Higgins Armory Museum

What a fun afternoon! The Higgins museum was three floors of historical awesomeness (and a fourth floor just for the kids). While viewing the different exhibits, we were treated to several live fencing demos and to stories from wandering historical actors. A highlight was a live presentation from experts on the Roman Empire who walked us through many aspects of the lives of women and soldiers in the Roman Empire. I hope that these interactive exhibits will survive the move to the Worcester Art Museum next month.

Can I just say that it’s devastating that Higgins is closing? I’m happy much of the collection will be saved, but Massachusetts is losing a gem.
From the moment you walk in, you feel like you’re in another time, the inside was created to match the collection beautifully. From the various displays to the arms and armor presentation to the enormous play room (for all ages!), everything here is top notch.
Do not miss the chance to see this in it’s glory! Whatever Worcester Art Museum does will pale in comparison.

I’ve always been a fan of fantasy movies and games. I’ve also always been a fan of this place. I even had a birthday party here when I was much younger. When I heard that it was shutting down, I had to schedule time for a visit. I arrived on a Friday morning, and eagerly entered the heavy wood and metal front doors. Cute girl greeted me, and directed me to the restrooms, which were clean. I returned to cute girl and bought a ticket to enter. She told me to take as long as I liked, and upon noticing my camera, told me to take as many pictures as I wanted.
I meandered around, and marveled at how a place this wonderful could be shut down. Medieval armory and weapons displayed in beautiful castle-​like surroundings. A bummed docent informed me how they had sold 3,000 pieces of their collection at an open auction some months ago. 3/​5ths of their collection in the hand of random people, other museums, and who knows where else. The remaining 2,000 items are to be displayed in the Worcester art museum, housed in their own wing; which is to be built soon.
I wandered around, and took as many photographs as I could. Armors were the sports cars of the era. Their cost ranging from the Chevy Camaro prices all the way up to the Lamborghini murcialago prices. Armors came in all shapes, sizes and designs. The decorative work put into them was amazing. I remembered many moons ago when suits of armor were standing proudly in every corner, nook and space possible. There were full on joust-​displays magnificently displayed in wings of the building. Now like an aging relative on their deathbed, the collection seemed frail and weak.
They’ve still got a great deal of cool things to see. Weapons, shields, armors, helms, stained glass windows and even some items that had been made out of armor, a true and literal example of ‘swords to plowshares’. There were several displays on armor post firearm, and many a shield were dented and ‘marked’ to prove their effectiveness against the newfangled bullet.
This is a great place, with a rich and beautiful history. As I bought my magnet and post. cards, I realized how sad it will be to see it closed down. But it’s a sign of the time I guess. Bad economy. The girl in the gift shop said that while the building’s exterior will be maintained as-​is, the interior will be allowed to be altered. Hundred year old wrought iron handrails up the stairwells might be there for the next visit. Like the aging relatives, I’m quite glad I could see it before the end.

I can’t believe there are many places in these united states that can boast a collection of armor and weapons as does Higgins. This place is incredible.
We visited on a saturday, when a roman legion reinactment group was performing in the auditorium. We stuck it out for 20 minutes, but with time ticking towards closing, and with well behaved children who probably wouldn’t be well behaved much longer, we decided to move on. Cool, nonetheless.
The hands on kids room was our next stop. Really well done. Armor to wear, huge chess board to play, virtual jousting… all very well done. Came back to this room at the end of the visit to let the kids play more.
Most impressive was the great hall and the main collection of armor and weaponry. All authentic, with plenty to read. My gosh, the human mind is creative, and quite twisted, when it comes time to create weaponry to maim, cripple, or kill another. Looking at weapons around the world, one could only imagine what each weapon would say if it could speak. Creepy, but real.
From this, I learned that I am not a man. I may be a keurig swilling male, but men used to hoist 90 pounds of armor, face their foe, and swing the two– headed battle axe. I have some work to do.
The buiding is nearly as impressive as the collection it houses. Details and craftsmanship, prom the stained glass to the stonework to the overall design are amazing.
City of Worchester, I call you out. This is an asset to your city; don’t let it shut down, as I understand is to happen at year’s end. Keep this place afloat. Higgins is the kind of place that can define a city, draw tourists, and make the city vibrant with its unique facets. From what I could tell from my weekend visit, Worchester, you could use all the assets your town can muster. Keep this castle open!

What really lets this museum down is that their maps have typos on them, and the gallery assistants (or whatever) don’t think they are docents. If you have a question they go on and on and on about halliards and pikes and battle axes and morning stars and guten tags and other pole arms.
the second floor with hands on activities are under sold and more fun than the armor in many ways.
–1 star for not showing all the suits of amor (really, not showing most of them), –1 star for not having a good enough endowment.
–1 star for closing in year.

Higgins Armory is tucked away in Worcester’s Greendale neighborhood– convienently located off highway 290. The collection of weapons and armor is huge! Five floors of weapons and armor from all over the world (Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East) from the last 4,000 years. Tickets are reasonably priced and they over a student and senior citizen discount. Higgins Armory is a great spot for kids and adults alike.

Very entertaining place to go to if you’re into any type of weapons or battle gear. Great history on how weapons are made and used. This place can get easily packed, especially on the free admission day.

We visited the museum on a weekday afternoon with two children (6 and 3). I think you can say there is something for everyone. There are some really cool items on display: many full suits of armor, weapons and other other items. The main part of the museum is hands off, of course. There were a couple of rooms the kids loved. There was a «classroom» where they were able to make their own shield for a $ 5 fee — a little high for what you get but the boys liked it. There is also a hands on room with games and other things that they kept them entertained for awhile. It was well worth the trip from Providence — a short ride and $ 2 off each ticket with AAA discount.

If history has taught me anything (and it hasn’t) it’s that weapons and alcohol go together like peanut butter and chocolate (just ask anyone from the south). Check out AleFest at the Armory. Microbreweries from around New England, live music, dudes dressed in armor, swords. That is a party, my friends.

A very unique side and treat to Worcester. I like that you can meander through at your own pace, slow or fast. They have a HUGE selection of medieval arms and armor, clearly labeled. I’d say its worth a trot in if you have a few extra minutes, the cost wasn’t too bad — $ 12 per adult, and make sure you bring your student ID and save yourself 3 bucks. A fun little excursion.

Would you believe you could go anywhere in worcester and see anything remotely interesting? Well hello higgins muesam! This place is cool. They got battle axes, swords, chain maille suits and suits of plate armor spanning from the early to late middle ages and beyond… Viking swords! Spartan helmets! Samurai swords and armor! Real cool stuff!!! I cant wait for king richards faire!

I stopped here on a lunch break and was astounded to see such a variety of antique arms and armor.
You could spend hours here or just a few minutes and won’t be disappointed with the experience. I was only there an hour and wished I would have had more time.

The Higgins Armory Museum has the largest collection of medieval arms and armor outside of Europe. They also have some ancient artifacts, including Greek, and artifacts from other countries, like Japan. They also have paintings and stained glass windows.
The exterior of the building is built entirely of steel and glass, the first building of its type in the United States. It’s a registered historic landmark.
The interior is built to resemble a castle.
I got a cool piece of chain mail as a souvenir.
There’s always something interesting going on. Check out the events calendar before going.
The only downside is there’s lots of screaming kids running around.
Most of the galleries are on the third and fourth floors, but there are also a couple of smaller rooms on the first floor and the second floor.

I was surprised how well this place was able to deal with kids.
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So, this old guy who had a lot of money collected a lot of old armor. He was rich enough to have this 4-​story building created to house and show off his collection. This place is very popular with families with small kids, because there is an entire floor dedicated to hands-​on stuff for the kids. There’s a giant room of stuff: Big blocks kids can use to build a «castle», armor to actually try on, little games to play. It’s all pretty fun. The highlight for the kids was the build-​your-​own-​shield. It’s 5 bucks and you get a cardboard shield to decorate with designs you stencil and cut and paste. Top 2 floors are more geared for adults, and the kids were bored there. But it’s some gorgeous stuff. There was a line waiting to get in before it opened, and a line down the block waiting to get in when we left. Nice little gift shop too.

4.5 stars…
Despite being the second largest city in New England, Worcester doesn’t have much that visitors can’t go somewhere else (like Boston or NYC) for something just as good or better. There is one thing though, the Higgins Armory. The museum claims to be the only museum in the western hemisphere dedicated entirely to arms and armor and to be the largest collection of medieval arms and armor outside of Europe. The founder John Woodman Higgins (who died in 1961) owned the Worcester Pressed Steel Company (which shut its doors in the 70s), had the largest private collection of arms and armor owned by a single person. Eventually he had thousands and of pieces and decided to open a museum (in 1929). The building itself is an impressive looking steel art deco building and complements not only Higgin’s collection but his background as well.
The museum has four floors. The first floor has a gift shop, admission area (adults are around $ 10 but some area libraries have a visitors pass you can check out for free), and several cases of artifacts. An intact medieval crossbow and a meteorite half formed into a blade are the highlights here. The second floor is the children’s area for playing/​learning. If you’re here without any kids running around it’s fun to try on the replica helmets and snap some photos (photos are allowed everywhere in the museum). The third floor is the «Great Hall», this floor holds most of the Higgins collection and is modeled after a medieval castle’s great hall. On this floor you’ll find authentic and replica arms and armor from many different periods but most is during the medieval times in Europe. The fourth floor houses pieces from other areas and times. You’ll see a few Asian, Indian, and African pieces as well as pieces as old as 1500BC and a collection of Corinthian helmets. Everything in the museum is masterfully presented, clean, and very well labeled and described. Although the museum is on the smaller side and it won’t take much longer than 2 hours to see everything, it’s worth every penny and mile traveled to check out.

A museum focusing on medieval armor and weapons. There’s four floors of displays and an audio tour section for those with a need for additonal details. The collection on display is only a fifth of the whole collection so they do rotate the display regularly. I had a lot of fun walking around here because the do a good job of inserting little history and factual descriptions strewn throughout the displays. There’s also an auditorium and kid’s play room for other events. The collection is focused mainly on Western Europe but there are some pieces from Asia and the Middle East. The employees are very knowledgable and friendly. I used my local library’s museum pass for admittence and parking is free.

I finally made it to the armory (after MULTIPLE reschedulings, but that’s not the armory’s fault)… and I’d have to say, overall, it was a pretty neat place.
I was in a wheelchair at the time, and, from that perspective, I have to add that not all of the passages were very accomodating.
If there had like a sword fight battle demo show, I’d give it 5 stars.

I returned to Higgins on a recent Unilocal event and was still in awe of the vastness of this collection. Higgins now has Audio Tour devices so that you can code in the number corresponding to the exhibit you are in front of and it was great to learn alot more than just reading the card next to it. The building itself inside is constructed like a castle so you get the feeling of what it would be like back in the medieval days. They have a large fun kids room with clothing, armor helmets, large size chess set, and board games. I loved coming back and if you are ever in this area PLEASE visit this gem!
PS. In my first review, I was told they were moving but as of right now it doesn’t seem to be the case. I hope not. This building is part of the attraction!

You have to dig this stuff in order to truly enjoy this specialized museum. As for me, I was just curious. Knights, Warriors. Their armour. Their weapons.
Certainly, I did not know there were so many different types of armours. The detail to some of them are exquisite. Huge building; but it’s really just the top 2 floors that has exhibits unless I missed some.
So I found a Chastity Belt on display. First thought, how do women go to bathroom with that on??? Well, there is no proof that this was used back in the days. Show and Tell?
Sorry; but I don’t really dig this stuff. I tried!

How can you not give this place five stars? There really is nothing else like it around here. All kinds of suits of armour from different periods and different regions. Impressive looking helms and both ceremonial and fighting pieces. When you realize how rare authentic pieces of ancient armor are this place really becomes amazing. You wonder how the hell did they get all this stuff?
Of course they have plenty of weapons too and a gift shop so you can buy toy soldiers or plastic weapons. They even have a fine selection of education stuff like books on history and craft making. They had a Renaissance fair on grounds a few years back where fools like us could dress up in period grab and tour the museum. It’s a pain in the butt to find but for someone interested in history in just doesn’t get much better.