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Heritage Museums and Gardens Review
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Heritage Museums and Gardens 
- Address: 67 Grove St., Sandwich, MA | Map It
- Phone: 508/888-3300
- www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org
- Category: Museums/Galleries
- Location: Sandwich
Fodor's Review:
Heritage Museums and Gardens, 100 beautifully landscaped acres overlooking the upper end of Shawme Pond, includes gardens and a café as well as an impressive complex of museum buildings with specialty collections ranging from cars to toys. In 1967 pharmaceuticals magnate Josiah K. Lilly III purchased the estate and turned it into a nonprofit museum. A highlight is the Shaker Round Barn, which showcases classic and historic cars -- including a 1930 yellow-and-green Duesenberg built for Gary Cooper, a 1919 Pierce-Arrow, a 1915 Milburn Light Electric, and a 1911 Stanley Steamer -- as well as art exhibitions. The American History museum houses the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame as well as antique firearms, a collection of 2,000 hand-painted miniature soldiers, military uniforms, and Native American arts. The art museum has an extensive Currier & Ives collection, Americana (including a mechanical-bank collection), antique toys such as a 1920 Hubley Royal Circus, and a working 1912 Coney Island-style carousel that both adults and little ones can ride as often as they like. A shuttle bus -- equipped with a wheelchair lift and space to stow baby strollers -- transports visitors every few minutes from the car museum to other exhibit sites.
Paths crisscross the grounds, which include gardens planted with daylilies, hostas, heather, herbs, and fruit trees. Rhododendron enthusiasts will recognize the name of onetime estate owner and hybridizer Charles O. Dexter; the rhododendrons are in full glory from mid-May through mid-June. Daylilies reach their peak from mid-July through early August. Families visiting with youngsters should ask at the ticket office for Family Funpacks with children's activities, or the Clue tours -- scavenger-hunt games for exploring the grounds. In summer, concerts are held in the gardens, often on Wednesday or Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon. The center of the complex is about ¾ mi on foot from the in-town end of Shawme Pond.
- Cost: $12
- Open: Apr.-Nov., daily 10-5; Nov.-Mar., call for very limited hrs
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