Heritage Museums and Gardens facts for kids
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Heritage Museums and Gardens is a super cool place in Sandwich, Massachusetts! It's huge, about 100 acres, and used to be called the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich. Imagine a giant garden filled with beautiful flowers like rhododendrons and daylilies! But it's not just plants. There are also three special buildings with amazing collections. You can see old American cars, cool American folk art, and even ride a working 1919 carousel!
The land where the museum now stands used to belong to a man named Charles O. Dexter. He was famous for growing new types of rhododendrons. Between 1921 and 1943, he planted thousands of these flowers here. Later, in 1969, Josiah K. Lilly III and his wife created the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich on this very property.
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Explore the Gardens and More
Beautiful Gardens and Grounds
The main attraction in the gardens is the huge collection of rhododendrons. There are thousands of them! Many of these are special types that Charles Dexter himself created. They usually bloom from late May to mid-June, making the gardens burst with color.
It took a lot of work to bring these flowers back together. After Dexter, his special plants were spread out everywhere. Since 1972, people have been carefully finding and replanting them. Now, the collection is complete and the plants are fully grown.
But there's more than just rhododendrons! You can also find gardens filled with holly, daylilys, herbs, hostas, and heather. Plus, there are over a thousand different kinds of trees, shrubs, and flowers, all labeled so you can learn about them.
Fun Outdoor Features
The grounds also have an old windmill called the Old East Mill. It was built in Orleans, Massachusetts way back in 1800. It was carefully fixed up in 1999 and 2000. On certain days, you can even go inside and see how it works!
In 2002, a labyrinth was added to the gardens. It was designed by Marty Cain, a famous labyrinth designer. A fun maze garden, called the Hart Family Maze Garden, was created in 2005. In 2008, a special Cape Cod Hydrangea garden was planted.
For kids and families, there's a super cool area called Hidden Hollow. It was added in 2010. It's a certified outdoor nature classroom where children and families can have fun and explore nature together. In 2015, an adventure park was also added to the grounds.
Ride the Historic Carousel
Heritage Museums & Gardens has a real, working 1908 Looff Carousel! It was made in Charles Looff's factory in Riverside, Rhode Island. This carousel first went to an amusement park in Meridian, Mississippi. Josiah Lilly, the museum's founder, bought it in 1968. A special building was built just for the carousel, and it opened to the public in 1972.
In September 2018, the museum celebrated the carousel's 110th birthday! It was a big party, and even some of Charles Looff's family members came to celebrate.
President Taft's Special Car
Did you know that a car once owned by a US president is at the museum? In 1909, President William Howard Taft turned the White House stables into a garage. He bought four cars, including a special White Motor Company Steam Car Model M. This car cost $4,000, which was a lot of money back then! It was one of the last steam cars ever made.
President Taft loved this car. He even used its steam to spray "pesky" press photographers! This powerful 40 horsepower car could seat seven people. It helped the White Motor Company become well-known. Today, President Taft's White Model M car is a special part of the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Museum at Heritage Museums and Gardens.
