The idea of a Skanzen displaying local folk architecture and the lifestyles of the people of the region appeared as early as the 1930's but the realisation only began in the 1960's. The main material of buildings in the Balaton Upperlands and the Bakony region was stone, and Tihany developed its own architectural style with unplastered, basalt walls. The Tihany style can be identified by the fact that while its walls are unplastered, there is a white plaster frame around the windows.

The open-air museum covers two buildings and their surroundings. One is the peasant house restored in 1965 which is thatched roof building with a veranda. Inside the house, everyday items, richly decorated furnishings of the former occupants are on display. There is also a shed with agricultural tools, a cart and a sled.

The other building of the museum is the fishermen's guild house which is the only one of such buildings in the Balaton region. It served as the meeting place of the guild and they also kept the symbolic items of the guild in the house. The house consists of a room and a kitchen, with a furnace, the original furniture and tools of fishing inside. There is also a tub boat which was used by fishermen in the 19th century.

Both of the buildings were used for their original purposes until 1934. Interestingly while the roof of the peasant house was changed for a new one, the fishermen's guild house still has its original thatched roof. Seeing the two roofs next to each other shows the age of these buildings very clearly.

The entrance of the museum can be accessed from the Pisky Promenade between the Abbey and the Echo Hill.