Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On! A Visit to Kentucky's Shaker Village

There's a place deep in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, sitting on 3000 beautiful acres of woodland and rolling grassland alongside the Kentucky River that's so peaceful that if you stroll or hike the grounds most likely all you'll hear will be the sounds of the wildlife that lives there: lots of chirping and maybe an amusing "quack!" from a passing duck. Being able to commune with nature is one of the main reasons that people come to this place, but wait a minute; something's going on! Take a minute to investigate and you'll find this place is really shakin'!

The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, located in Harrodsburg and now a National Historic Landmark, is the restored site of a large enclave that was populated by Shakers for approximately a century until about 100-years ago. The Shakers were (and are; a small Shaker community still exists elsewhere in the country) a religious group that was an offshoot of Protestantism and there's really no mystery about how they got their name. 

The group was so fervent about their religion that during worship and the accompanying singing and dancing Shakers would work themselves into such a joyous and manic frenzy that they would end up literally shaking and so the nickname Shakers stuck. The moniker is certainly much less of a mouthful than the sect's official name, The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, and a lot cooler too. 

And one of the coolest things you can do at Shaker Village is work yourself into a dancing frenzy; music program coordinator Donna Phillips is very knowledgeable about Shaker song and dance and she regularly gives presentations where she sings many Shaker songs and demonstrates their boot-stomping and sort of two-stepping dance moves, and visitors are welcome to join in. After watching or participating in this for just an hour it's easy to see how, as a lifestyle, this would be tons of fun! 

The Shakers were very businesslike when they weren't involved in wild worship though and some of the other things you can witness at Shaker Village are men hard at work in the woodworking shop, working with hand-powered tools although Shakers had no aversion to electricity, and women weaving fabrics on old-fashioned looms. Shakers were also very entrepreneurial; they grew and made just about everything they needed and they sold the excess to residents of nearby communities and passers-by. Today a wide variety of goods made in the Shaker style can be purchased in the village's two gift shops; a particularly popular item is the small wooden "secret box" with the Shaker Tree of Life design carved into it.

Shaker Village makes for a nice day visit but an overnight stay gives visitors a better chance to enjoy what is on offer. More than a dozen historic buildings have been restored and while you can explore many of them, several that formerly were dormitory-style housing back in the day are now hotel rooms. Shaker Village has lots of hiking trails, an equestrian trail for horseback rides, wagon rides (seasonal) and riverboat rides on the Kentucky (also seasonal.) 

There's a museum, a restaurant serving meals that utilize lots of the produce grown on site, fire pits and S'mores making, friendly goats and other farm animals, and overnight guests can use a bicycle free of charge to navigate the large property. Special events occur at Shaker Village on a regular basis too including antique sales, chamber music concerts, summertime picnic concerts and every year during the Great American Brass Band Festival hosted by nearby Danville, a brass band concert. So yes, Shaker Village is a great place to relax and tap into the simpler life for a bit. But if you want it, there's always a whole lotta shakin' goin' on!

For more information visit www.shakervillageky.org 
To plan your trip to Kentucky, visit www.kentuckytourism.com

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