While the collection is moving in 2014, your visit in 2013 will still provide educational memories for a lifetime! More information about the Higgins' integration with the Worcester Art Museum.

Hail and well met!!! 
Come through the gates of Castle Higgins and learn the ways of Chivalry!!  ~ Start your quest with a lesson on the types of armor and weapons that you may find useful for defeating the enemies of the King’s Peace, and learn a thing or two about the importance of Chivalry. ~ Then, you will explore the vastness of Lord Higgins’ Great Hall and see the collection of arms and armor used by heroes of by-gone ages. ~ Next, take time for a Quest in our Castle Quest Gallery were you can handle arms and armor, build a castle wall, and defeat your friends in a rousing game of chess!!! ~ Then all is done make sure to visit the Store where you can acquire what you need for your next heroic quest, be it books on knights and dragons, catapults to defend your home, or perhaps something to protect yourself, such as a bit of mail!!!

Time: 1.5 Hours (if group is over 100, total time is 2.25 hours)

Cost: $9.00 per participant, including chaperones
(1 adult chaperone required for every 10 students)

Click here to make a reservation and for basic information about group visits.

Enhance your visit.

Enhance the fun and educational aspects of your visit to the museum by adding one of the following exciting options.

Workshops

Each workshop adds $5 per participant, and adds 45 minutes to total program time.

• Heraldic Pennants — Discover the history of heraldry and create your own one-of-a-kind pennant.
• Heraldic Shields — Discover the history of heraldry as you create your own unique medieval shield.

Shows

Each show adds $3 per person, and replaces the arms and armor presentation in the Summer Camper's Quest for Knighthood.

• 14th-Century Knight — the 14th century was a time of change in the world of arms and armor. At the beginning of the century, knights clad mostly in mail were a common site. By the end of the century, most knights would cover themselves in suits of overlapping articulated steel plates. Explore the reasons for these changes both in the equipment and in the men who used them through demonstrations and audience participation.
• A Gothic Knight — the 15th-century battlefield witnessed both the emergence of the fully armored knight and the introduction of the handheld firearms that eventually brought about the knight's demise. Participants will witness how weapons of the period functioned and were used. Includes hands-on demonstrations of historical combat techniques.
• Arming a Knight — Knights in movies are often clumsy. Did you know fighters in full suits of chain mail or plate armor can do cartwheels, leap up from the ground, and even sprint? Discover how armor was worn and used in this interactive demonstration as we arm our own knight, from the inside out. (Note: Limited availability; requires two staff and costs an additional $50 per performance.)

Click here to make a reservation and for basic information about group visits.
 

The Knights are coming! Do you have your helmet? Are you ready to throw down your gauntlet? Is your mail or plate armor prepared?
Are you besieged in camp and can’t leave? Perhaps you need to guard against attack. If you can’t come to us, we can come to you with our interactive arms and armor programs! Spend an hour preparing for battle with one the special programs listed below and perhaps you or one of your friends will be chosen for a special mission. Only the brave need apply!!!

See bottom of page for fees and requirements.

Program Descriptions

A Knight's Tale

From the emergence of the knightly class following the fall of Rome to the flourish of chivalric romance in the 16th century, this program describes the evolution of arms and armor from the mail hauberk of Charlemagne to the full plate armor at the court of Maximillian I. This program provides an excellent introduction to the history of arms and armor in Western Europe.

14th-Century Knight (recommended for seventh grade and up)

The 14th century was a time of change in the world of arms and armor. At the beginning of the century, knights clad mostly in mail were a common site. By the end of the century, most knights could cover themselves in suits of overlapping articulated steel plate. Explore the reasons for these changes both in the equipment and in the men who used them through demonstration and audience participation.

Gothic Knight (recommended for fifth grade and up)

The 15th-century battlefield witnessed both the emergence of the fully armored knight and the introduction of the handheld firearms that eventually brought about the knight's demise. Participants will witness how weapons of the period functioned and were used. Includes hands-on demonstrations of historical combat techniques.

Arming a Knight

Knights in movies are often clumsy. Did you know fighters in full suits of chain mail or plate armor can do cartwheels, leap up from the ground, and even sprint? Discover how armor was worn and used in this interactive demonstration as we arm our own knight, from the inside out. (Note: Limited availability; requires two staff and costs an additional $50 per performance.)

Program Fees and Requirements

Each Outreach Program is $375 for one performance and $275 for any additional performances booked on the same day and at the same location.

Travel expenses are $.55 per mile, roundtrip. An additional $50 is charged for locations beyond 250 miles roundtrip from the museum. Lodging and meals may be requested for locations beyond 300 miles roundtrip from the museum.

Site requirements: two, eight-foot tables and a private changing area for the presenter (depending on the program). For the 14th-Century Knight and Gothic Knight programs, the presenter may need assistance getting into the armor before the program.

Written directions to the site should be sent immediately upon receiving an invoice and confirmation. Payment is due in full two weeks before performance.

Book early as dates fill quickly. Reservations must be made at least four weeks in advance of the program date.  Book now to assure the date of your choice.

Call (508) 853-6015, ext. 20, or e-mail higgins@higgins.org.