After the Garth Brooks concert, I headed over to Springfield, Massachusetts to visit the Springfield Armory, which is part of the National Park Service. It is one of the places listed in my National Parks Passport. According to their website, “for nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world’s largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes.”

I’m not into guns (and that has stayed the same) and I wasn’t really into history that much, but I have to admit that the National Parks Passport has changed that. I really enjoy standing in places that meant so much to our nation’s history. If you’re into guns and history, this place is for you. There are guns from all different decades and how they were used in what war. You can get through the Armory in just an hour or two because it’s not that big. The good thing is that there is no fee to look around, but feel free to leave a donation.

For more information about the Armory and its dinosaur connection, visit http://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/nature/index.htm