Most folks outside of Kentucky probably haven’t heard of the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, but its an amazing place to visit, particularly if you’re packing a kid. I stumbled across it while looking for some ideas that might provide an escape from Nashville and salvage our summer. We decided to give it a try. And let me just say this upfront, the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill did not disappoint. If you’re reading this and live within a four-hour drive of Lexington, Kentucky, then you need to look this place up and book a trip. I’m not getting paid to say this, it’s just cool.
Our Travel Dilemma
As I mentioned in my previous post, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned our travel-packed year into one rolling disappointment. I’ve seen some fellow travel-obsessed friends describe 2020 as the year of the domestic road trip. Unfortunately, when you’re packing a kid (an 18 month old no less) the great American road trip starts to sound pretty…stressful. Traveling within an eight-hour radius of Nashville seemed acceptable, but the dramatic scenery of the American West was out of our reach.
Beyond that, the cost of lodging in the US is insane compared to much of the world. Yeah, there are cheap roadside motels and campgrounds galore, but now that we’re packing the kid we end up spending a lot of time actually hanging out in whatever lodging we book. I mean, little E goes to bed about 6:30 each night, and it’s not like we can just leave her in her crib and go for a stroll about town.
That restriction hasn’t been too hard to get around during our international travel. As a point of reference, we had budgeted between $100-150 a night for lodging on our aborted trip to Scotland. That was going to have us stay in the country’s oldest inn, seaside cottages, and a Victorian era hunting lodge that now doubles as a gin distillery. With the exception of the inn, every place had separate bedrooms and private kitchens. You know, atmospheric joints that would be pleasant to hang out in all evening once we put E to bed. What can you get in that price range over here? Crap like “tiny houses,” uninspiring urban apartments, and monotonous homes buried deep in suburbia. Meh.
The Shaker Village was a godsend because it blends a fascinating history with unique lodging in a bucolic setting. Even better, it is only 3 hours from Nashville and comes with plenty of kid friendly farm animals.
A Bit of Background
Who Were the Shakers
The Shakers were an English utopian society that splintered off from the Quakers in 1747. These guys were a proto-communistic Christian sect that swore off the individual ownership of property and traditional family bonds. They were abolitionists and pacifists who believed that men and women should have equal rights. They also believed in the value of hard work, the importance of charity…oh, and that one of their early female founders was the second reincarnation of Christ. The messiah had returned and world was about to end, so there was no need for procreation. If there was no need for procreation then everyone should just be celibate.
The movement may have been a bit quirky, but it found a lot of willing converts after its leaders shifted their operations to the (already rebellious) American colonies in the 1774. By the turn of the 19thcentury, Shaker beliefs began to gain ground in Kentucky, and the Pleasant Hill settlement was founded in 1805.
The Early Days of the Shakers at Pleasant Hill
The community at Pleasant Hill grew rapidly in its first two decades. By the early 1820s it had reached a population of nearly 500 souls. That made it a thriving metropolis compared to the rest of the rural commonwealth. Of course, this community didn’t really look anything like other towns in Kentucky. The population was divided into three spiritual “families” that each had their own massive dwelling unit (a bit like a college dorm) surrounded by dozens of auxiliary buildings.
The Pleasant Hill Shakers made a name for themselves and grew wealthy on the back of a thriving cottage manufacturing industry. Shaker style furniture is still a popular aesthetic, but these guys were also really good at making brooms and raising prize livestock.
The Pleasant Hill Shakers Fade Away
By the late 1800s, the one-two punch of the Civil War and the industrial revolution had greatly reduced the Shaker population. Banding together to stave off starvation made sense when other opportunities were scarce, but as the world changed, the society’s most productive members began to be lured away by the offer of plentiful jobs in the nation’s growing cities. Of course, a ban on procreation and the fact that the movement had already been predicting the imminent end times for over a century probably didn’t help the recruiting efforts.
Non-Shakers began to buy land and buildings from the religious community as it consolidated. By 1910, the few elderly Shakers who remained decided to throw in the towel and signed over their remaining property to a local businessman in exchange for the right to live there until their deaths. The last member of the community passed in 1924.
As the Shaker era came to a close, some of the historic buildings were converted for other purposes while others were allowed to fall into disrepair. Then in the 1960s, a group of citizens from nearby Lexington established a trust and began reacquiring and restoring the former Shaker property. And hence, the current manifestation of the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill came into existence.
The Modern Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill
The current incarnation of the Shaker Village claims to represent “Kentucky’s largest National Historic Landmark and the country’s largest private collection of original 19thcentury buildings.” In all, it maintains 34 of the more than 260 structures that once dotted the area. These structures straddle a line somewhere between museums and inns. Most are partially open to day visitors and offer a variety of exhibits related to the Shakers while also offering overnight lodging on their upper floors.
The area around the historic town center reminds me more of being on the manicured grounds of an elite liberal arts college than anything else. Yet there is more to the experience than just peeping into historic buildings. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill also has a working organic farm that provides the bulk of the meat and produce served at the excellent on-site restaurant and a 3000-acre preserve laced with hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding trails.
Our Experience at Shaker Village
Booking Our Lodging
Because of the unique nature of the place, no two rooms are the same. The cheapest rooms start at $125 a night, and every one is loaded with character. I spent a lot of time looking over the various options on their website and called the reservation line twice to ask questions. That’s not my normal MO but I was playing it pretty cautious on account of, you know, this pandemic. I’m happy to report that they seemed to be taking the pandemic pretty seriously and have a lot of sensible protocols in place.
In the end we opted for the “Cooperage” which at $200 a night was one of the most expensive options but caught our eye for two reasons. First, it came with multiple rooms so E could have her own room and we wouldn’t need to sneak around quite as much during naps and bedtime. Second, it was the only unit in that building, meaning no one else was going to be on our HVAC system, potentially spreading COVID particles into the air. The price was definitely more than I normally like to spend, but given that all of our travel plans seemed to be getting condensed into a 2-night trip this summer, I figured we could splurge a bit. The online booking process was painless.
First Impressions
As I said at the start of this post, we loved this place. It was early August, and the heat wave that had settled over our region had finally, temporarily, broken. The drive in took us through the rolling hills, cornfields and horse pastures of Kentucky’s famous bluegrass country.
From the moment we arrived on the grounds, I felt a bounce in my step that hadn’t existed in months. I could already tell that this place was going to be better than I’d let myself imagine. After checking in at the welcome center, little E and I hoofed it across the historic grounds while Sarah took the car around to the unloading spot next to the Cooperage. She beat us over there because E and I got sidetracked chasing ducks through an apple orchard.
I’m told that during a normal summer weekend the grounds can see a lot of traffic, but thanks to the pandemic it was quiet. We only saw a few dozen other people walking around.
The Dining Experience
In order to save money, we packed snacks and enough food for one lunch and one breakfast. We planned to take our dinners and final breakfast at the on-site restaurant. Overall the food was amazing and the prices, while not budget, were better than what we’d pay for comparable fare in Nashville. Best of all, pretty much all the ingredients are sourced from the organic farm that is a stone’s throw from your table. Really the only thing that we had which didn’t impress was the steak from their “whole cow program.” The meat was tough and slightly overcooked. I guess that’s what you get with you’re eating locally sourced, organic, grass-fed beef.
One thing really irked me though. While we were easily seated outside that first night, only indoor service was offered the other times that we came, despite making reservations to be seated outside. I get that they are short-staffed and have very few dining guests right now, but the weather was perfect. Why in the heck would they prioritize indoor tables in the midst of an airborne pandemic? We ordered our dinner to-go that second night and ate outside without the tableside service. We ate our final meal indoors, in what amounted to a private dining room. I still would have been more comfortable outside.
Exploring the Grounds
The best thing about the Shaker Village is that you can be entertained for days without ever needing to leave the property. We woke up that first morning and trekked around the historic center, making sure that E got to visit all of the farm animals. Then we packed up a lunch and set off on a hike along some of the old dry-stacked stone walls that stretch for miles.
We spent that afternoon and the following morning popping into many of the historic structures. These things were fascinating, in part because the Shakers counted some pretty impressive inventors among their midst. For instance, this little village in rural Kentucky had running water in just about every building in the mid 1800s. Just think about that. Another unique feature was the three massive “family dwelling houses.” Each of these buildings could house over 100 people, and they were all perfectly symmetrical so as to provide equal yet segregated access to both men (on the right) and women (on the left). We’re talking parallel stairs and hallways throughout. If a room had two doors then it was meant for both genders.
In the evenings, we spent our time at the restaurant and then, after putting E to bed, in the Adirondack chairs set around the fire pit just outside our window. This place really was perfect for us.
Final Thoughts
The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is a great place to visit, particularly during this age of pandemic travel. It is peaceful, unique, and offers plenty of space for social distancing. Beyond that, it’s pretty much the perfect place to stay with small children. There is room for them to run around and plenty of fascinating farm animals for them to meet.
Sarah and I really can’t recommend this place enough. If you live within a half-day’s drive then you should consider planning a little weekend (or mid-week!) getaway to reset. We were there in the middle of the summer, but I suspect the prime time to experience it will be in the fall.
