Hartford Business Journal

Leisure & Hospitality www.HartfordBusiness.com December 26, 2016 • HartforD business Journal 89 BOOK OF LISTS & ECONOMIC FORECAST 2016-2017 Largest tourist attractions in Connecticut (Ranked by estimated 2015 attendance) Rank Attraction 2015 attendance Employees/ Volunteers Description Top executive(s) Year founded 1 Foxwoods Resort Casino 350 Trolley Line Blvd. Mashantucket, CT 06338 800-369-9663; www.foxwoods.com 12,833,043 6,500 Hospitality, entertainment, gaming, retail, dining, golf, spa and hotel Felix D. Rappaport 1992 2 Mohegan Sun 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd. Uncasville, CT 06382 888-MOHEGAN; mohegansun.com 7,300,000 (1) 6,735 Entertainment, gaming, dining, shopping, hotel, spa, meetings and conventions Ray Pineault 1996 3 Riverfront Recapture 50 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT 06016 860-713-3131; www.riverfront.org 951,458 96 (2) 1,987 Variety of events and recreational activities Michael Zaleski 1981 4 Mystic Aquarium 55 Coogan Blvd. Mystic, CT 06355 860-572-5955; www.mysticaquarium.org 662,224 250 300 Underwater worlds and creatures including beluga whales, penguins and more; interactive experiences, exhibits and animal adventures Stephen M. Coan 1973 5 Elizabeth Park Conservancy 1561 Asylum Ave. West Hartford, CT 06117 860-231-9443; www.elizabethparkct.org 500,000 5 1,000 Grounds include the oldest municipal rose garden, recreational areas, facilities and more Christine M. Doty Park 1897, Conservancy 1977 6 The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk 10 N. Water St. Norwalk, CT 06854 203-852-0700; www.maritimeaquarium.org 459,829 125 337 Exhibits sharks, seals, sea turtles, jellyfish, river otters and other animals native to Long Island Sound and its watershed; study cruises, educational programs and IMAX movie theater Brian Davis 1988 7 Connecticut Science Center (3) 250 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT 06103 860-724-3623; www.ctsciencecenter.org 332,000 143 (4) 44 (4) Science-based museum, educational and tourism venue Matt J. Fleury 2009 8 Bushnell Park (5) P.O. Box 230778 Hartford, CT 06123 860-232-6710; www.bushnellpark.org 300,000 23 (6) Weekly tours of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, and several other monuments in a 38-acre park, including the Corning Fountain, Spirit of Victory and the Horace Wells monument Mary Zeman 1854 9 Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo 1875 Noble Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06610 203-394-6565; www.beardsleyzoo.org 280,000 40 (7) 120 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species; South American rainforest with aviary, prairie dog exhibit, farmyard; hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, cafe, picnic grove, indoor carousel Gregg Dancho 1922 10 Mystic Seaport 75 Greenmanville Ave. Mystic, CT 06355 860-572-0711; www.mysticseaport.org 258,829 350 600 Maritime museum featuring historic tall ships, a working preservation shipyard, a re-created seafaring village, exhibits and more Stephen C. White 1929 11 Stony Creek Brewery 5 Indian Neck Ave. Branford, CT 06405 203-433-4545; stonycreekbeer.com 240,762 (8) 37 Located on the Branford River waterfront, open for tastings, tours and special events Ed Crowley 2015 12 Yale University Art Gallery 1111 Chapel St. New Haven, CT 06510 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu 221,000 132 (9) 32 (9) Oldest college art museum in America, and the third oldest in the world; holds more than 200,000 objects Jock Reynolds 1832 13 Quassy Amusement & Waterpark 2132 Middlebury Road Middlebury, CT 06762 203-758-2913; www.quassy.com 220,000 N/A Family amusement and waterpark on Lake Quassapaug with more than two-dozen rides and attractions George Frantzis II 1908 14 Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre (10) 95 S. Turnpike Road Wallingford, CT 06492 203-269-8721; specialevents.livenation.com 176,649 35 Year-round concert venue and event space for graduations, weddings, parties, proms, galas, meetings and more Natalie Krohn 1954 15 Essex Steam Train & Riverboat (Valley Railroad Co.) 1 Railroad Ave. Essex, CT 06426 860-767-0103; www.essexsteamtrain.com 170,000 200 Narrated steam-train and riverboat excursion, weekend Essex Clipper Dinner Train, seasonal excursions, sunset cruise, fall foliage and Christmas trains such as North Pole Express and Santa Special Kevin Dodd 1971 16 Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History 170 Whitney Ave. New Haven, CT 06511 203-432-5050; www.peabody.yale.edu 145,000 77 337 Jurassic-age dinosaur skeletons from the Peabody's paleontology collections, Rudolph Zallinger's mural "The Age of Reptiles"; exhibits on ancient Egypt, early man, CT geology, CT birds, minerals and meteorites David Skelly 1866 17 Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park (11) 161 Brownstone Ave. Portland, CT 06480 866-860-0208; brownstonepark.com 130,000 225 Outdoor adventure sports park for all abilities and ages; rock climbing, wakeboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, cliff jumping, scuba diving, "Survivor-style" competitions, zip lines, swimming, floats, trails; groups, lessons and rentals Sean Hayes 2009 17 Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort (11) 99 Powder Hill Road Middlefield, CT 06455 860-349-3454; powderridgepark.com 130,000 225 Resort for all ages; skiing, snowboarding, tubing, mountain biking; rental and lodging facilities, cafeteria, lockers, shops; lessons, annual leasing programs, group discounts, school and corporate groups Sean Hayes 2012 19 Historic Ship Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum 1 Crystal Lake Road Groton, CT 06349 860-694-3174; www.ussnautilus.org 125,639 7 33 U.S. Navy's official submarine museum with tours of the Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine Gretchen Marion Reginald Preston 1964 20 The Children's Museum 950 Trout Brook Drive West Hartford, CT 06119 860-231-2824; www.thechildrensmuseumct.org 110,000 50 135 A multidisciplinary learning center featuring a planetarium, wildlife sanctuary, preschool, hands-on educational exhibits, public programs, on-site and outreach educational programs, and a second site, Roaring Brook Nature Center Michael Werle 1927 21 The Goodspeed Opera House 6 Main St. East Haddam, CT 06423 860-873-8668; www.goodspeed.org 102,800 250 40 Musicals featuring Broadway's actors, directors and designers with nearby restaurants, shops and galleries; first theatre in the nation to be honored with two Tony awards Michael Gennaro 1963 22 New Britain Museum of American Art 56 Lexington St. New Britain, CT 06052 860-229-0257; www.nbmaa.org 91,154 44 451 300 years of America's artistic output, 16 galleries, exhibitions and installations, traditional to contemporary, age-appropriate studio classes in three new art studios, cafe and shop Min Jung Kim 1903 23 Hartford Stage Co. 50 Church St. Hartford, CT 06103 860-527-5151; www.hartfordstage.org 90,564 80 Tony award-winning theater producing six main-stage productions and "A Christmas Carol" Michael Stotts Darko Tresnjak 1964 Source: Each attraction via survey, Connecticut Office of Tourism. Notes: N/A = not available or not applicable. Lake Compounce of Bristol declined to participate in the survey. (1) Average annual attendance. (2) 15 full-time and 81 seasonal employees. (3) Data are from fiscal year 2014, the most recent available. (4) Data from FY 2014 Form 990. (5) Run by the Bushnell Park Foundation. (6) Bushnell Park Foundation reported 23 employees with no compensation on FY 2013 Form 990. (7) 32 seasonal employees. (8) March - December 2015. (9) Data from 2015 survey. (10) Data are from 2015 survey. (11) Powder Ridge is part of Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park; 2015 attendance and employee figures were reported as one company. —Compiled by Stephanie R. Meagher.

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