Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill


This area was home to a community of the Shaker religious sect until the early 1900s. Tour dozens of impeccably restored buildings, set amid buttercup meadows and winding stone paths. There's an inn and restaurant, and a gift shop selling the Shakers' famous handicrafts. Hour-long riverboat rides show off the stunning limestone cliffs that rise up along the Kentucky River.

The village consisted of 500 men and women who lived here communally between 1805 and 1910. The Shakers got their name from the ecstatic trembling they experienced during worship services. They were known for their simple lifestyle, pacifism and belief in equality between sexes and races. Alas, they practiced strict celibacy, which ultimately led to the group's demise.


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