The meticulously restored parsonage milieu enables visitors to acquaint themselves with handicraft and industrial art exhibitions, make purchases in the well-stocked shop, and enjoy lunch or dinner in the parsonage restaurant. In the summer the parsonage garden attracts visitors with its abundance of over 500 plant species. This is where the Finnish Martta Society also has its heritage information centre Syreeni.
There are several stories on the origin of the name ´Kenkävero´. According to one story, it was customary for people in Savo to put on their shoes (´kenkä´ is the Finnish for ´shoe´) on the then island of Kenkävero on their way to church and to take them off on returning from church. Another explanation is that the name originates from the time of Nuijasota (War of the Clubs, 1596 - 1597) when the Savo men armed with clubs were fooled into surrendering in the courtyard of Kenkäveronniemi parsonage. It has also been thought that the name is connected to the salary paid to the bell-ringer. Centuries ago, the pastor was obliged to provide the bell-ringer annually with a pair of shoes and woollen socks as payment for delivering church letters.