By Sue Anganes

One way that we ended 2011 and started 2012 was with a family membership to the Higgins Armory in Worcester, MA. The museum is less than an hour away from Lowell, and unlike the museums in Boston, you do not have to fight traffic to get there.

The museum was once the private collection of  John Woodman Higgins, a wealthy industrialist, who actually built a five-story castle-like structure to display his armor and weapon collection. The collection became open to the public in 1931. Housing one of the few significant collections of knightly armor outside of Europe, the museum is an overlooked treasure right at our back door.

There is a newly renovated interactive Castle Quest room where kids can dress in Renaissance costumes, try their strength at archery, try on helmets, play games and build their own castles out of giant blocks. Anyone who has ever loved knights and damsels in distress would love to roam the Great Hall and be taken back in time. There are daily weapon demonstrations, as well as story hours, special exhibits, summer programs and various crafts.

The museum is fully accessible with parking at the front door. My New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to get back to the Higgins Armory a few more times and get my money’s worth for my yearly membership!

I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.