Cape Cod’s Sports Car Museum

There are dozens of museums on Cape Cod, most of which cover the area’s rich history. It makes sense that the majority of these venues would look at the region’s past, as European pioneers arrived here in the early 1600s, making it one of the country’s oldest settlements.

However, the Cape also has a few specialty museums, including Toad Hall. In short, Toad Hall is the private sports car collection of local collector Bill Putman, but it’s also a must-see location during your Cape Cod vacation.

Here’s a look at the story behind Toad Hall, Cape Cod’s sports car museum.

How it Started

Like most private car collections, Toad Hall started modestly. Bill Putman had bought a few sports cars and began storing them in a shed behind the Simmons Homestead Inn in Hyannis Port, where he is the caretaker.

As Putman bought more cars, he would build more sheds, eventually tying them all together into a single building and enclosing the entire thing. You can still tell the museum is constructed from sheds when you visit today, but it doesn’t matter once you see what’s inside.

Putman now has more than 50 sports cars from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, making it one of the largest private collections in the entire country. He turned the facility into a museum in 2003 and has been welcoming Cape Cod visitors and locals to his sheds ever since.

The Name

You’re probably wondering why the museum is called Toad Hall, and it leads to an interesting story.

Back in 1908, an author named Kenneth Grahame published a book called The Wind in the Willows. It’s a classic of sorts about a group of talking animal characters and is set in the late 1800s.

At that time, the automobile was a new invention, and one of the main characters, Toad, had a property called Toad Hall. Toad was obsessed with the creation of the motorcar, buying multiple vehicles for his Hall.

The book eventually gained more attention as a Disney short released in 1949 and later as a British television series.

Putman took a liking to the story, likely through these more modern representations, and named his car museum Toad Hall after the tale.

What to Expect

Toad Hall is open between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM all year-round. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids between ten and 16, and free for younger children.

Once you arrive, you’ll see some classic vehicles outside, which are the ones that Putman still drives. You’ll also notice that every car in the entire museum is red. This feature is a nod to Toad, who also purchased red vehicles exclusively.

Make sure you ask Putman if you can sit in one of the vehicles because he’s usually happy to oblige.

As for the exact vehicles at the museum, you’ll find a little bit of everything. Putman has a Lotus, MG, Triumph, Jaguar, Austin Healy, TVR, and other English sports cars. He also has a limited number of Japanese and European vehicles.

How to Get to the Museum

Coming across the Toad Hall Classic Car Museum would be a bit of a shock if you weren’t expecting it. The facility sits in a residential area between Eugenia Fortes Beach and West Main Street in Hyannis Port, not far from the Twin Brooks Golf Course and the Melody Tent.

You can reach the museum by taking the Scudder Avenue exit from the roundabout on Main Street in downtown Hyannis. You can also take Pitchers Way south from West Main Street. Toad Hall sits where Scudder Avenue and Pitchers Way meet.

There’s a small dirt parking lot out front of the museum, and you’ll know you’re in the right spot once you see the red sports cars sitting outside.

Making the Most of Your Time on the Cape

You’ll never run out of things to do on your Cape Cod vacation because there are activities for everyone. This classic car museum might be a bit of a surprise for some, but the Cape is full of surprises for those unfamiliar with it.

Toad Hall offers the unique opportunity to get up close and possibly even sit in some extremely rare cars from the past, so it’s a location car lovers should consider visiting.

One thing for sure is that you won’t find another collection like Toad Hall anywhere else in the country.