American Heritage Museum Hudson Ma

World War Ii Tank Driving Experiences And Tank Rides

The mission of the American Heritage Museum is to bring visitors an immersive experience in history to give a greater appreciation for those who lived it and an excitement to learn more. For the ultimate immersive experience, the American Heritage Museum is offering YOU the opportunity to ride aboard or even DRIVE a real tank from World War II the M24 Chaffee Light Tank or the M4A3 Sherman Medium Tank!

Being a crew member or driving a tank is not particularly comfortable. These metal beasts are all business, designed to go over most obstacles with ease and destroy anything in its path. Once in a tank, it is clearly evident you are driving a machine with great power. When youre in a tank, things dont happen to you You happen to them!

From May through October, the American Heritage Museum will offer tank riding and driving programs in the Chaffee and Sherman right here at our tank training area right behind the museum in Hudson, Massachusetts. Youll check in for your experience and be transported back to 1944 as you step aboard!

Learn about each tank riding or driving program in the listings below and book online if you desire! You may also call us to book at 978-562-9182 M-F from 9am to 5pm .

All tank driving experiences are considered tax-deductible contributions and 100% of the donations for the experience goes into the upkeep and restoration of the vehicles and growth of the programs at the American Heritage Museum.

American Heritage Museum Tank Driving

Probably the coolest thing the American Heritage Museum offers is the chance to drive one of their World War II tanks yourself. As a complete and total amateur.

Because of the nature of the museum, its totally funded by visitor admissions, donations, and private funding. Thus, they offer some pretty unique fundraising methods.

The American Heritage Museum and the Collings Foundation are big into immersive experiences as a way to better learn about history, and I cant agree more. For years they have offered the chance to fly in real WWII planes .

Now, you can take part in the American Heritage Museums Tank Driving Experience Program and drive a real WWII tank. Choose from either the M24 Chaffee or the M4A3 Sherman tank.

These experiences are 100% tax deductible donations and reservations are required. Also, you should probably know how to drive a stick. Or, in my case, learn how to drive a stick from scratch with the sole purpose of eventually driving a WWII tank.

More Info For Visiting The American Heritage Museum

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Tank Driving Experiences And Tank Rides

For the ultimate immersive experience in World War II living history, the American Heritage Museum offers driving instruction and rides in the M4 Sherman Medium Tank and M24 Chaffee Light Tank on select days in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Ride programs start at $595 per tank and driving programs start at $995 per person. Advance reservations are REQUIRED for all tank experiences as they are only offered on select dates. Please see details on the Tank Experience section of our website or call us at 978-562-9182 to learn more. All participants in tank rides and drives must be at least 5 in height and all drive participants must be at least 16 or older.

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What Makes Your Business Unique

The American Heritage Museum seeks to engage, educate, entertain, and enlighten its audiences in the history of our military and veterans through a chronologically arranged series of exhibits and educational interpretation. Among the variety of over 85 rare relics, the American Heritage Museum features over fifteen tanks and artifacts that are the only ones on public display in North America. These include:

M1A1 Abrams Tank

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American Heritage Museums Wwii Sections

The WWII section of the American Heritage Museum takes up the vast majority of display space here. Within this section are sub-sections divided by critical turning points, specific topics, and the many theaters of the war.

War Clouds

This section utilizes a video presentation detailing the events and timeline of World War II. It includes such artifacts as the Hitler favorite Mercedes G4 staff car and a German Panzer.

Also in this section you can see both Nazi and Japanese military uniforms and weaponry and other relevant artifacts.

Arsenal of Democracy

This small section includes three American pieces: a Sherman tank, a Sherman Turret Trainer, and the front half of a 1942 Buick Super.

North Africa

Heading down into the guts of the museum youll first encounter the section on North Africa. In this section youll find American and British tanks, motorcycles and armored cars, and more.

Italian Campaign

Moving on will take you into the Italian Campaign. Here you can see American and German vehicles, guns, and, my favorite, the German Schwimmwagena small duck boat-like vehicle capable of both land and water movement.

Fun factThe Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun found in this section is the same type used in the movie Saving Private Ryanin case you want to get a look at one in action.

Clash of Steel

Eastern Front

D-Day

In this section you can also look inside a Cromwell I and learn about the Churchill Crocodile, a flame-throwing tank.

Liberation

About American Heritage Museum

The American Heritage Museum at the Collings Foundation which features the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection which explores major historic conflicts, ranging from the Revolutionary War up until today. Visitors are able to learn and discover by interacting with American heritage through the history, changing technology, and, ” the Human Impact of America’s fight to preserve the Freedom we all hold dear.” This museum features one of the world’s largest collections of armored vehicles and tanks, which are all displayed in specialized dioramas and exhibits. The concept began when the Foundation was chosen as the recipient of a massive collection of tanks, armored vehicles and military artifacts from the Jaques M. Littlefield family. The museum also features twenty plus captivating exhibits that include a WWI Trench Experience and Clash of Steel, allowing the visitors to feel engaged in their history. Along with the exhibits, there are also many living history events and exhibitions put on throughout the year. Learn more about tickets, their programs and their gift shop at their website!

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Visiting The American Heritage Museum: All Things Wwii Transportation

As a WWII enthusiast, theres almost nothing better than when a WWII museum on the scale of the American Heritage Museum opens less than hour from your house. And this is a very, very large scale.

Regardless of how close you live, a visit to the American Heritage Museum is well worth however long itll take you to get here. The pieces in this museum are huge, beautifully restored, and rare. Some of them you wont be able to see anywhere else in the world.

Drive A Tank At The American Heritage Museum

Many museums offer unique experiences simply through the collection of artifacts and the knowledge that can come from such items of interest. What sets the American Heritage Museum apart is that its known as the Tank Museum in Massachusetts for a reason.

Visitors dont only get up close and personal with armored vehicles they can also schedule an opportunity to ride in and even drive tanks on-site. Covering a variety of military vehicles, aircraft, weapons, tactics, and more starting from the Revolutionary War and going through the War on Terror, theres no denying that there is a wealth of knowledge and experience waiting for you.

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American Heritage Museum Offers Guests A Trip Back In Time

HUDSON History is at your fingertips everywhere you look in the American Heritage Museum in Hudson.

At the museum, displays featuring military tanks, historic aircraft, and classic cars offer visitors an unforgettable interactive experience.

We strive to engage people in history and excite them to want to learn more, Director of Marketing and Communications Hunter Chaney said in a recent interview. When people come here, they see that its unique. Theres nothing quite like it in the country.

The 66,000-square-foot museum officially opened in the summer of 2019. It was created by the Collings Foundation, which has presented interactive history-related displays and shows locally and throughout the country since 1979.

The museum traces war conflicts from the Revolutionary War to modern-day and serves as the home to several tanks and artifacts that are the only ones on public display in North America.

As a relatively new museum, after COVID hit, we were pretty much closed down through 2020 and only opened in a limited fashion in 2021, Chaney explained. So far this year weve been able to stretch our wings a little bit. We aim to specialize in the operation of historical artifacts and want to impress a tactile sense of history through our museum experience.

When people see how the exhibits are laid out chronologically through World War II, theyre flabbergasted and their jaws drop, Chaney said.

Who Wants To Drive A Tank

Unless you are in the Armed Forces, its unlikely that your daily routine provides plenty of opportunities to drive tanks. But when you visit the American Heritage Museum, it can!

Visitors can drive and ride in real iconic tanks that have operated in warfare across the globe. Here are the tanks available to drive and ride at the museum:

• The M4 Sherman is one of the most iconic armored vehicles on the planet. Serving in World War II, the tank saw plenty of action, including helping Allied Forces invade Berlin. It was even made famous in movies such as Tank, the 1982 film starring James Garner.
• During both World War II and the Korean War, the M24 Chaffee helped defend freedom and produce victories on the battlefield for American Forces. Today, you can experience what its like to operate this vehicle.

Booking your spot allows you an hour-long session complete with a driving instructor who will walk you through how to operate your tank and provide you with the opportunity to operate it yourself.

The M4 Sherman program requires a donation of $1,495.00 per driver. With an additional $195 donation, you can add a rider to operate the turret. An M24 Chaffee is available to drive for a donation of $995.00 per driver with a $195.00 additional donation, once again, to add a rider to the turret gunner.

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It Happens Here: American Heritage Museum In Hudson Offers Interactive Lessons In History Of Wars

May 12, 2022 / 4:30 AM / CBS Boston

HUDSON – About 30 miles west of Boston there’s a museum dedicated to U.S. wars and what it was like to fight in them.

However, at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, the focus is not celebrating our conflicts but making sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

They do that by telling the personal stories of the men and women who were on the front lines. The museum launched in 2019, starting at the Revolutionary War through today, using rare relics.

President Rob Collings took us on an emotional tour through time, showing us a boat that landed on the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

“Think about the 21 guys who were on here. They were sitting on this boat for hours and hours waiting before they have that wave come ashore,” Collings told WBZ-TV.

The museum received many of these amazing artifacts as a gift from Jacques Littlefield after his death in 2009.

Here it’s about mixing the technology with the personal stories, how each conflict led to the next and why we need to know what it was like, including experiencing a simulated trench fire fight.

But if you really want to step into history, you can drive an M24 Chaffee, a tank used in World War II and the Korean War.

In:

How To Purchase Tickets

For simple admissions processing, we encourage you to purchase tickets in advance using our online portal and your tickets may be emailed directly to you. Otherwise, you may purchase tickets at our admissions desk on your arrival. Special Event Weekend tickets should be purchased through the event page . Tank Driving Programs and Tank Rides must be scheduled and purchased separately and are NOT available on all days that the museum is open

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Buy A Gift Certificate

Do you have a special someone that youd like to give the gift of a tank driving experience or tank ride to? We have gift certificates available for immediate shipping! Recipients can choose their own date to schedule their experience once they receive our experience certificate package. Allow up to 7-10 days for delivery in the Domestic U.S.

American Heritage Museum Collection

In these exhibits youll see the museums collection comprised of over 80 military transportation vehicles including:

• Tanks on tanks on tanks
• Amphibious landing crafts
• The remains of a German U-Boat
• Weaponrybig and small
• A handful of informative and entertaining video presentations

If you love tanks as much as I do, you definitely need to attend WWII Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania. Youll see tank parades and tons of tanks in action all three days.

Youll also have the opportunity to pick up, feel, and wear historical war artifacts as well as spend some time talking to the many enthusiastic volunteers. Youll see a variety of miscellaneous WWII artifacts and get up close to some of the wars most significant modes of transportation and destruction.

If you have an interest in World War II transportation you absolutely must visit the American Heritage Museum. This place includes anything and everything related to wings, wheels, watercraft, and weaponry.

Also check outThe American Heritage Museum is just one of many World War II sites in the state of Massachusetts. Check out my guide to Massachusetts WWII sites for more awesome museums, memorials, and some cool and unusual places to visit.

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A Visit To The American Heritage Museum

A Military History Museum at its Finest

The American Heritage Museum is an impressive new space in Hudson, MA, that showcases a multitude of tanks, automobiles, aircraft, and other machinery, with interactive exhibits, short films, and knowledgeable docents.

The Museum is a branch of the Collings Foundation, which has one of the largest collections of operational old-time aircraft and tanks in the world. The Collings Foundation also runs the Wings of Freedom tour, a nationwide tour of 110 cities, the longest functioning historic aircraft tour in the world.

Upon entry, youll be escorted into a spacious room with wide benches to view a short film about the early history of our nation and its involvement in the Revolutionary War and The Civil War. The film features re-enactments and famous scenes of our fore-fathers and patriots fighting for the liberties that we still appreciate and defend today.

Next, the doors open and your experience truly begins with an immersive WWI Trench Experience. Its basically a room-sized diorama where you walk down stairs into a trench that runs across the room.

From there you can look up, as though in Europe, to barbed wire and the war front all around you on 3 screens, while a video presentation plays out a but of the story of World War I.

Over 85 artifacts are on display, including the rare WWII German Panther tank, a combat veteran Russian IS-2 tank, an Iraqi SCUD missile and the only publicly displayed M1A1 Abrams tank in the world.

Hudson Educational Museums American Heritage Museum In Middlesex County Ma 1749

Find a Hudson Educational Museums that is here to serve you. American Heritage Museum is that company. Please reach out to us today so American Heritage Museum can help you solve any questions you have to meet your goals as a local consumer.

If you own a home or a business in Hudson Middlesex County and you need Hudson Educational Museums, then give American Heritage Museum a call now or fill out the contact form below and someone will get back to you and help you with your Hudson residential, commercial, or industrial needs.

To Schedule An Appointment with a Hudson Educational Museums just reach out to them now!

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Where Is The American Heritage Museum

The American Heritage Museum is at 568 Main St., Hudson, MA 01749. This location is great, as its proximity to other great attractions is convenient. The heart of downtown Hudson, Massachusetts, can be found only 10 minutes from the museum. A quick trip north, around 20-25 miles depending on your route, will take you to Fort Devens, a military installation for the Army Reserve. Various local businesses are nearby, and other common attractions include the Charter Oak Country Club, a members-only golf course featuring 18 holes.

Visit The American Heritage Museum In Hudson Ma

The American Heritage Museum is open weekly from Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm each day. The AHM is fully ADA accessible and covers over 67,000 square feet in our well ventilated, climate controlled facility. Visitors are encouraged to plan at least two hours for their visit.

The annex buildings such as the Aircraft Hangar or Car Collection are ONLY open on Special Event Weekends and are not part of general admission.

We are sorry, the American Heritage Museum does not have a cafe or dining available at this time. Great dining experiences in downtown Hudson, MA are only 2 miles away.

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