Welcome to Sandwich, the oldest town on Cape Cod
SANDWICH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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  • Home
  • Chamber Events
    • SandwichFest
    • SandwichFest Vendor Approved Registration
  • For Your Visit
    • Where to Stay
    • Where to Dine
    • What to Do
    • Welcome Center
  • Discover Sandwich
    • Sandwich History
    • Museums
    • Beaches
    • Bike & Hiking Trails
  • Job Board
  • Chamber Store
  • Business Directory
  • Membership
    • Member Login
    • Membership Fees
    • Why Join?
    • Member to Member Discounts
  • News & Events
    • Golf Tournament
    • Chamber News
    • Community Calendar
    • Business After Hours
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Staff/Board of Directors
    • Starting a Business
  • New Page

Museums

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Benjamin Nye Homestead & Museum
Spend an afternoon at the Nye Museum, just off Route 6A near the East Sandwich Post Office. Located on a beautiful 3-acre homestead established by Benjamin Nye in 1678, the Nye Museum is a professionally staffed non-profit organization. Its mission is to preserve and promote three historic landmarks: a 1678 Colonial Farmhouse, an 1858 Grist Mill and Mill Museum, and our 1889 Grange Hall & Welcome Center. Join us for guided tours, special events, or a relaxing stroll through our grounds and trails. Serene, inviting, and brimming with local history, the Nye Museum will transport you back to colonial times.

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​Cahoon Museum of American Art
Cotuit, MA
​Stop by the Cahoon Museum and see fabulous art, have fun, enjoy lots of family friendly events and unique programs.  Housed in the historic 1782 Crocker House, the Museum has a modern gallery addition and presents eight changing art shows each year. Visitors of all ages can explore art and creativity in the hands-on activity room and the Museum Shop features local crafts and unique gifts – things that can’t be found anywhere else.  Come and see the giant Blue Trees and take a selfie!
A true gem of a museum, the Cahoon offers the best opportunity to engage with Cape Cod history and culture. Bring a friend or an entire group! Tour groups of all sizes are welcome, and guided tours are available by reservation. Convenient onsite parking.
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Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center
Great for all ages! Explore the Cape Cod Canal’s rich history, fascinating features and vigilant operation through interactive exhibits and activities. Board a retired 40-foot patrol boat. Scan live radar and camera monitors to locate vessels in the waterway. Investigate what’s inside ships that transit the canal. Discover wildlife that live in or around the canal. View films about the canal in the small theater. Participate in free interpretive programs like Visitor Center tours, guided hikes, story time, Junior Ranger and more. Or…just relax and soak in the waterfront views from the rocking chairs on the front deck. US Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers staff the Center, and provide information about the canal and its recreational opportunities. A small bookstore is also offered. 

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Dexter Grist Mill
The Dexter Grist Mill is one of the most photographed sites on Cape Cod. The mill overlooks Lower Shawme Pond and is bordered by the Town Hall, herring run, picturesque colonial homes, and a cemetery with gravestones dated back to the 1600s.  
All the mill’s machinery is the earliest type used in this country and is driven by water power from the Shawme Pond. Freshly ground cornmeal packaged in old-fashioned cloth flour bags can be purchased and includes the mill’s popular recipes.
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Website
Take a Virtual Tour
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Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen
Green Briar offers live animal exhibits, nature trails, a natural history library, a gallery exhibiting the life and times of children’s author and naturalist Thornton W. Burgess, and a spectacular wildflower garden.  It is also the home of the historic Green Briar Jam Kitchen, where jams, jellies and preserves have been made since 1903.  Jam making classes are offered for the public on specific dates.  Kitchen products as well as nature-related items are for sale in the unique Mercantile gift shop.  All proceeds help support the nature center’s educational programs. 
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Heritage Museums & Gardens
The largest public garden in Southern New England, a Top 25 museum in Massachusetts, and the premier cultural attraction on Cape Cod. Located in historic Sandwich, Massachusetts on 100 acres of gardens, trails, and natural areas, it offers three exhibition buildings featuring permanent collections of American folk and fine art, classic automobiles, historic artifacts, family-friendly activities and events, and annual special exhibits and outdoor exhibitions.

​Heritage Museums & Gardens is a magnet for people who enjoy the benefits of outdoor discovery and the exhibition of great historic and horticultural collections. Featuring gems of the automotive world, an outdoor family discovery garden, a vintage carousel, a permanent collection of American art, a special exhibit that changes annually, and family-friendly programs.
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Hoxie House
Take a trip back in time. The Hoxie House (circa 1640) reflects life in the town of Sandwich in the 17th-century. High on a bluff overlooking beautiful Shawme Pond in its original location rests the Hoxie House. The famous house was acquired by the town of Sandwich and in 1959 was fully and authentically restored.
A brief, narrated, hands-on tour gives visitors a chance to experience the fun and hardships of life in the 17th-century. Visitors learn unique facts about settlers’ life experiences, including many which have found their way into modern times. Many present-day sayings, including “daylight robbery,” “sleep tight,” “Tying the knot,” and “the upper crust,” have their origins in 17th-century life. 
Motor coach tours are welcome by appointment. Narrated tours are available to meet your time scheduled. Parking is provided.​
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Take a Virtual Tour
Sandwich Glass Museum
The Sandwich Glass Museum and Historical Society interprets the history of the town of Sandwich, as well as the role it played in ushering in the Industrial Revolution to the once agricultural and fishing village of Sandwich. Sparked by the building of the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company in 1825, the company grew to be one of the largest glass manufacturers in the world. It left an indelible mark on the face of Sandwich, which remains today as glass studios dot Cape Cod, including some in Sandwich, and beyond.
Featuring over 10,000 pieces of Sandwich glass, daily glassblowing demonstrations, a multi-media theater experience, interactive displays and changing exhibitions, no family trip to Sandwich would be complete without a visit.
Located in the heart of Sandwich’s Glass Town Cultural District this fascinating museum features a stunning Museum Store offering exquisite locally made contemporary blown glass, reproductions, jewelry and more. In addition to its fifteen galleries, the Museum offers seasonal walking tours, special programs and ample parking. Experience the history and art that made Sandwich “the Town that glass built”.
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Wing Fort House
Originally built in 1641, Wing Fort House is the oldest house in New England owned and occupied continuously by one family. Stephen Wing, one of the earliest settlers of Sandwich and son of the Reverend John Wing and Deborah Bachiler, was the first to live here. Wing descendents made it their home for over three centuries. Now restored, it is furnished almost entirely with Wing family antiques honoring different periods of its long history. It was the private residence of Cora Wing until 1942.
 
The House is now a museum and shared with visitors by a dedicated caretaker-guide and volunteer members of the Wing Family of America. Receiving no funds from state or federal governments, the House is maintained solely by membership dues, visitor fees and donations.
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Sandwich Chamber of Commerce
520 Rte 130 - PO Box 744

Sandwich, MA 02563
(508) 681-0918
​info@sandwichchamber.com
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