5385 • allagash.com 100,000 105 Tours of award-winning craft brewery with Belgian-inspired beers Rob Tod 1995 10 Lewiston-Auburn Balloon Festival 4 Simard-Payne Memorial Park, Lewiston 04240 513-3126 • laballoonfest.org 100,000 25 Free entry, balloon launches & rides, nighttime concerts, carnival, parade, food vendors, Maine artisans & crafters, Sunday Family Fun day, car show and more Nate Libby 1992 12 Funtown Splashtown USA 774 Portland Road, Saco 04072 284-5139 • funtownsplashtownusa.com 95,000 200 Family-owned and operated water and amusement park offering fun for all; now home to the first-in-the-nation Haunted Hotel Violet Cormier 1967 13 Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum 65 Thames St., Portland 04101 828-0814 • mainenarrowgauge.org 75,000 10 Scenic, affordable, family-friendly rides on vintage train along Casco Bay with year-round events include the Ice Cream Train, Sunset Express, Pumpkin Trains and Polar Express Griffin Bourassa 1993 14 Aquaboggan Water Park 980 Portland Road, Saco 04072 282-3112 • aquabogganwaterpark.com 70,000 140 Maine's original water park and new home of the Saco Drive-In Wesley Hurst 1979 14 Saddleback Ski Area & Bike Park 976 Saddleback Mountain Road, Rangeley 04970 864-5671 • saddlebackmaine.com 70,000 5 200 Four-season playground with mountain biking, hiking and on-mountain dining; more than 600 acres of terrain Matt Dieterich 1960 6 16 Wells Reserve at Laudholm 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells 04090 646-1555 • wellsreserve.org 60,000 24 Science, education and stewardship, with historic campus and seven miles of trails through fields, marsh, woods and beach; open to the public for recreation, exploration and educational programs Paul Dest Nik Charov 1984 17 Maine Maritime Museum 243 Washington St., Bath 04530 443-1316 • mainemaritimemuseum.org 55,604 54 Dedicated to the past, present and future of Maine's waterways with rotating & permanent exhibits, nature cruises and traditional skills demonstrations; free for children 17 & under Chris Timm 1962 18 Farnsworth Art Museum 16 Museum St., Rockland 04841 596-6457 • farnsworthmuseum.org 45,000 44 Celebrates Maine's role in American art through collection of 15,000 works, the Wyeth Center, Farnsworth Library and more. Christopher J. Brownawell 1948 19 Acadian Boat Tours 119 Eden St., Bar Harbor 04609 801-2300 • acadianboattours.com 35,000 22 Sightseeing boat tour with local sights along shoreline, Puffin trips, fishing tours, lighthouse tours, private family charters and more Diane Smith 2000 20 Victoria Mansion 109 Danforth St., Portland 04101 772.4841 • victoriamansion.org 31,000 45 Historic house museum with over 90% of its original interiors for guests of all ages Timothy Brosnihan 1941 21 The Strand Theatre 7 345 Main St., Rockland 04841 207-594-0070 • rocklandstrand.com 28,000 12 Restored classic movie house & performing arts center with films, concerts, educational programs, community events & venue rentals Anne Rogers-Popejoy 1923 SOURCE: Each attraction via survey. NOTES: Augusta's Maine State Museum, with 2019 attendance of 43,634 visitors, is closed for renovations and expected to re-open in 2026. Unable to confirm data by press time for Bridgton's Pleasant Mountain Ski Area or Naple's Songo River Queen II cruise ship. Newry's Sunday River Resort does not disclose attendance figures. 1 Open to the public in 2007 2 Sept. 27 to Oct. 5, 2025 3 State park managed by non-profit Friends of Fort Knox on behalf of the state of Maine 4 Formerly Great Falls Balloon Festival 5 Skier visits from 2024 impact report 6 Re-opened in 2020 after four-year closure 7 On the National Register of Historic Places - This list was compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher and published in the Sept. 1, 2025, issue of Mainebiz. 1 Open to the public in 2007 2 Sept. 27 to Oct. 5, 2025 3 State park managed by non-profit Friends of Fort Knox on behalf of the state of Maine 4 Formerly Great Falls Balloon Festival 5 Skier visits from 2024 impact report 6 Re-opened in 2020 after four-year closure 7 On the National Register of Historic Places 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 2026. Unable to confirm data by press time for Bridgton's Pleasant Mountain Ski Area or Naple's Songo River Queen II cruise ship. Newry's Sunday River Resort does not disclose attendance figures. S O U R C E : Each attraction via survey. Purchase this list and more as an Excel document at mainebiz.biz/DataCenter @ Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E