Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau 30 Worcester Center Blvd. Worcester, MA 01608-1581 (508) 755-7400 Population 169759 Time Zone Eastern Latitude/Longitude 42.26° /-71.8° Today's Forecast HIGH: 61 LOW: 40

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Attractions

Worcester's commercial history is reflected in many of the city's attractions. Industrialist J.W. Higgins spent a lifetime collecting weapons and the suits that early warriors donned in battle to protect themselves from those weapons. The results of his efforts are on display at the Higgins Armory Museum, a Gothic castle where you can see thousands of ancient pieces collected from Europe, Africa and Asia. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor begins in Worcester and extends to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The many stops along the route tell the story of how mills, waterpower and canals built Worcester and a nation. Information about the corridor can be obtained at the Worcester Historical Museum. Always offering something fresh, exhibits at the museum detail the city's development and its industrial accomplishments.

Worcester Art Museum is one of the largest in New England and has a fine collection of European, Eastern, and American art. Among its wide-ranging holdings are works by Winslow Homer, Dutch paintings from the 17th-century, second-century Roman mosaics, and Egyptian antiquities. The stunning Mechanics Hall is recognized as one of the nation's finest pre-Civil War concert halls. Notable personages from Dickens to Yo Yo Ma have delighted audiences with presentations at this superb venue. Of somewhat more recent vintage, Tuckerman Hall was designed in 1902 by Josephine Wright Chapman, one of the country's first female architects. Today, it is the gorgeous home of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra.

Downtown Worcester's convention complex is now called the DCU Center. It hosts pop music concerts, circuses, sports, specials, and family events. Hockey fans can see the Worcester Sharks, the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, play here. Worcester also hosts a baseball team -- the Can-Am League Tornados, who play at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

Youngsters will want to climb into the trees at The EcoTarium, a large museum with ecological exhibits that include ladders and walkways suspended high the hickory and oaks. There are also interactive exhibits indoors and live animal exhibits outdoors. Science buffs will also enjoy the rocketry exhibits at the Robert H. Goddard Library at Clark University.

More stops in and around Worcester include the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum housed in Union Station, Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, and historic Salisbury Mansion. Nearby, Lake Quinsigamond and Green Hill Park are popular for outdoor activities. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, near Boylston, has 132 acres of woodlands and formal gardens, including an orchard with over 100 varieties of early American apples.

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