The next day, we decided to slow down a bit and go back much further in history and visit the Hermitage, the antebellum Southern plantation of President Andrew Jackson just outside of Nashville. It was a gorgeous estate set on 1,120 acres of beautiful landscape.
The whole thing was really well done. We watched a fascinating movie about the controversial Andrew Jackson. It was action-packed and very educational. There was also a museum, and the tickets also included headphones for a self guided tour, which was just fabulous, especially for the kids because they could go at their own pace and I didn't have to read everything to them.
It was a warm day, but it felt so nice to sit out under the majestic tall trees and imagine what life would have been like back then.
The home was a beautifully preserved neoclassical plantation. We loved the huge columns. No cameras were allowed inside, but it had been completely restored to the way it was back in Jackson's day and much of the furniture and artifacts were original! The interior was extremely colorful and the walls of the grand foyer were covered with bright handmade mural wallpaper from France depicting the adventures of Odysseus (Derek and Dylan, who are HUGE Greek god fans, thanks to Rick Riordan, got a huge kick out of it.)
My favorite part, of course, was the back porch. I am a sucker for a fine back porch. I got a kick out of this woman in period dress messing with her iPhone. I didn't realize they had that kind of technology back then, but then again, what else would a Southern lady want to do while sitting on the back porch?
Everyone wanted to sit on the porch at some point. Who goes to a grand Southern plantation and doesn't sit on the porch, even for a few seconds.
A few of the rooms we saw from outside where pictures were permitted including the green dining room. Apparently, they believed that the color green aided in digestion back then, so all of the diningrooms we have seen on this trip have been some shade of green. Jackson's portrait hangs on the wall.
The kitchen was an out-building where the slave women cooked mass amounts of food for the Jackson family and all the workers.
The smokehouse. They ate ham for every meal here. Ham, ham, and more ham. Yum!
Our turn on the back porch. Ahhh.
Different bells were used to call different slaves to various places.
Finding some respite from the heat under a huge magnolia tree.
This is an example of one of the many slave cabins that had been on the property. It was a cotton plantation and Jackson's was one of the largest in the area with 44 slaves. I couldn't help but wonder what their lives must have been like and how any people could ever justify in their minds owning other people. It is puzzling and troubling to me.
Still, the Hermitage was beautiful.
One of our favorite parts was the garden just off to the side of the house. It was a square English country garden filled with herbs and flowers.
Despite the heat, the kids enjoyed exploring it.
This monument in the back corner of the garden marks the grave of President Jackson and his wife.
I loved the patterns of sun and shade in the garden.
The Hermitage garden also gave me a chance to break out my brand new telephoto lens and have some fun trying to do macro work with it. I'm really happy with this lens!
There were lots and lots of butterflies in the flower bed. Caleb and I both tried capturing them,only I used my camera and he used his bare hands.
We really enjoyed our visit to the Hermitage. Not only did we learn a lot about our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, and his controversial politics as well as his personal life, but we also got a good taste of what the antebellum South was like on a grand "King Cotton" plantation.
It was a warm day, but it felt so nice to sit out under the majestic tall trees and imagine what life would have been like back then.
The home was a beautifully preserved neoclassical plantation. We loved the huge columns. No cameras were allowed inside, but it had been completely restored to the way it was back in Jackson's day and much of the furniture and artifacts were original! The interior was extremely colorful and the walls of the grand foyer were covered with bright handmade mural wallpaper from France depicting the adventures of Odysseus (Derek and Dylan, who are HUGE Greek god fans, thanks to Rick Riordan, got a huge kick out of it.)
My favorite part, of course, was the back porch. I am a sucker for a fine back porch. I got a kick out of this woman in period dress messing with her iPhone. I didn't realize they had that kind of technology back then, but then again, what else would a Southern lady want to do while sitting on the back porch?
Everyone wanted to sit on the porch at some point. Who goes to a grand Southern plantation and doesn't sit on the porch, even for a few seconds.
A few of the rooms we saw from outside where pictures were permitted including the green dining room. Apparently, they believed that the color green aided in digestion back then, so all of the diningrooms we have seen on this trip have been some shade of green. Jackson's portrait hangs on the wall.
The kitchen was an out-building where the slave women cooked mass amounts of food for the Jackson family and all the workers.
Luke absolutely LOVED the headphone thing by the way! He loved the freedom to push his own numbers himself, and the kid versions must have been very entertaining, because he kept saying, "Mom, push 205. It is so funny!" It really kept his interest.
The smokehouse. They ate ham for every meal here. Ham, ham, and more ham. Yum!
Our turn on the back porch. Ahhh.
Different bells were used to call different slaves to various places.
Finding some respite from the heat under a huge magnolia tree.
This is an example of one of the many slave cabins that had been on the property. It was a cotton plantation and Jackson's was one of the largest in the area with 44 slaves. I couldn't help but wonder what their lives must have been like and how any people could ever justify in their minds owning other people. It is puzzling and troubling to me.
Still, the Hermitage was beautiful.
One of our favorite parts was the garden just off to the side of the house. It was a square English country garden filled with herbs and flowers. 
Despite the heat, the kids enjoyed exploring it.
This monument in the back corner of the garden marks the grave of President Jackson and his wife.
Other family members, and even a few slaves are buried here too.
I loved the patterns of sun and shade in the garden.
The Hermitage garden also gave me a chance to break out my brand new telephoto lens and have some fun trying to do macro work with it. I'm really happy with this lens!
There were lots and lots of butterflies in the flower bed. Caleb and I both tried capturing them,only I used my camera and he used his bare hands.
We really enjoyed our visit to the Hermitage. Not only did we learn a lot about our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, and his controversial politics as well as his personal life, but we also got a good taste of what the antebellum South was like on a grand "King Cotton" plantation.
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