THERE ARE UNLIMITED THINGS TO DO AT HERITAGE ADVENTURE PARK

As an adventure lover it has always been challenging for me to say “no” to an aerial ropes course. When I found one on Cape Cod my reaction was no different, I had to try it! Heritage Adventure Park is located in Sandwich, Massachusetts and this is no standard adventure park. There are 5 separate trails of varying levels of difficulty. Each trail has zip lines but primarily consist of “bridges” between tree platforms made of rope, cable and wood configurations creating over 65 unique challenges. They also have a museum & gardens that is great for the less-adventurous friends who may rather enjoy the botanical beauty of the gardens. In addition, they were recently awarded Cape Cod Magazine’s Best of Cape Cod 2016 “Outdoor Adventure” Award.

My only suggestion – other than “just do it!” – is to come early and get the first slot at the aerial park so that you do not have to wait. We were waiting quite a bit for school groups to finish the courses and it slowed us down enough that we couldn’t attempt the hardest course. I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened if we came earlier though!

For those that may not enjoy being close to 50 feet up in the trees and would rather enjoy nature on solid ground, a visit to Heritage Museum & Gardens is available. It is a short 10 minute walk from the Adventure Park, simply follow the flags in the back right hand corner of the parking lot and you’ll find your way there. It is comprised of three galleries and expansive gardens located in historic Sandwich, Massachusetts. The museum includes galleries for American Folk Art, a vintage carousel as well as automobile and traveling exhibitions. During our visit, there was an exhibit called “CUT! Costume and the Cinema” that featured tons of beautiful costumes from the greatest films of all time.

The gardens have a collection of thousands of rhododendrons, holly, daylily, herb, hosta and heather gardens. Also featured are more than a thousand varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers. While exploring the grounds you’ll also find the Old East Mill, a restored windmill (1990-2000) built originally in Orleans, Massachusetts in the 1800’s. In 2002, a labyrinth was added to the grounds, designed by Marty Cain, one of the best-known labyrinth designers in North America. (Yeah, that’s a thing!)

Overall, it is easy to spend a whole day here. My suggestion is do the aerial ropes course in the morning, have lunch in the gardens and check out the museum in the afternoon. It will be a day well spent! If you’re interested in visiting check out their website here.