The Barbey Family Welcome Center at Heritage Museums & Gardens

Updates…

Our campus is undergoing exciting transformations in anticipation of the grand unveiling of the Barbey Family Welcome Center in 2025.

Please note that at the entry to Heritage, there are alterations in traffic routes to our parking facilities. Our dedicated security team is stationed at all entry points to assist you seamlessly, including directing you to drop-off locations and ADA parking spaces. A new access pathway along the left shoulder of the Flume Fountain lawn has been constructed and is now in the landscaping and paving phases. At the Welcome Center construction site, preparations are being made to lay the building foundations.

Grant Awarded!

Heritage Museums & Gardens is proud to announce it has been awarded a $60,000 TernSOLAR Challenge Grant from the Tern Foundation. This funding will support the installation of a 58.4 kW rooftop solar system as part of the new net zero Barbey Family Welcome Center, advancing Heritage’s commitment to environmental sustainability and renewable energy education.

The TernSOLAR Challenge Grant Program is dedicated to expanding renewable energy in Massachusetts communities by making solar technology more accessible to nonprofit organizations. The program empowers nonprofits to generate clean energy, reduce utility costs, and engage with their communities around environmental issues. The matching grant structure also provides a platform to inspire additional fundraising while promoting public awareness of renewable energy solutions.

A Call for Support

The TernSOLAR Challenge Grant requires Heritage to raise $60,000 in matching funds, doubling the impact of the grant. Donations from individuals, businesses, and other supporters will help ensure the successful completion of this transformative project.

Those interested in contributing to this initiative are encouraged to make a donation below.

A Drone’s Eye View of the Barbey Family Welcome Center

With the steel framing for the Barbey Family Welcome Center now in place, it’s time for a drone’s eye view of construction progress!

The new welcome center will provide a gracious transition into Heritage, with exciting previews of what lies ahead. Amenities and visitor services will be easily accessible from the spacious entry courtyard along with plenty of seating and space to gather. Counter-clockwise from the right of each photo: the retail building with open-air plant sales, the ticketing and administrative building with four easily accessible ticket windows and elevator access to the lower level; the Clarissa S. Nye Visitor Center with orientation information about Heritage, a visitor services desk and lower-level Board Room, all overlooking the Flume Fountain, and the Restroom Building. The new Flume Plaza will be to the upper left of the second photo, creating a serene space to gather and to transition to the main promenade toward the JK Lilly III Auto Gallery. Behind the Barbey Family Welcome Center is a newly built pathway along the flank of the Flume Lawn, lushly landscaped and edged with creeping hydrangea. The Barbey Family Welcome Center will open in Spring 2025. We thank our generous and dedicated donors, and the staff, volunteers and project crew whose ongoing efforts are making this transformative center possible. For more information about the Barbey Family Welcome Center, please contact: ascottputney@heritagemuseums.org

The Former Location for The Shop at Heritage Demolition.

We’ve made some great memories in this building! We hope you have as well.

See Images from the Barbey Family Welcome Center Groundbreaking Ceremony – 2.7.2024

As the largest cultural attraction on Cape Cod, Heritage Museums & Gardens welcomes 130,000 visitors a year to explore its exciting museum exhibits and nearly 100 acres of gardens, outdoor discovery areas, and horticultural collections.

Visitors deserve a warm greeting consistent with the excellence of the overall Heritage experience. Yet the current entry, ticketing, and retail areas were built for annual attendance of just 25,000 people. Today, these 53-year-old facilities are deteriorating, undersized, and confusing to the needs of nearly five times as many visitors. A new welcome center solution is more urgent than ever!

Heritage’s Board of Trustees and lead donors are setting the pace in a capital campaign to support the construction of the new Welcome Center entirely through philanthropy. Please join them and explore the philanthropic opportunities that are most meaningful to you.

Your support will:

• Provide a gracious welcome to Cape Cod’s premier cultural attraction.
• Replace deteriorating facilities that were not built for Heritage’s growth and today’s visitor needs.
• More than double the square footage devoted to visitor services.
• Expand retail space, including for Heritage-propagated plants.
• Reveal exciting vistas of the stunning Flume Fountain from new vantage points.
• Model and interpret renewable energy and environmentally sustainable solutions in this facility.
• Create opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime.
• Help us open the new Welcome Center in 2025!