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V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I 12 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E Maine's most popular tourist attractions Ranked by 2016 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 2016 Attendance No. Employees No. Volunteers Description Top executive Year founded 1 Acadia National Park P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor 04609 288-3338, www.nps.gov/acad 3,303,393 90 2,700 50,000 acres of the Acadia archipelago and Schoodic peninsula with historic carriage roads, hiking trails and motor roads along diverse natural habitats and glacially-sculpted mountains Kevin Schneider 1916 2 Funtown Splashtown USA 774 Portland Road, Saco 04072 284-5139, funtownsplashtownusa.com 500,000 500 0 Amusement and water park Violet Cormier 1967 3 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay 04537 633-8000, mainegardens.org 188,000 100 350 295 acres of tidal shore connects people, plants and nature through horticulture, education and research; cultivated gardens, woodland trails, education program, docent-led tours, electric-boat excursions; open daily May - October Bill Cullina 1992 1 4 Maine Wildlife Park 56 Game Farm Road, Gray 04039 657-4977, www.mainewildlifepark.com 125,000 4 180 Over 30 species of native Maine wildlife that cannot be safely released back into the wild; nature trails, picnic and grilling areas, gardens, nature store, snack shack and adjacent fish hatchery John Pratte 1940 5 Allagash Brewing Co. 50 Industrial Way, Portland 04103 878-5385, www.allagash.com 120,000 112 0 Independent Portland brewer striving to make the best Belgian-inspired beers in the world; open seven days per week for free tours and tastings Rob Tod 1995 6 Great Falls Balloon Festival Simard-Payne Memorial Park, Oxford St., Lewiston 04240 240-5931, greatfallsballoonfestival.org 120,000 0 25 Three-day hot air balloon festival over the falls in downtown Lewiston/ Auburn; entertainment, food and balloon launches at 6 a.m. & 6 p.m. Mell Hamlyn 1992 7 Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine 142 Free St., Portland 04101 828-1234, www.kitetails.org 112,000 20 150 More than 20 hands-on exhibits, education and enrichment programs, theatre productions and more Suzanne Olson 1976 8 Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory 740 Fort Knox Road, Prospect 04981 469-6553, fortknox.maineguide.com 105,000 15 35 Two-for-one admission fee attraction includes a preserved, Civil War-era seacoast fort and observatory with elevator rides over 400 feet up for views of the Penobscot Bay region Leon Seymour 2006 & 1923 9 Songo River Queen 841 Roosevelt Trail, Naples 04055 693-6861, songoriverqueen.net 100,000 12 0 Sightseeing and cruise ship Kent Uicker 1971 10 Maine Maritime Museum 243 Washington St., Bath 04530 443-1316, MaineMaritimeMuseum.org 49,000 18 2 250 Independent, nonprofit on a 20-acre campus along the Kennebec River that promotes Maine's maritime heritage; gallery exhibits, children's activities, educational programs, research library, trolley tours, narrated lighthouse and nature cruises Amy Lent 1962 11 Maine State Museum 230 State St., Augusta 04333 287-2301, mainestatemuseum.org 46,952 20 36 Stories of human interactions with the natural environment over the past 12,000 years; premier repository of the state's natural, pre-historic and historical legacies Bernard Fishman 1836 3 1 Opened to the public in 2007. 2 Additional part-time and seasonal employees 3 Originally founded as part of the State House, the museum, as known today, moved into the new Cultural Building in 1971. 4 Renovated in 2005. Augusta's Viles Arboretum did not respond to the survey N/A: Not available. S O U R C E : Each attraction via survey, visitmaine.com and Maine Offi ce of Tourism.