Optical Heritage Museum – Southbridge, Massachusetts - Atlas Obscura
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Optical Heritage Museum

Southbridge, Massachusetts

A quirky museum paying tribute to the history of the optical industry. 

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A small timeline showing progression in frame styles. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
A small timeline showing progression in frame styles. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
Glasses needed to be kept somewhere, see some of the case options available. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
See how the earliest optical frames looked. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
Thousands of articles just waiting to be discovered. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
Step up to see, learn, explore & discover the Optical Heritage Museum. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
Old refraction set ups, rewired and providing accurate measurements 100 years on. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
Eyeglasses through the decades monicaelefterion (Atlas Obscura User)
More than frames, see the equipment making clear vision possible. OHMuseum (Atlas Obscura User)
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Where would we be if not for the scientific breakthroughs allowing us to see clearly?

Paying respects to the optical industry as a whole is the Optical Heritage Museum in Southbridge. The museum is home to thousands of historical artifacts created by American Optical, ZEISS, or SOLA. At the museum, you can see the very same devices that were used to make many of these historical breakthroughs possible.

Wandering through each display, you get a small glimpse into the history of the optical industry. You can browse at your own leisure, or take a guided tour led by the museum curator.

Know Before You Go

Access the museum via the street entrance. The museum is open Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. However, they will open the doors after hours for a tour. Great for groups of all sizes and would recommend at least 1 -2 hours visiting time to soak it all in.

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July 29, 2019
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