The Historic Centre
Discover Your Pioneering Spirit
Shaker Village is home to a remarkable story. The Pleasant Hill Shakers are recognized for their iconic architecture, skilled craftsmanship and profound spirituality, but the story doesn’t end there. During a 105-year span, the Pleasant Hill Shakers constructed more than 260 structures on the property. Today, there are 34 surviving buildings, most located along the mile-long gravel turnpike.
Discover the Shaker Village story at your own pace throughout The Historic Centre. Explore their impressive spaces, priceless artifacts, and curious lessons through a seasonal calendar of every day and special adventures. Then, head over to The Farm to meet the animals and out into The Preserve to explore 3,000 acres of discovery!
Must-See Adventures
Daily Adventures
Admission grants you access to a full day of discovery filled with self-guided and staff-led tours, talks, music, demonstrations, exhibitions, hands-on activities and more. View a typical day!
Discovery Treks
Discover curated weekend programs designed to inspire new perspectives! Become a Shaker maker, go behind-the-scenes with the collection, explore Shaker architecture and more. Visit the event calendar and register to start your discovery.
$5 After 5:00
Fridays and Saturdays bring evening adventures, extended hours and reduced pricing! From busting history’s myths, to hearing surprising stories and exploring rarely-seen spaces, stay late for fun night programs. Visit the event calendar for details.
Wagon and Hay Rides
Jump on board the horse-drawn wagon or take a hay ride around The Historic Centre every weekend, from April through October. Tickets are available for purchase at the Admission Booth!
Seasonal Exhibitions
Don’t miss Those Large Bones: The Shaker Mammoth, as well as two user-generated content exhibits. Visit the event calendar for upcoming receptions, artist tours and more.
Studio Artists
Spend time with local artists in their studio spaces. These juried Kentucky artisans create and sell original works and offer hands-on demonstrations in historic Shaker Village spaces.
Plan Your Visit
Admission grants you full access to self-guided and staff-led tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and more throughout The Historic Centre, The Farm and The Preserve!
2016 Exhibits
Pollinator Photography
January-March View photography submissions of bees, butterflies, birds and more from amateur and professional photographers taken in The Preserve and beyond.
Those Large Bones: The Shaker Mammoth
April 1-August 21 Discover an exciting exhibition that reveals the surprising story of Shaker fossil hunters and their excavation of a prehistoric mammoth.
Shaker Selfies
September-December Why do the Shakers look so serious in their photos? Explore the history of photography and how this impacted the way “old” photos look!
This exhibit is user-generated. View photo submission guidelines here.
World Class Historic Resources
The Pleasant Hill Shakers
Discover Connections to the Past
Shaker Village is home to an impressive collection of Shaker architecture, furniture, artifacts and historians. It is a place of preservation and conservation, where those interested in history can learn about the past and be inspired for the future. With 34 Shaker structures, built from 1809 to 1875, the site is home to Kentucky’s largest National Historic Landmark and the country’s largest private collection of original 19th century buildings.
Discover the Pleasant Hill Shakers