Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Massachusetts, United States
4.5 (309 reviews) Monday: Spent Ranking #2 in Springfield Military Museums • Historic Sites
A bit of a chore to get to, but well worth the effort
The Armory, which manufactured and tested firearms for the U.S. military from 1794 to 1968, houses the country's largest collection of US military small weapons. The displays include rare weapons and the largest collection of confederate weapons anywhere. When it started, the Armory was the first high tech manufacturing to occur in the country, and the advancements in mass production and the ability to create interchangeable parts that started at the Armory, initiated the development of the countries first high tech manufacturing corridor.
Address
1 Armory Sq, Springfield, MA 01105-1700
Mobile
Website
http://www.nps.gov/spar/
Working hours
Monday :
Tuesday :
Wednesday : 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday : 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday : 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday : 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday : 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 19:45
User Ratings
4.5 based on (309 reviews)
Reviews
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5ciarey 5:00 PM Jun 8, 2022
Great place to visit!
We stopped by The National Armory as a road trip break, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised! Watch the movie (across from the gift area) prior to checking out the exhibits and it will be more meaningful. I had walked through the exhibits first and quite honestly, I kind of rushed through the machinery section as I had no clue what any of the machinery was. But after watching the short movie, I went through again, and am glad I did. The staff couldn’t have been nicer and are very well informed. The exhibits are spaced well apart, so no feeling of being crowded. Very interesting for any history buffs!
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4Brendan S 5:00 PM Jun 11, 2022
Interesting historical site
The Springfield Armory is where guns for the military were made for 150 years beginning shortly after America was founded. There's little left of the actual Armory other than the very large factory building and a handful of outbuildings that can only be viewed, not entered. The Armory building itself houses a museum on the history of gun production, focusing on the Springfield rifles. It has an impressive collection of Springfield and other pistols and rifles, the "Springfield Organ" group of rifles resembling an organ, and some of the machinery that was developed to mass-produce rifles. There are some very good short films that explain the manufacturing process and the technological improvements in rifles over time. The whole museum and and Armory site can be visited in a few hours.
