15 Best Things to Do in Sandwich (MA)

Located on the Upper Cape, Sandwich is a historic town facing Cape Cod Bay and was first settled in 1637.

Since the 1820s, Sandwich has earned a reputation as New England's largest glassmaking center, and this history is presented in vivid detail at the Sandwich Glass Museum, where you can watch live demonstrations in front of the kiln.

Along Route 6A, the Old Kings Highway passes through the town, and as is typical of this famous artery, there are a series of historic house museums along the way in or near Sandwich.

Sandwich has some lovely public beaches, one of which can be accessed by a popular boardwalk first built in 1875, while the eastern entrance to the magnificent coastal waterway, the Cape Cod Canal, is at the north end of town.

1. Heritage Museum and Gardens

One of the top tourist attractions on Cape Cod is the Charles O. Dexter (1862-1943) 100-acre estate, which is remembered for his work hybridizing rhododendrons. From 1921 to 1943, 10,000 rhododendrons were produced here each year.

You can now wander through the stunning gardens, which contain a nationally significant collection of thousands of rhododendron bushes, representing many of Dexter's most famous growers.

There are also over 1,000 species of daylilies, and an impressive hosta collection, complemented by all the indoor museum galleries.

There's no shortage of surprises inside, where you can see an extraordinary collection of American automobiles (1890s-1860s), browse stunning displays of American art and antiques, and ride a working 1908 Charles Love Carousel.

2. Sandwich Glass Museum

Sandwich's historic glass industry is brought back to life in this outstanding museum charting the history of the town and its famous trade.

What makes this attraction so special is that it has a glass kiln where you can watch a master glassblower working his craft up close enough to feel the heat on your face. During this 20-minute demonstration, the glassmaker will select someone to press a piece of glass.

The museum displays in fixed galleries thousands of works of glassware, many of which were made in the Deming Jarvis factory,?? Some of them are developed using the latest technologies.

Naturally, the gift shop is a big part of the experience, featuring art glass, jewelry, paperweights, vases, bowls, perfume bottles and more.

3. Sandwich Boardwalk and Town Neck Beach

A Sandwich landmark since 1875, this 1,350-foot log structure is located minutes from the city's historic center, taking you from Mill Creek to Town Neck Beach on a wide-open stretch of estuarine marsh.

When we wrote this article, the trail was undergoing renovation to protect it from deterioration and potential storms.

It is one of many updates that have been made over the past 150 years as the boardwalk has been constantly affected by storms.

The point where the walkway crosses Mill Creek is a popular place for people to jump at high tide. On the coast, Sandytown Neck Beach is the best beach in the city, with a clear view north of the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.

4. Old King's Highway

Designated a National Scenic Byway in 2021, Route 6A in Sandwich is located on the Old Kings Highway, which runs 62 miles along the north coast of Cape Cod.

Through a lush landscape of salt marshes, cranberry bogs, ancient forests and protected farmland, this winding road connects a series of venerable communities between Bourne in the west and Orleans in the east, including Truro and Provincetown on the Outer Cape. There are parts of the city.

The road is lined with historic architecture in every New England style from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

The Captain's Mile, which runs two miles up the road in Yarmouth, is not a single 19th-century building, and was once home to several sea captains.

Each town has roadside bed and breakfasts and interesting tourist attractions, and this is also true for Sandwich: The Nye House, Sandwich Glass Museum, Sandwich State Fish Hatchery, Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen, and Wing Fort House Or near the Old King's Highway.

5. Cape Cod Canal

When Cape Cod was settled in the 17th century, there was a dream to build a safe, navigable waterway to connect Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay.

This dream was finally realized in 1914 with the opening of the seven-mile Cape Cod Canal. Controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this waterway is a recreational hotspot during the summer.

Both banks have multi-use trails, seven miles long on the north side and 6.5 miles long on the south side, as well as tourist attractions, public recreation areas and campgrounds.

In Sandwich, at the east entrance, you'll find the official Visitor Center and Sixt Beach State Preserve, dominating the skyline as you make your way to the legendary Sagamore Bridge, Bourne Bridge, and Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge.

The latter, opened in 1935, remains the second longest elevator bridge in the United States.

6. Hoxie House

One of the oldest buildings on Cape Cod, the Hoxie House is beautifully located, overlooking Shawmay Lake in the historic center of Sandwich.

The origins of the trust are unclear at this year, but by 1675 it was the home of the Reverend John Smith, pastor of the First Secessionist Church of Sandwich between 1673 and 1689, with his wife Susannah and their thirteen children.

Later, in the mid-19th century, the house was purchased by whaling captain Abraham Hoxie. The city of Sandwich restored the building to its 17th-century appearance in the 1950s and opened it as a museum with informative guided tours.

Admission to Hoxie House also includes the Dexter Grist Mill, located a short distance away at the north end of Shawmay Lake.

7. Dexter Grist Mill

A working grist mill with a history dating back to the mid-17th century in a beautiful setting in the historic Town Hall Square area.

Built where Mill Creek drains Lake Shawnee, the Dexter Grist Mill contains charming stone-walled mills that power a water wheel.

The original mill was water-powered until the mid-19th century when an iron turbine was installed.

The factory closed when Sandwich's industrial days ended, but was restored to its early 19th century appearance in the 1960s. During this work, he was equipped with historic grinding wheels from the 19th century, imported from France.

During the summer months, you can enter the Dexter Grist Mill to see the machinery in action, and purchase a bag of cornmeal, the recipes of which would be familiar to early Sandwich residents.

8. Nye Museum

In a story similar to that of the Fort Wing House, the Benjamin Nye Homestead has been in the Nye family for almost its entire history.

The original portion of this two-and-a-half story wood frame house was built by Benjamin Nye around 1678, and the back of the house was enlarged sometime in the 1800s.

The property was sold to the state in 1924, but fell into disrepair, so the Nye Family Association took over and restored the house in the early 1960s.

It is now a museum of a historic house furnished with 18th-century furnishings, and is open for tours from June to October.

On your arrival you will be greeted by the Grange Hall, which was built in 1889 as a meeting place for farmers and is now the museum visitor center which contains information, a local crafts shop, special exhibitions, and there is space for community events and lectures. .

9. Scusset Beach State Reservation

This public recreation area at the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal is an excellent choice for Sandwich public beach. Scusset Beach State Reservation is located on the north side of this waterway, along with a 1.5-mile canal frontage on Cape Cod Bay.

You can see ships passing along the stone pier that extends several hundred feet, with a lighthouse at the end.

Lifeguards are on duty, Labor Day though Juneteenth, and like all beaches in the area, Escasette Beach is exposed to the tides, with miles of sand when the tide is out and only a narrow strip when it is high.

However, there is plenty of room for everyone to spread out, with the added bonus of 98 reservable RV campsites and 5 tent-only sites.

10. Sandy Neck Beach Park

A long barrier beach extending six miles east to Cape Cod Bay, Sandy Neck Beach is located in neighboring Barnstable, but due to geography, is more easily accessible from Sandwich.

With nearly 4,700 acres of sand dunes, marshes and maritime forests, it is one of the Cape's most beautiful and popular beaches, attracting thousands of tourists each year to swim, surf, play on the beach and soak up the sun. .

You can explore picturesque coastal habitats along the 7.5-mile Sandy Neck Nature Trail, which runs along the marshes and back along the beach.

The area with the lifeguards on duty is located across from the parking lot off Sandy Neck Road and has a snack hut, which is useful given the remote location.

11. Wing Fort House

In Sandwich you can visit the oldest house in New England continuously inhabited by a single family.

Wing Fort House (1641) likely got its name as a safe haven from Native American attacks, although the Cape people quickly proved its friendliness.

By 1646 it was the home of Stephen Wing, one of Sandwich's first settlers. His descendants lived here until 1942, when it was sold to the Wing Family of America, Inc., which maintains the house as a museum, open Tuesdays through Saturdays from mid-June to late September.

The interior is almost entirely furnished with Wing family furnishings, and reflects changing tastes over nearly 400 years of history.

12. Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen

The Thornton W. Burgess Society, dedicated to the author of The Baby's Name and conservationist, runs this attraction in East Sandwich.

Burgess (1874-1965) wrote 170 books, and Peter Rabbit was among the many characters he created. Inspired by the Briar Patch that appears in his stories, the Greenbriar Nature Center is a picturesque natural site with a smiling pond.

There are interpretive trails, stunning wildflower gardens, and a wide range of educational programs, from guided walks to workshops, field trips and classes.

Meanwhile, the Jam Kitchen dates back to 1903 and is a living museum of sorts, where you can see a variety of jams, jellies, pickles and relishes being prepared in the traditional way in an early 19th-century kitchen.

It is also the world's oldest commercial solar cooking kitchen, cooking safely in the sun.

13. Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center

For basic information about the Cape Cod Canal, the Visitor Center, operated by the federal government, can be found on the south side of the canal in Sandwich.

The attraction is open to the public, free of charge, from early May to late October, and is a must for anyone interested in the waterway.

Through interactive exhibits and multimedia displays, you'll learn how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages traffic through the canal, and you can watch live radar and camera feeds to see approaching ships.

The main exhibit is the 40-foot Rainier patrol boat, which has patrolled the canal, providing support and enforcing regulations for 25 years.

14. Sandwich State Fish Hatchery.

For something a little different, one of Massachusetts' five state fish hatcheries is located on Old Kings Highway, just a short drive from historic downtown Sandwich.

This fish farm stocks over 500,000 rainbow, brown, brook and tiger trout into the state's waterways each spring and fall.

Admission is free, the hatchery is an educational tour, where you can see and feed the fish at different stages of their development. There are dispensers, so don't forget to bring quarters and snack bags to hold food

15. Shawme-Crowell State Forest

This 624-acre state forest has a nature preserve consisting of pine and oak forests not far from the canal.

People come to Shawme-Crowell State Forest to hike, bike, horseback ride and cross-country ski on the 15 miles of trails.

From early summer to fall, it is also a place for camping, with about 285 sites in the quiet woods.

Some of the amenities attached to the campgrounds are picnic areas, showers, restrooms, basketball courts, and a playground, with access to nearby Sixet Beach State Reserve on the other side of the channel.