Gardens Aglow, a treasured holiday family tradition, transforms Heritage into Winter Wonderland with more than ten miles of holiday lights adorning the gardens and woodlands to create a twinkling wonderland. Throughout the grounds and buildings, enjoy festive holiday displays, family-friendly activities, marshmallow-roasting, music and special performances, visits with Santa Claus, displays of model trains — and even a visit by some baby animals.

Among the features of this season’s Gardens Aglow:

• Festive lights throughout the gardens and grounds will create a total of 10.5 miles of twinkling displays.
• From December 2-4, Farm Visits traveling petting farm will be at Heritage with cuddly baby goats, piglets, chickens and chicks, bunnies, and more.
• The “Heritage Holiday Express” features two levels of model trains traveling through replicas of well-known bridges. One, suspended seven feet above the floor in the Special Exhibitions Gallery, will pass through the George Washington Bridge and Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge, each made of natural elements such as moss, twigs, and branches gathered from the Heritage property. The other, at visitor level, will pass through a replica of the Sagamore Bridge, also made from natural elements.
• Festively decorated table scapes assembled by some of the region’s best interior designers that showcase holiday table decorations from various regions of the country will be featured. Designers include Irina MacPhee, award-winning interior designer of Pastiche Cape Cod, and Olive Chase of The Casual Gourmet.
• Holiday-themed music and dance performances will take place in the Automobile Gallery.
• On Saturdays, award-winning artist and carver Chip Koser of South Cape Ice Sculptures demonstrates ice carving. Visitors will see an ice sculpture created, and have opportunities for photos with the sculptures.
• On most Sundays, “Bubble Guy” Vinny Lovegrove will create giant bubble displays as he roams throughout the grounds.
• Heritage’s popular antique carousel will be decked with festive trimming for visitors’ holiday rides.
• Families can create crafts together to take home.
• Santa Claus will meet families for pictures in Heritage’s vintage Model T.
• An exhibit of Currier & Ives winter scenes will be displayed.
• A Reindeer Scavenger Hunt will delight the little ones.
• Marshmallow roasting will be available at cozy outdoor fire pits.
• The Magnolia Café will offer for sale soup, hot dogs, Christmas Whoopie pies, chocolate chip cookies, S’mores kits, and gingerbread men, along with hot chocolate, mulled wine and cider, soda, and coffee.

For the third year in a row, Heritage Museums & Gardens is partnering with the Sandwich Food Pantry to assist area families. This season, visitors are asked to bring school supplies, including glue sticks, pencil boxes or pouches, spiral notebooks, highlighter markers, thumb drives, three-ring binders, and #2 pencils. Donation boxes will be set up in The Shop at Heritage. The Shop will also be open, offering great gifts for family and friends.

New this year: a new visitor arrival experience, which enhances ease of parking and entry through ticketing. Members and those with pre-purchased tickets will gain easy entry to the event through their own admissions lines.