Great Stone Dwelling

We arrived at the Enfield Shaker Museum shortly after 10 a.m., which was its opening time. You park either on the right side (facing the buildings) or possibly around back also. You enter at the front and the tickets are sold in the gift shop immediately on your right. The lady selling the tickets was friendly and chatted with us. She said there was a tour starting at 11 a.m. Another guy wandered in who turned out to be the guide. After a little confusion, he led us through the building to a sunlit room towards the back. Here they had some chairs set up facing a TV. He first discussed a bit of general Shaker background with us and then started the ~ 10-minute video about them. It was interesting. The video ended at about the same time that another group of 3 German tourists was escorted back by the ticket lady. Our guide seemed a bit torn, and asked if we wanted to see the video again. We deferred, figuring that we could wander around outside for a few minutes (it was still only around 10:40 a.m.) before the tour. He then started the video for the new group. We walked around some of the buildings and took a few photos now that the morning fog had burned off. We then went back in and asked the ticket lady about the tour, as it was then around 10:50 a.m. She said that it may have already started, so we walked back to the video room. The guide was indeed discussing a topo map of the site with the Germans. We joined in and the tour then began. This was interesting; he discussed how the building was laid out (mostly to allow separation of the male and female Shakers). He showed us the basement workshops / storage areas as well as the common dining room. An older couple passed us at one point early in the tour and headed inside. A couple of minutes later, the ticket lady led the couple back to the tour group. They had intended to join the 11 a.m. tour (at 11 a.m.) and were somewhat irate that they had missed part of it. The staff tried to be helpful and offered them a refund, but in the end they settled down and just joined the tour. I sympathized with the couple in this case - if you state that you have an 11 a.m. tour, it seems like you should at least designate where to meet (presumably at 11 a.m.). The tour here just seemed to coalesce at some time in the neighborhood of 11 a.m. We continued touring the ground floor and then made our way upstairs to the 2nd floor, where there was an even larger central room for worship services. The way the builders included cabinets in almost every part of the interior walls, and how they arranged shutters for the windows, was quite interesting. Note that one of the 'simple gifts' that the builders were not able to include here was an elevator. Hence, if you have mobility issues, climbing the stairs between floors may be something you should factor in to your planning. The tour then headed next door to a church that the subsequent owners (a Catholic organization) had built. The interior was interesting with plenty of stained glass. Our guide wrapped up the tour with quick stops at a couple of mostly gutted outbuildings. It was about 12:10 p.m. at that point. I thought this was an interesting site. You should just allow some flexibility on tour timings.

Stay overnight, enjoy Shaker architecture and sensibility from the inside. Hike up to Smith Pond, savor fresh cider at the harvest festival. Friendly people, rustic interiors, gratuitous coffee, I'd come again.

You can't talk about American architecture or furniture design history without talking about the Shakers. This almost extinct religious sect has influenced our culture in many ways we can imagine. From the exquisitely simple and sturdy Shaker furniture, to the development of Pentecostal charismatic religion, to some of the sturdiest architecture in a new nation, to the notion of equality of the sexes. The Shaker Village in Enfield is one of three large communities that were founded in the early 1800s. As their community expanded, new colonies expanded along the shore of Lake Mascoma. Their growth made possible the economic development of the entire area, the advent of the railway in Enfield, the construction of a bridge over Lake Mascoma to bring goods to the rail, and the growth of chattel industries in the area. All of this is eloquently stated by the guides in their tour of the village. Their dedication to the preservation of Shaker legacy is praiseworthy. The tours are fascinating and instructional. The shop downstairs is magnificent. And their use of the second floor of the lodge as an inn is a superb idea. Worth every second while visiting the area. It has become one of the "must see" places to take my guests when they visit.

We been part of the organic community garden for years. Fenced in, and you have your own plot that you tend and harvest. You get to meet others in the community and learn gardening tips from each other

We had a wonderful visit here today. We came at the end of the day, but our docent Joe gave us a personal tour and I learned so many things about the Shakers that were new to me, and I've been to other communities and read much. This was a trip highlight!!

The Enfield Shaker Museum was a pleasant day trip. The buildings are lovely, especially the Mary Keane Chapel. We also explored the gardens - they use the herbs and flowers from the garden to make tea that is sold in thrusrum store.

Got married at Enfield Shaker Museum in mid-August. What reminded me to write this review is that a couple of days ago a friend commented that it was the most fun wedding he had ever been to. My wife and I have heard that from at least a dozen guests. We even got thank-you notes from our guests for inviting them. Everyone was blown away by the beauty of the site and the restored Shaker buildings. We had the ceremony itself on the lawn on side (or front) of the Great Stone Dwelling, reception also on the lawn, dinner in the big Shaker dining room, and party/bar/dj/dancing in the Stone Mill across the road. I'll admit that we did something a little over the top--we rented all the rooms in the Great Stone Dwelling for our guests. That way, no one had to worry about drinking/driving, etc. Everyone had brunch the next morning before taking off. Rooms were large, bathrooms great, everything clean. Staff was really helpful. A memorable weekend.

This museum is so worth pulling off the highway to see this historical gem. The museum includes a 10 minute video, a personal tour, and a wonderful gift shop. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable; it was a very pleasant experience for my family and me.

Quick tip: I'll give the Great Stone Dwelling a 5+ but the overall Shaker village gets a 2 due to the intrusion of private houses and an overall disorganization. We slept one night in the Great Stone Dwelling (GSD), and it was fantastic. We appeared to be the only ones staying the night in the entire building and no workers were there. We were able to wander around the entire structure (except for locked exhibits) and really get to know the building and its beautiful architecture. What a fantastic opportunity! But the next day was not nearly as good. We arrived for the included breakfast at nine o'clock but we waited for 15 minutes before a worker arrived. When it came to the tour, there was no tour guide working and a nice, chipper woman gave us a truncated and ill-informed tour that really did not tell us anything about the Shakers or the Enfield community. The temp tour guide did the best she could, but it was really unfortunate that there wasn't a tour guide with a passion about the subject. Besides the GSD, most of the buildings were locked. One of the buildings had information and photos in the hallway, but when we went to open a door there was an exercise machine and boxes of stuff and a woman drinking diet Coke! There was no sign informing us that the building had residents. It was really awkward. I highly recommend seeing the GSD, but hopefully someone comes along who can bring the village some much needed organization and shape things up. If we hadn't slept there the night before and given the opportunity to explore the GSD, I would have been very unhappy with the services offered.

I had a May wedding at the Enfield Shaker Museum, and I would strongly recommend them to anyone looking to have a wedding in New Hampshire of Vermont. Don't be worried if the venue seems too far away. My wife and I live 90 minutes from the museum but were able to easily plan the wedding remotely via email. The wedding coordinator was absolutely fantastic. She has a list of local vendors (caterers, florists, etc.) who have experience working with the museum. After one in person meeting with the coordinator we were months ahead of schedule. Leading up to the wedding she did a perfect job of finalizing all the smaller details, and she helped beautifully orchestrate our cocktail hour and reception while using a light touch. As far as the venue is concerned, the beauty of the place speaks for itself. The Mary Keane Chapel is an ornate de-consecrated Catholic chapel built from Granite and filled with beautiful marble and stained glass. The Stone Mill is a spacious gathering area with a fantastic view of the rest of the property. The Great Room is the main dwelling area that holds two dining room options, a kitchen, and twenty or so guest rooms. The architecture is the typical Shaker style that is beautiful in its simplicity and steeped in history. The main buildings are surrounded by several other Shaker buildings as well as a barn and garden which made for great wedding photos. This venue is fantastic because it provides all-in-one capabilities for chapel, reception, and lodging; plus the wedding coordinator is fantastic. If you're looking for a wedding venue I would strongly recommend considering this on your short list. If you're looking for a golf course or hotel wedding then consider the museum because it provides so much more beauty and customization options. If you're looking for a rustic barn style wedding then consider the museum because you can get all of the rustic feel of a barn without sacrificing must haves like bathrooms, kitchen, etc (plus the museum was more affordable than renting a barn!).

We stayed at the Enfield Shaker Museum Lodge for one night & found it to be a very nice stay. I think anyone who is interested in history, specifically shaker history, would thoroughly enjoy it. The rooms are simple, spacious & clean with a simple shaker charm to the decor. There were not alot of guests on our floor & most of the unoccupied rooms were open for viewing. We really enjoyed the relaxed attitude the staff had towards overnight guests. They were not hounding us with rules & or watching us like hawks like I had anticipated when staying in a historic building. They expect the guests to respect the space & they left it at that. We were free to roam all around the great lodge and grounds even after hours which made the experience that much more enjoyable & personal. The next morning we were served a very simple breakfast of fresh baked bread, fruit & coffee in the main dining hall that the shaker's themselves once dined in years ago. Some might be disappointed in the meager breakfast but I felt the point of the meal was to get a glimpse of the simple shaker life. There was some difficulty when it came time for the tour because the regular tour guide was stuck in traffic & we had to wait quite a bit but it was well worth it once she arrived. She gave an enthusiastic tour of the grounds & I felt I learned alot. Interesting enough we realized a week after the stay that we had never been charged for the room though we gave our credit card info for the booking. We eventually had to call the museum to find out that the problem was they couldn't read the credit card numbers written down by a staff member yet they never called us about the issue. Maybe they couldn't read the phone number either? Despite the issue it was a great stay & I would recommend the place to history fans or any person looking for an eccentric nights stay in someplace other than a generic hotel room.