Anyone captivated by knights in shinning armor, fair maidens, jousts and medieval or renaissance history must pay a visit to the Higgins Armory in Worcester, Mass. This family-friendly museum will set imaginations on fire with its extensive display of arms, armor and other items from military history.

Industrialist John Woodman Higgins built the glass and steel Art Deco museum in 1931 to house his personal collection. He was enamored of all things metal, and was the head of the Worcester Pressed Steel Company, a business he bought with his father in 1905. The museum also housed the company's offices and was connected to the factory. Higgins turned the company over to his son, Carter, in 1950, and died of a heart attack in 1961, at the age of 87.

"Today the museum is a private, non-profit facility run by a board of trustees," said Tara Young, director of education and public programs. "It is no longer affiliated with the family, though some members are on the board."

Start your visit in the orientation gallery on the first floor. Be sure to check out the dog in a suit of armor in the entryway. The armor protected the canine from wild animals, but its primary purpose was to show off the status of the dog's owner.

Take the stairs or elevator to the fourth floor, where there is an introduction to arms and armor, as well as a display of world armor. Keep an eye out for an Egyptian axe made of bronze, wood and leather, which is the oldest weapon in the collection and dates from 2040 to 1786 BCE. The display takes guests through history from this early time, through the Renaissance era often associated with suits of armor, to a time when gun powder made armor ineffective and rulers moved away from knights and toward trained soldiers.

The third floor is home to the stunning Great Hall. It was designed to look like a medieval castle, with vaulted ceilings and flags and banners displayed overhead. On one side is the tournament wing and its life-sized joust display of two knights on horseback in full charge. At the end is a classic stained-glass rose window.

In the other direction is the combat wing with armor that dates from the mail armor of the 1300s to armor's demise in the 1600s. At the entrance is a 13th-century French crusader on horseback. Be sure to scope out the 19th-century gilded bronze statue of Joan of Arc and the Wedgwood-Boulton sword from 1790. Used as a decorative accessory, the sword is made of cut-steel beads that resemble diamonds, with tiny Wedgwood inlays.

Guests are on their own to wander through the exhibits, but they can choose between three different audio tours - the general history tour, a women's history tour or the children's tour. A special audio wand will allow you to switch between the tours at will.

The museum's second floor features the children's quest gallery. This area is full of hands-on displays, including a floor-size chess board with 2-foot-high pieces, costumes and helmets to try on, a royal throne, games, books and other activities. This floor also houses the special exhibitions area.

Scheduled to begin on April 17 is an exhibit titled "From Anvil to Microscope: Modern Metallography and the Ancient Secrets of Metalcraft." It highlights the history of metal craft and shows how modern technology can shed light on how ancient metalsmiths created their pieces. The exhibit will run until mid-October.

On the first floor, next to the gift shop, is the London Brass Rubbing Centre. Visitors can choose from brass plates that were reproduced from authentic British plates used to create memorials during the medieval period. Heavy-duty paper is placed over a plate, and then a colorful wax bar is rubbed across the surface to transfer the plate's image onto the paper.

On the first and third Saturday of each month, the Higgins Armory Sword Guild puts on public demonstrations of medieval and Renaissance combat techniques. The displays take place in the Great Hall at 1 and 3 p.m. For an up-to-date schedule and to learn more about the Sword Guild, log onto their website, higginssword.org.

"We always have something going on," said Young. "Every time people come back, there is something new to see."

(The Higgins Armory is located at 100 Barber Ave. in Worcester, Mass. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $7 for children ages 6-16, and free to members and children 5 and under. For more information, call 508-853-6015 or see higgins.org.)