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    Shaker Bridge Theatre

    4.0 (1 review)

    Shaker Bridge Theatre Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Shaker Bridge Theatre

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    13 years ago

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    Enfield Shaker Museum - The main building from the road.

    Enfield Shaker Museum

    4.5(11 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    We arrived at the Enfield Shaker Museum shortly after 10 a.m., which was its opening time. You park…read moreeither 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,…read moresavor fresh cider at the harvest festival. Friendly people, rustic interiors, gratuitous coffee, I'd come again.

    Photos
    Enfield Shaker Museum - The dining room.

    The dining room.

    Enfield Shaker Museum - The 2nd floor meeting room.

    The 2nd floor meeting room.

    Enfield Shaker Museum - The Catholic church next door.

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    The Catholic church next door.

    Shaker Bridge Theatre - theater - Updated June 2026

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