shaker museum

I visited the Shaker Museum in Union Kentucky, and learned so much about the history of the Shaker community and we toured the facility and learned a lot about the lives of the Shakers. It was a beautiful place, pretty much self-guided, and there was a lot to see. The people that worked there were very friendly and helpful throughout our tour. This is definitely a great place to stop if you're ever in the area!

The site of the western-most shaker village, once a vibrant village of dozens of buildings, is located in a beautiful part of south-central kentucky. It's just off the road enough you can get a feel of the seclusion of the community(did I mention the countryside is gorgeous?), but close to both Bowling Green and the small historic town of Russellville. The museum itself is a collection of the three remaining buildings from "Shakertown" and have been restored. The largest center home has wide variety of displays, from bedrooms showing the difference of half a century, and plenty of information on other aspects of Shaker life. Take some time to read as many of the informational placards as possible, as they are all full of really good info, from daily life to Shaker inventions, from some of the individual inhabitants to the closing and auctioning of the village. The staff is informative and friendly. If you organize your visit, or you live in the area, a great time to visit is during any of the special events the location holds- from concerts in the barn to Civil War displays to their "Farm Days" event. The visitors center is wheelchair friendly and has informative videos to watch, but a tour of the museum includes stairs and walking across lawns, so keep that in mind for stroller, walkers, etc.

My husband and I visited this museum recently. The displays were very informative and interesting. It is a self-guided tour so you could set your own pace and take your time viewing the different displays. We found this to be a very interesting insight into a little-known aspect of American history.

It was nice to have a chance to see what Shakers did in their day. There are only a few buildings left. But it is worth a visit.

Don't rush through this multi-building museum site -- it has much to offer. The short video in the museum is informative. The buildings and displays are excellent and educational. We spent a couple of hours with a group of friends, but we could easily have spent another hour. The carpentry in the buildings is beautifully and expertly done. We were interested to learn how the Shakers utilized efficiency and technology in their work. Of course, it is fascinating to learn how they lived. The Shaker story is very interesting, and the small fee is certainly reasonable.After touring the Shaker museum, we enjoyed a good lunch at a Mennonite bake shop in a nearby town.

The little video is worth watching, the main house is massive and the displays are really well done. A Shaker history museum was exactly what I wanted & what I got. My husband enjoyed all the technology they incorporated into the building, they were very high tech for the time.

We learned a lot while at this museum. The video was excellent, and I recommend that you watch it before exploring the rest of the museum and village. There was plenty to look at.

We visited and enjoyed great weather and an interesting self tour. There was less there than we had expected but going through the living quarters was informative and held our interest.We are amazed at the freedom to get close to all the artifacts without a more developed security system....that makes it so nice and we are heartened that it appears there has been little vandalism in the museum. For what is there it is a bit pricy but we gladly paid the price, hopefully helping to preserve some history.Recommended for a relaxing, laid-back and informative experience.People staffing the area (2 on the day we were there) were friendly, willing to help, and laid-back.

This was a lovely experience! We spent about two hours here taking photos and taking in all the wonderful history in the small village. The exhibits are quite extensive, lots of artifacts and displays of what life was like when the village was active. There is a sweet gift shop as well with locally made products as well as shaker products from other parts of the country. If you enjoy nature and history this is great afternoon spent at South Union! $8 admission for adults.

Ever wanted to be off the grid? Go check out how the shakers did it back in the day. Like others have said there are no tours and you are free to move around the grounds. If you have questions the ladies are super nice and knowledgeable.

We were staying north-east of Nashville in Gallatin and this was a trip scheduled in our itinerary - so glad we did it. The countryside in that part of Kentucky is just lovely and this Museum is brilliant. There is so much to learn and it is all so interesting and well-presented that we arrived at 2.15 in the afternoon and just managed to finish as the place was closing at 5pm! Can 't recommend this place enough. Excellent value for money in our opinion.

The Museum grounds include several surviving Shaker buildings, foundations of buildings, and the cemetery. The dormitory is an impressive 3 story brick building (plus basement) that is chock full of fascinating exhibits and Shaker built furniture original to the house. The Shaker legacy at Union is an incredibly interesting and, in the end, heartbreaking story. Be sure to visit the gift shop in the basement for a momento from the days gone by.

First of all, there is no tour so you are free to wander around and explore with lots of information to help you understand the Shaker way of life. You are shown a 10 minute film on arrival which is not particularly good quality but just walking around the Centre House takes you back in time. An excellent half day visit.

The attendent was truly informative. He was friendly, engaging and ready to answer questions. The gift shop is cute. The centerhouse was awesome. I will go back if I have the chance.

The dwelling house is amazing. Nice interpretive displays. I enjoyed visiting at my leisurely pace, enjoying the interiors as well as imagining the village based on the markers of locations of the former village buildings.