heritage museums & gardens

There is so much to see and do at this museum. The permanent collections, like the cars, are great but there is usually a traveling exhibit as well. When we were there it was all about poisonous plants and their place in the history of crime.

It was a bit rainy the evening we were there for the Christmas displays, but it was still beautiful. There is a special outside area (covered) for roasting marshmallows and having a hot drink, a beautiful indoor display of trains (running) and a gorgeous Christmas table setting. There is a carousel for kids and the evening we were there, music in the auto showroom also. The auto showroom and Celtic music were worth the price of admission themselves! Great way to kick off the holidays.

We went when the Gardens were decorated for Christmas and it was a beautiful night to walk around, see the lights, hear holiday music, ride the carousel, etc....

Dear tjltc, Thank you for your review of Gardens Aglow at Heritage Museums & Gardens. We’re sorry to hear that the event did not meet your expectations, but we appreciate you sending us your feedback as we are always looking to grow and improve our events. We have forwarded your comments to the appropriate people in the Programming Department for their review. Each year, we look to add more features to Gardens Aglow. This year featured 9.25 miles of lights and decorations around our 100 acres of gardens and exhibit galleries, up from around 8 miles of lights and decorations in 2013. We also added the g-scale model train in the Special Exhibitions Gallery with a train track set 7 feet up and made of all natural materials found at Heritage. This included a replica of the George Washington Bridge that was 30’ long and 12’ tall and a 17’ long trestle bridge. Next year, we hope to continue adding this holiday event and we do hope that one day you’ll return for the festivities. Sincerely,Heritage Museums & Gardens

We stopped by on our way back home from Cape Cod, and we were glad we made the stop. The gardens are wonderful and very peaceful. There are a lot of trails to follow, and the museum was a joy to go through, even for those that do not have an interest in antique cars! Definitely take your time walking through the gardens in order to appreciate the beauty of New England.

Visiting Heritage Museums & Gardens during the Gardens Aglow event from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a wonderful family opportunity. The gardens and trees are lit up beautifully and there is so much to see as you stroll, at night, through the gardens. The Merry-Go-Round is open and free for all and the line moved very quickly. If you want to see Santa you can visit the antique car building where Santa greets children. Along the walk you can stop for hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows. For those who have a hard time walking the hills there is a small cart that will take you through the gardens.It is a bit costly but well worth the price.

First of all let me say this review is for Garden Aglow only - not Heritage Museum which is a great place to visit.Every year I try to take my husband someplace different to view Christmas lights as his birthday is right before Christmas. This was his choice for 2014.We purchased the tickets on line which saved us from having to stand in line once we got there. This is a very smart idea.But at $18 its way overpriced. The $15 Sturbridge Village Christmas by candlelight at $15 is a steal - there is so much to see & do there.Gardens Aglow is very good for families with kids. If you are an adult without kids it's pretty much just okay. Not worth $18.We first went in the car museum which is very nice. Santa was in one of the cars which is cool if you have kids, we don't so of course this didn't interest us.Then we walked to another building. There were kids arts & crafts, again no interest to us. There was a train overhead running & 3 gingerbread houses, that was it.Next we walked to the carousel & took a ride, this is always a joy. I thought the art museum would be open, it wasn't. We then walked to Hidden Hollow. There were instruments for the kids to try, nothing else, so again no interest to us. A very long hill to walk up, not good when you have bad knees.Then we walked back to the car museum & saw "The Harper & the Minstrel" who were very good but at an hour long was about 1/2 an hour too long. It's held in the basement of the car museum so you could hear the kids screaming up above who were visiting Santa.We thought there was something going on in the maze & the labyrinth. We walked in that direction, there was nobody there so we weren't sure what was supposed to be there, so left. Oh yeah, they did have marshmallows on a stick you could roast, but one only, that was fun but not very thrilling.We are glad we went & we did have fun but we won't go back. Again I do recommend this if you have kids.I guess for $18 I expected more, more lights & maybe something more for the adults to do. Also they should hand you something to let you know what's going on & when. There are plenty of signs I still think you should get something when you walk in. They also have a shuttle bus when we had no idea where the pick up & drop off places were so we walked the whole thing, which again is difficult when you have bad knees.

The Gardens are just Beautiful at Heritage. Also there is the Museum to go thru. I totally enjoyed all of the great antique cars and such. Leave yourselves time for Heritage. You'll enjoy it more.

Came back to Heritage Gardens for their "Gardens Aglow" program and it was well worth the visit. Stunning walk with thousands of beautiful Christmas lights strung about the trees. Slipping on hot cider, riding the carousel and watching dancers perform the Nutcracker. In the buildings were more stunning decorations and Santa greeting Children in one of the vintage cars. They even had a few fire pits set up to roast marshmellows.

If you do your own landscaping at home, heritage gardens is a great place to get ideas. I have visited during the growing season, and at the tail end, and have gotten some great ideas. It is also a beautiful place to go and take in the beauty.

Dear LAtoEverywhere:Thank you for your review of your recent visit to Heritage Museums & Gardens and for providing us with your feedback. We understand your disappointment with the Folk Art Gallery being closed. This season, we have been renovating the American Art & Carousel Gallery in order to open a new STEM preschool, along with renovating the carousel and the Folk Art Gallery wing. Next season, the American Art Gallery will reopen with a new design and feature items from Heritage’s collection of 12,000+ items. The exhibit will showcase folk art, the famed military miniatures, American paintings, rare artifacts, and more. We hope you will visit Heritage again next season. In addition to the newly renovated American Folk Art display, we are also excited to offer two great special exhibits: The Wyeths: America Reflected (June 6- September 27), and Secret Shelters(June 6- October 25).Sincerely,Heritage Museums & Gardens

We visited on the final day of the season. We enjoyed hiking the grounds and discovering the lovely bug sculptures. We had fun riding on the carousel. The Lily car collection is very nice too.

I go every year and am repeatedly amazed at how beautiful these gardens are. This is a wonderful trip for a couple, family, trip with young kids, trip with your elderly parents, etc. There is something for everyone. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the day. Ride the carousel. Stroll by the pond, through the woods, by the waterfall, etc. Enjoy the fabulous auto museum. They have new exhibits throughout the year. My favorite part though, are the flower with their beautiful colors and smells. I love to take my time and walk slowly down every path and take it all in. Although I have yet to attend one, they also have evening concerts during the summer. They also have an amazing play/exploring area for the wee ones.

We visited at the end of the season and hence most of the plants were no longer in flower. We still however spent nearly 2 hours exploring the attractive gardens. The large wooden sculptures of insects throughout the gardens were stunning. Free rides on the 100 year old fairground carousel took us back to childhood. Finally we spent a rewarding hour viewing and reading about the wonderful collection of historic cars in the purpose built exhibition building.

If you go there in the mid to late fall to see the gardens you will be disappointed. Most of the plants have become dormant. The only reason to visit at this time of year is to go to the auto museum, which is great! The vehicles are very well presented and there's some nice signage too. The carousel is nicely restored and the info signs were very interesting. It would be nice if they put up more signs directing you to the garden/museum. It wasn't easy to find. Because the gardens are so disappointing right now I felt that they should offer a discounted entry fee so one could bypass the gardens. $18 was just too steep for this time of year.