The Shepherd of the Hills www.oldmatt.com is one of the original attractions of the area. The book is fiction but is based on actual places and some real people. The Homestead tour has interesting depictions from the book. In 2013, the owner of Shepherd of the Hills was losing his fight with cancer and the attraction was listed for sale. When no buyer came forward, the drama closed down in Oct. Sadly, the owner died shortly after that. We were brokenhearted for the loss of the man whose vision had provided the area with a wonderful attraction and also for the loss of a beloved piece of area history. In spring of 2014, the family announced there had been an overwhelming outpouring of support for them and for the drama to continue, so the decision was made to reopen on a somewhat limited schedule. Last year, the entire complex was sold to a company that seems to have big plans for it. We certainly hope it will retain the original charm and history. While the drama is very enjoyable without reading the book first, I do recommend reading the book. It gives a lot of insight into the story and makes the drama much more enlightening.