Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock

Beautiful fall afternoon exploring the village. Can easily fill 1/2 day. Special presentations were well done. Two improvement suggestions: offer an introductory video or pamphlet outlining key aspects of Shaker beliefs and lifestyle to give some perspective; improve signage within the village; offer some bench or seating options for older visitors. We enjoyed and recommend.

Beautiful location with lots of inventions of shakers people. Gift shop is nice. They stuff in it is pretty expensive. A key chain is $8.99, t-shirt is $19.99, a baby onesie I bought for my son is $27.99. They say it’s organic. So that’s why I guess it’s pricey.

I have been past Hancock Shaker Village many times over the years, but this time decided to stop. What a great decision. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. A great historical place to visit.

Fabulous restored Shaker settlement. Best time to visit is when they are fully staffed with interpreters to explain Shaker life and crafts - typically weekends and holidays.

Outstanding museum with dozens of well maintained and beautifully crafted buildings. I was particularly impressed with the guided talks that happened throughout the day and the overall history of the Shakers. There is so much to see that I would definitely recommend a minimum of 2.5 hours just to see the main attractions. Family friendly, has a little cafe, and is very accessible.

Goat yoga was so relaxing and so much fun. Ill definitely be back to explore the beautiful grounds.

Really cool place, I was really surprised that a lot of the demonstrations were already closed for the season on Labor Day weekend. Our kids loved it and the history is very interesting.

Great slice of American history, well preserved. The Shakers were brilliant artisans and engineers. Our guides were wonderful!

Lots to see and very helpful guides.

Great historical place. Speakers very well rehearsed and seemly pashionate about their job. Great gift shop.

Decent museum but one thats better done in the spring or fall instead of the summer. Plenty of buildings to see and all have a nice bit of info inside. There were a few live areas that were a nice addition (like the blacksmith demo and farm animals). My only complaint was that the buildings were kinda hot and stale inside. I understand theyre not going to be air conditioned but all of the windows were closed and it was less than comfortable during an August afternoon. Would gladly come back when its cooler and we had the time to take things slower.

Enjoyed the tour and historical site. Beautiful and well maintained historical site. Clean facilities, cafe, and museum shop with interesting items from the site.

An incredible walk back in time! Loved this place and it was very educational for this homeschooling family!

Its a self guided tour. Has history, but nothing really tangible.The mountain trail is nice, but not well mapped at the beginning, even the short walk to the summit is a little confusing.

Easily in the top ten of all Shaker villages. Very fun. We love Farmer Billy and Bill the volunteer guide was funny and informative.

We absolutely enjoyed this village. Grounds and buildings are very well kept. A lot of history here as well. Parking, rest rooms, little cafe on site. If you are in the area this is a great stop to add to your sightseeing list. Very well done.

A great place to learn about this historic group from their beginning, their rise in popularity and their current existence. The 750 acres are a working community and staff us knowledgeable and very pleasant. A fun and educational visit. We had a nice lunch sitting outside st the cafe. Good for all ages.

A lot of historical information. The grounds are beautiful and I loved that I had the opportunity to explore on my own but have the choice to join informational tours if I chose. Definitely recommend this place for a visit and recommend exploring the buildings across the street (although I didnt get there). Would also recommend about 2 hours to explore. I bought a great little sandwich and cherry chocolate scone at the little cafe on site. Very fresh and delicious. Great for all ages.

Ive been to the Shaker Village a few times at different seasons. Theres always something interesting going on - tapping maple trees in early spring, baby animals, holiday lights walk, classes and workshops, gardening. Most recently, I took my mother there to peruse the gift shop on a cold drizzly day. She delighted in the beautiful hand crafted furniture and textiles and preserves. We stopped by the cafe for corn chowder and chips. Both shop and cafe are available without tickets to the museum grounds. Its a lovely place to walk and explore with a great example of the Shaker round barn and mostly accessible throughout as much as possible.

We enjoyed our visit to the Village . Its a fine place for all ages, from baby animals that children enjoy, to a discussion of music of the Shaker community that was more adult oriented. The blacksmith and his helper kept us interested in their craft, too. Lots of history!

Enjoyable, educational, unique; friendly people.

Visited the new Christmas themed event at the shaker village and it was very unique! Visual arts based and the air was filled with beautiful sounds of traditional shaker hymns.

The holiday light show was advertised as being a very sensory experience. When we viewed the show and the property we were disappointed. Light show consisted of images being lighted on the round barn and some flashing colored lights inside the barn while viewing some cows and sheep in the barn. Some other buildings had some small holiday decorations but nothing spectacular. Would have been nice to have some guide explaining about the Shaker way of life and their celebrations of the holidays. At 20 dollars a person it was overpriced for what you got.

Great place to visit. Did a hiking trail across the street while waiting for them to open that was gorgeous. Lots to see and tours with people very knowledgeable about the history of the Shakers.

This was the best Shaker Village I have been to! Very well maintained, friendly and knowledge staff, and beautiful scenery. The cafe also has some delicious sandwiches. We did the hike there as well and it was an easy mile through the forest. Our kids enjoyed all the animals and farming there. Great family day trip!

Interesting & relaxing visit. We spent 4 hrs walking around the grounds & learning their way of life. Each building appeared to have been restored or maintained to its original use; like walking back into the late 19th, early 20th century peaceful living. Highly recommended!

If you know a lot about Shakers and have an affinity for farming/hard work, this is a cool place for you. Unfortunately, I did not know much about the Shakers before visiting and found the experience to be a bit disjointed. You enter the village after passing through a building listing important events to have happened to the Shakers in recent history. This did not really set up the space or the environment well for me so a bit of background knowledge is probably best before going. There were vendors selling yarn, woodwork, pottery, etc along the sidewalk. Went on a Sunday and there were also a couple of food trucks and a beer truck. There is a round building that is structurally interesting, but other than that, did not find much too appealing. There was also a band playing. Wear sneakers and be prepared to walk. Again, this was not a bad experience just nothing too exciting for me.

It was a picture-perfect early Fall day. They had a Country Fair on the grounds on the weekend with all kinds of activities for families and kids. A band played and several vendor booths were there selling their wares. Their 1923 REO was on display, and all the buildings were open, with talks and demonstrations going on throughout the day. There were food vendors in addition to the HSV food service. Beautiful place; the many buildings have interesting architecture. It is a step back in time to a peaceful bucolic setting.

Great to tour around Hancock Shaker Village. I enjoyed seeing the ways they invented and adapted technology to help in thier community.

Brought my two kids today, and dispite the heat they enjoyed themselves. Lots of room to roam, the buildings and artifacts are all in excellent condition. Staff was friendly, particularly the gentleman in the discovery room making jokes about the baby chicks chasing a fly in an incubator. Knowledgeable on the exhibits, and spots on where to beat the heat in the village. Everything was very well maintained, and covid precautions in place.Also, the round barn is amazing. The architecture on how it was built...its gorgeous❤

Very interesting commune. Lots of history with plenty of originaly used tools and equipment. A large part of the gardens are still active and kept up by volunteers. There are many buildings to go through with very good descriptions of what they were used for. Also very good descriptions inside as well. There are also many volunteers all over the grounds to answer any questions you may have. They have live animals and an active orchard. The round barn is one of the most interesting areas to see great architecture. A definite must see if in the area.

My husband and I took our time and spent about 4 hours walking and learning about the Hancock Shakers. We had lunch in the restaurant on-site and it was delicious. The buildings are beautifully restored and the gardens are huge and well-tended. It was interesting to imagine their lifestyle.

Loved it here! Multigenerational great experience. The history, the craftsmanship, the farm animals and the cafe were all really great. Definitely recommend.

Great place to visit in the area. We arrived early to beat the heat and the parking lot was definitely filling up as we departed. Highlight of our visit was the farm animals and the round barn. The guides in each areas were also extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Looking forward to visitng again in the fall.

A very nice village Setting with educational tours. The round barn is a great feature. The farm trail is an easy hike through a beautiful forest. The village may not interest the littlest kids, but they might get a kick out of the free range chickens running after them. An interesting experience outside of Pittsfield.

Always a nice day here. Both in terms of enjoyment, and somehow in terms of weather. I must be lucky, as I always seem to wind up here on the most beautiful days. If youd like to be prepped for the history check out Ken Burns documentary on the Shakers.

One of our favorite places in the Berkshires. If you are interested in The Shaker Society. Check the museum out please. The grounds are beautiful !

It was a good educational experience with lots to see. Great staff at most of the locations. We walked around the grounds. The walk was a nice, easy path.

Love the architecture, the history and the education. Very friendly staff. Amazing experience. And the animals are so awesome!

This was a great place to walk around (even though it was rainy), and see how the shakers lived. We went to a shaker song and dance demonstration, and we really enjoyed talking with the demonstrator. She was very knowledgeable and we learned quite a bit.

Very enjoyable; an outsiders glimpse into the Shaker past. The buildings were in reasonably close proximity of one another which made traversing the property easier for those with limited stamina. Displays were well-curated. Signs adjacent provided detailed information giving guests more perspective. The docents were knowledgeable and friendly.

Truly a lovely setting and well worth a visit. We had a nice time poking around the place. Visit is "self-guided", meaning you just wander around and look at stuff. There are useful signs explaining things as well as folks who work there walking around to answer questions. They were friendly and very helpful, eager to give information and tell us about the place. They certainly seemed very well informed. I believe they also do some tours at certain hours of the day but unfortunately we didnt have time for one. I wish we could have spent more time but one member of our party was eager to leave. Cute cafe had freshly made pies. Farm animals were interesting and the garden was in full growth in the height of summer.

Visiting with 2 young kids and theres fun for all! In fact the kids could have spent all day at the Discovery Barn, yet they still explored the grounds a fair amount. I loved the medicinal plant tour I did. And seeing the three levels of the round stone barn was very informative.

Im a local photographer and Ive been super blessed by being able to shoot weddings at Hancock Shaker Village a bunch of times over the last several years. The property is absolutely incredible! Big old brick barns and stone buildings are the perfect backdrop for photography. There are cows in the field, right next to the huge tent. Every year we also bring our kids and some of their friends to see the baby animals and to explore the village. Its totally worth the trip!

This is a great place to bring families to learn about animals, farming, architecture, woodworking, blacksmithing, and sustainability. Our young kids enjoyed chasing after chickens, "milking" the plastic cow in the learning center, and petting the donkeys, calves, sheep, and goats in the barn. The adults enjoyed the old schoolhouse, touring the round barn, and learning traditional songs in the meetinghouse.

Great fun place to visit, nice walking trails, art, education, gift shop, animals. Always lots to do, different activities every week. We have kept annual membership for years... Such a great place to visit with kids or without. One-mile walking trail works with strollers and wheelchairs. Lots of places to sit for those who like to relax. Can lie on the grass and watch the clouds or take one of the many tours included with admission. My whole family loves it here.

Very interesting place to see old technology like water power and the usual beautiful crafts of the shakers. Fun for kids in the barn and sheep shearing in the spring. Kids can get into some animal pens with baby animals. Staff is knowledgable and can give a good idea of this nearly extinct but interesting culture.

It is absolutely beautiful here. I love that they occasionally have a free day. Educational and interesting, but none of it feels forced. You can wander around and take your time without employees rushing you along or chattering away. The stone barn is a must-see! Gorgeous architecture and live animals, its a win-win.

My daughter loves this place with its unfamiliar structures/architectural designs that help her to step into the past. I brought my mother (who is in a wheelchairhere and while many of the buildings would be difficult if not impossible for her to get into, there is much to be enjoyed from the exterior of the buildings. The wooden paths are easy enough to get a wheelchair over.

A nice outdoor museum / historical site. There is a visitors center with artifacts, a film and lots of furniture. Man, those Shakers knew how to design and build things.Since the shakers existed into the 20th century, the buildings are well documented and there are MA NY photographs.The main attraction is the central barn. And the have a adjoining Manger with cows and goats and Pigs.My only beef with the site is that too many of the buildings arent accessible. Most dont have ramps to get into the first floor, much less any of the floors above that.As an outdoor site, its good for rowdy children, plus you can discuss how the Shakers took in orphans and poor families and all the chores that children were expected to do to contribute at an early age.Recommended.