“There is a kind of integrity, of utter sincerity,
in their works and lives that seems well-nigh irresistible.”
—The New York Times

Explore the Village with an Expert Guide

Private tours available through March 31, 2021

Looking for a fun and enriching experience to share with friends, family, or a group? A private tour is ideal for families, individuals, lifelong learners, or those seeking unique adventure. Inspiring instructors provide an insider’s view, with more than 200 years of extraordinary history in the making. Private guided tours are 75 minutes, with up to 9 participants.

To book a private tour please contact Email

Hancock Shaker Village

Farm Tour

Explore the magnificent Round Stone Barn and learn why it was the epitome of efficient dairy production. Meet the animals born this spring and learn about various breeds.Visit the Brick Dwelling to imagine the Shakers cooking, eating, living, and making herbal medicines in this magnificent residence, and we’ll take a quick trip to the Schoolhouse (not otherwise open currently).

An American Utopia: The Shaker Practice of Equality

More than 200 years ago the Shakers embraced racial and gender equality, and those ideals continue to affect our contemporary conversation. Learn more about their views, and, curiously, why didn’t they vote. Tour buildings in the Village where Shakers lived, worked, and practiced the concept of creating a perfect society — one they hoped would inspire the rest of the world to abandon war, capitalism, and inequality.

Shaker Architecture and Design

Discover the ingenuity and thoughtfulness behind the Shakers’ masterful design and construction of buildings meant for communal living, worship, industry, and learning. This tour examines the layout and development of the Village, with a special focus on the Brick Dwelling and Round Stone Barn, revealing the history and legacy of these fascinating designers who “managed to make objects so magically austere that they continue to astonish our eyes and our sense of form” (Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker).

Tours are offered:

  • Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 10 am. (Tour participants are welcome to stay after the tour to enjoy the Village.)
  • Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 3:30 pm. (Note: The Village closes at 4 pm. Participants are welcome to check in early to visit the museum and shop in Shaker Mercantile.)

Adults $45 (members $25)
Children ages 3-17 $10 (not recommended for children under 3)

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