Mechanics Hall is a striking pre-Civil War concert hall on Main Street, built in 1857 by the Worcester County Mechanics Association — the local equivalent of the trade unions that connected the city's skilled metalworkers and machinists. The building's Great Hall has long been considered one of the best-sounding rooms in the country, in the league of the Boston Symphony's home at Symphony Hall.
Charles Dickens lectured here in 1868; Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, and Theodore Roosevelt all spoke from its stage. Today the hall hosts classical concerts, recitals, and the occasional touring act. If you cannot make a concert, ask at the door whether you can step in for a look — the painted decoration and the gallery are worth it.