James A.
Yelp
Started as an Auto Museum, that is now known for their gardens as well.
Seeing a segment on CBS Sunday Mornings about the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival held annually in the middle of July, we planned a trip out to Boston during that time in '23. From my research, the Heritage was one of the key places to go/start. They open around 10am, and we got there about 10:10, and the paved parking lot (no separate fee) was already getting pretty full. It's about a $20 adult admission price for non-members, and they accept credit cards. The whole scene is extremely well run, with plenty of staff and volunteers. It was a beautiful (sunny though muggy and hot).
They did have a dedicated garden area for Hydrangea, with even a handout with 13 stops you can make as you walk around. Very unfortunately, there was a very harsh winter this year (especially in February) which caused the blooms to be either stunted or non-existent. That was very disappointing, especially since we saw the potential of what it would be like in any other summer. The Gardens do have a nice variety of different Hydrangeas, some of which we have not seen before because it doesn't grow in the climates that we had previously lived. We did drive to one of the private gardens afterwards, and it had the same issue: most Hydrangeas are not blooming....the ones that are stunted are the ones we are used to (able to grow in the harsher climates of the upper Midwest).
Other things to check out on the grounds:
-- Windmill
-- Maze (yes, you can get a bit lost in there)
-- Labyrinth
-- Exhibitions Gallery (had displays showing the history of Cape Cod)
-- Treehouse (not really in a tree, but you get the idea)
-- Wetu (a reproduction of a Native American dwelling)
-- Automobile Gallery (a large selection of antique automobiles...even got to see ones powered by steam from the early 1900's)
If you check each of these out, you would have seen pretty much the entire complex, taking about 2 - 3 hours. Most of the roads are paved, though some have steep inclines. There is a courtesy cart (sitting 8 people) running around the complex, ferrying people about. There are tons of places to take pictures, with beautiful backgrounds of nature or natural structures.
There is a nice, small gift shop (well air conditioned), selling various momentos at reasonable prices. They also have a walk-up snack shop (Lilly's Cafe), with outdoor seating.
They also encourage a lot of pollinating plants, so we got to see a lot of bumblebees and even a couple of humming birds. And I swear I saw from a distance either pheasants or wild turkeys walking around. Even with all the water around, the mosquitos were not bad at all. There were a fair number of people about, and everyone was happy, enjoying the beautiful gardens, helpful staff, and the gorgeous weather.