The road less traveled

Today, the buildings on Route 6A represent four centuries of architecture, and the Old King's Highway Regional Historic District is considered the largest and longest contiguous historic district in the nation. In many areas of the route, there is a sense of timelessness. This is largely due to the Old King's Highway Regional Historic District Commission, whose duty is to ensure the road is preserved and maintained. The commission regulates exterior design, paint colors, signs, and fencing on all properties on the road.

While architecture buffs find Route 6A intriguing, art enthusiasts and antiques lovers find it equally appealing. Many historic buildings house studios and galleries displaying the work of painters, potters, glass blowers, and jewelry designers. More than 50 structures have become antique shops offering items that appeal to both casual and serious collectors.

Beginning in Sandwich Center, stop in the sprawling Sandwich Antiques Center where you'll find fine furniture in Regency and Georgian styles, as well as pieces made in New England in the 18th and 19th centuries. The shop also has an extensive collection of antique firearms, some of them pre-Civil War. There are also reasonably priced Beatrix Potter prints from the early 1900s, and hand-colored fish engravings made by Jardine Lizars in the 1830s. Among the shop's gems is a relic from New Bedford's whaling days, an 1874 swordfish bill with scrimshaw etchings, and a refurbished 1923 tender designed by Boston boat builder George Lawley.