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. A highlight is the Shaker Round Barn, which showcases classic and historic cars—including a 1930 yellow-and-green Duesenberg built for Gary Cooper. 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, antique toys, and a working 1912 Coney Island-style carousel.
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. In summer, concerts are held in the gardens, often on Wednesday or Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon.
