Information desk at the Springfield Armory Visitor Center

GENERAL INFORMATION

The visitor center for Springfield Armory National Historic Site is located inside the Main Arsenal Building, which also houses the Springfield Armory Museum.

• 9 AM to 5 PM
• Daily from Memorial Day weekend through October 31^st
• Open Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year
• Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Springfield Armory National Historic Site.

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can pick up a brochure on Springfield Armory National Historic Site and all other National Parks in the Boston area, speak with a park Ranger, and find out about lectures and other Ranger-guided tours
• Firearms Museum
• Book and souvenir store
• Park film
• Restrooms

Book and souvenir store

PARK FILM

A 15-minute film on the history of Springfield Armory shows on demand in a small auditorium. The film summarizes the information that you will find in the museum, making it a good substitute for reading information panels. Of particular interest is film footage from the gun manufacturing plants on Mill Creek. Many of the machines shown in the film are now on display in the museum, so you can see how they actually worked.

The film also contains archival footage from World War I and II and a few scenes from Hollywood war movies. Expect to see a few men being shot, including one depicting blood splatter. It’s brief and certainly nothing that would draw an R rating, but it is something to consider if you have small children. Other than that one scene, the film is rated G.

MUSEUM

The museum at Springfield Armory National Historic Site houses the world’s largest collection of United States military firearms. However, it is not simply a collection of weapons designed and manufactured at Springfield Armory. On display are weapons from around the world that were produced from the late 1700s up through 1968 when the armory closed. The museum also includes a section on gun manufacturing and the technological advances pioneered at Springfield Armory. See the Springfield Armory Museum web page for complete information.

M1 Rifle (produced at Springfield) and the independently produced Thompson Submachine Gun

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