ZOOM with Baby Animals

School visits are a huge part of our educational programming here at Hancock Shaker Village. While we cannot allow group visits at this time, we have developed a virtual way to connect with your students through a Zoom session with our farm animals. Our lambs, calves, pigs, goats, chickens, donkeys, turkeys, ducks, and even our barn cat will be happy to see you!

If you are interested in arranging a tour, please contact our director of education. Pricing is dependent on the number of Zoom users attending the tour. We hope you’ll join us. Thanks for all you do to keep our children educated during this difficult time.

Note: Due to COVID-19, the school group options below are temporarily on hold as we phase our opening according to state guidelines.

Tradition Never Looked So Good!

We offer fun and educational experiences that fulfill learning standards for Pre-K through high school. Both indoor seating and an outdoor picnic area are available for bag lunches.

Self-guided Tours

Allow 1 – 2 hours for Pre-K groups.  Allow 2 to  4 hours for elementary, middle, and high-school children.

Tour the Village at your own pace, choosing activities according to your curriculum needs. After watching the introductory video, your group can engage with artisans in our historic buildings, visit our vegetable patch and the barnyard animals in the Round Stone Barn, dress up like a Shaker in the Discovery Room — and even milk Mary Jane, a life-sized replica of a Holstein cow. In the Village Schoolhouse with a “Shaker schoolteacher,” children can spell with a letter board and write with a quill pen. To book a tour, call 413-443-0188 x 215.

Guided Tours

Allow 90 minutes. Plan to arrive early or stay afterward to enjoy more of the Village on your own.

Find out what daily life was like in a 19th-century Shaker community, with visits to the 1830 Brick Dwelling, Round Stone Barn, and Laundry & Machine Shop.  Students learn about the history and culture of the Shakers, what chores Shaker children were assigned and what their school day included. Tours are tailored by age, with skills development, apprenticeships, and work roles emphasized with teens.  To book a guided tour, call 413-443-0188 x 215.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES