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In the southwestern shoulder of Cape Cod is a surprising art gallery, an automobile museum, a working circa 1908 Looff Carousel, an antique firearms and military miniatures museum, acres of formal gardens, a labyrinth, a windmill, a maze garden and galleries of New England folk art and bird carvings.
And, all of that is at one place: Heritage Museums Gardens in the quintessential Cape Cod town of Sandwich, Mass.
Its 100 acres spread out on gently rolling hills consumed by broad lawns and brilliant gardens full of encyclopedic collections of many varieties, including its own Dexter Rhododendrons.
There are miles of walking paths and trails, a café, and one of the most impressive and important collections of historic vehicles in America.
The land has been occupied since 1677, and since then has housed some influential and interesting families. Much of the landscaping is the legacy of Charles Owen Dexter, who parlayed his fortune made in textile manufacturing into the estate he owned for many years. Dexter was an avid gardener and amateur landscape architect.
The property was later purchased by Josiah Kirby Lilly, who established the automobile museum in honor of his father, pharmaceutical chemist Eli Lilly.
Heritage Museums Gardens mounts several special exhibitions throughout the year, and features many concerts and events on its absolutely beautiful grounds.
Through October, the Automobile Gallery and Special Exhibitions Gallery are displaying 16 of the most historically important “concept cars” ever built in the exhibition Driving Our Dreams: Imagination in Motion.
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