Dexter Grist Mill, off Water Street, south of Main Street. This circa 1640 grist mill is the real McCoy, built by Thomas Dexter, and was one of several turbine-powered workhorses used during the glass factories’ Halcyon days. It went out of use in 1880s, when coal-powered western mills provided cheaper flour and sat idle until the 1920s, when it was resurrected in a new incarnation as a tea room to cater to a tourists driving to the Cape by a comparatively new invention, the automobile. Its cypress wood waterwheel and wooden gears are powered by pond overflow. Today, the mill’s output is cornmeal which is happily sold in cloth bags. Open from mid-May to mid-October; hours vary.

Green Briar Nature Center & Jam Kitchen, East of town at 6 Discovery Hill Road. “Tis a wonderful thing to sweeten a world which is in a jam and needs preserving,” wrote conservationist Thornton Burgess to Ida Putnam. The young Burgess wandered the woods surrounding Putnam’s jam kitchen. Children will love this center with changing natural history exhibits, a full summer program of nature classes, self-guided walks through 52 acres of Sandwich Conservation land and weekday tours of the Jam Kitchen, which makes natural jams, jellies, and pickles from Putnam’s original recipes. The Center is nestled deep in the woods adjacent to a pond—the scene looking rather like an illustration from one of the Burgess storybooks.

The Briar Patch, Off Route 6A, East Sandwich. An exceedingly pleasant 57-acre area of white pine and black locust trees with meandering trails. This spot was inspiration for many of Thornton Burgess’ writings.

Heritage Museums & Gardens of Sandwich, Grove Street. Americana museum on 100 manicured acres with a wide assortment of flora, a 1912 carousel, an antique car collection (including Gary Cooper’s snappy yellow and dazzling 1930 Duesenberg), the American History Museum with more than 2,000 hand painted miniatures and collections of flags and firearms, an impressive collection of antique weathervanes, early American primitive and western art, including Currier & Ives lithographs and carved cigar-store figures. Open year round.

Hoxie House, Route 130 (Water Street). This archetypal, restored shingle saltbox house is alleged to be Cape Cod’s oldest. It was built circa 1675 for the town’s second minister, John Smith, and was named after whaling Captain Abraham Hoxie, who purchased the house in the 1850s. The House sits on a high knoll overlooking willow-lined Shawme Pond—haunt of ubiquitous water fowl—and is authentically furnished to reflect the Colonial period and features a collection of antique textile machines. Twentieth-century occupants lived here, sans electricity, plumbing or central heat, until the early 1950s. Open mid-June to -October.

Sandwich Glass Museum, 129 Main Street at Tupper Road. This fascinating museum introduces glass-making with a short video about Deming Jarves’ 19th century glass-making endeavor, wherein glass, heretofore only for the wealthy, became available to the middle classes. The Museum contains one of the largest collections of Sandwich glass in the US. In addition to providing a comprehensive portrait of the glass-making industry through artifacts, equipment, old photographs and records. The dazzling display of glass is displayed to optimal effect along banks of sunny windows through which sun illuminates the glass, lighting up the Museum in a kaleidoscope of colors. There are also artifacts of early Sandwich history and a gift shop. Open all year except January; hours vary.

Shawme-Crowell State Forest, Route 130. This 742-acre forest is less than one mile from the Cape Cod Canal and has 280 sites for RV and wooded tent camping (no hookups). Open-air campfires are permitted. Biking and hiking and campers are allowed free use of Scusset Beach.

Thornton W. Burgess Museum, 4 Water Street. The famous children’s author (1874-1965) made Sandwich his home and this refreshing little museum contains a collection of his writings and original illustrations of his animal characters by Harrison Cady. Burgess was an avid conservationist and prolific author, having written 15,000 children’s stories and 170 books, the most famous of which were the popular series Old Mother West Wind and Peter Rabbit stories. Animal characters came alive in habitats such as the Old Briar Patch, Smiling Pool and Crooked Little Path. Children thrill to the “see and touch” room, live-animal story hour and Peter Rabbit puzzles and games. Open daily April-December.

The Sandwich Boardwalk fords Mill Creek across Sandwich Harbor to a lovely public beach. Relax on the benches for awhile, comb the shoreline for treasures, or take a short trek over the sand to the Cape Cod Canal. In 1991, Hurricane Bob and subsequent storms destroyed the original boardwalk here. Right after its destruction, an appeal went out for people to purchase 1,700 individual planks which would be engraved for $25 and $50 (the latter was a larger plank) to complete the new 1,350-foot walkway. The new boardwalk was completely funded by these private donations and was completed in 1992. The boardwalk is presently being re-constructed and an appeal is underway for buying new planks, as the old ones are now ten years old. The project should be completed by May 2003. Half the fun of visiting this boardwalk is reading the contributors’ messages carved into the planks. Some pay tribute to loved ones lost. Others like “Friends from Connecticut,” “Mom’s Beach 1992” and “Squibby from M.V.” remind us of past visitors. “Old Man River” and “Hey Diddle Diddle” grace two of the planks. A third cautions “Slippery when Wet.” Perhaps, though, our favorite is “Meet Here,” a cryptic invitation to visit often. Presently, according to Diane Hanelt at Sandwich Town Hall (508-888-5144) there are just over 2,300 planks on the Boardwalk with 200 available for purchase. Planks are replaced as needed to ensure safety pf foot traffic and the original inscribers are contacted and have first option to have their former plank re-inscribed at current prices (current prices are $70 for up to 15 letters, symbols and spaces and $150 for 16-25 letters, symbols and spaces). For additional information about the Sandwich Boardwalk, go to http://www.sandwichmass.org/GetaBoard/BoardWalkReconstruction.asp To reach this walkway, follow Route 6A, Sandwich, to Jarves Street. The boardwalk is at the end of Jarves and Harbor Streets.

Cape Cod Area Guides: [ Previous Page ] [ Climate ] [ Arts and Culture ] [ Geography ] [ Golfing ] [ History ] [ Trivia ] [ Barnstable ] [ Bourne ] [ Brewster ] [ Chatham ] [ Dennis ] [ Eastham ] [ Falmouth ] [ Harwich ] [ Mashpee ] [ Orleans ] [ Provincetown ] [ Sandwich ] [ Truro ] [ Wellfleet ] [ Yarmouth ]

Information and photos submitted by:

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Routes 6 & 132, PO Box 790
Hyannis, MA  02601
508-362-3225 | Website | Email

 

Please visit Guidebook Cape Cod's sponsors:

Add Your Listing to our Travel Directory