the hermitage (nashville tennessee) tours

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Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Tickets and Deals

You can find all the information you need to visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage below, including how to find deals on tickets.

• Ticket Information
• Plan Your Visit
• Things to Do in Nashville

HOW MUCH DO TICKETS COST FOR ANDREW JACKSON’S HERMITAGE?

Adult admission is between $19 and $50, depending on which ticket package you purchase.

Tip: If you want to purchase a city pass that will give you a bulk concession on multiple attractions, the Nashville Sightseeing Pass includes general admission entry to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

Hermitage Grounds Pass Pricing

Includes access to the plantation, the garden, field quarters, historical markers, historic buildings, hiking trails, and more.

NOTE: This does not include access to the Hermitage Mansion.

• $12 Youth (Ages 5-12)
• Free for Kids 4 and Under
• Purchase tickets or learn more .

Mansion Tour Pricing

Includes Grounds Pass access plus an interpreter-led tour of the mansion and an upgraded self-guided device with images.

• $17 Youth (Ages 5-12)
• $23 Senior (Ages 62+)
• $23 Veterans & Military
• $80 Family Pass (2 adults and 2 children/youth)

VIP Upgrade

Includes a General Admission ticket, plus a 1.5-hour VIP guided tour in a small group with access to the mansion’s balcony.

• $65 All Ages/Guests
• To learn more, click here .

In Their Footsteps: Lives of the Hermitage Enslaved Tour

This is a specialized tour that focuses on the lives of the enslaved men and women who lived at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

Tours are currently offered at 1 pm Thursday - Monday.

• $50 per person
• Includes access to the mansion

For an additional $15 per person (Ages 5 and under Free), you can tour the grounds by Wagon.

There is a lot to cover on the plantation and this guided 30-minute horse-drawn carriage is a unique way to do it.

Tours begin behind the house.

Note that there is no cover from rain or sun and you do not leave the wagon at any point on the tour.

Wagon operates from Thursday - Tuesday from 9 am to 6 pm with the last entry at 5 pm.

To know more about wagon tours, click here .

CHEAPER ANDREW JACKSON’S HERMITAGE TICKETS

This section will cover all the best ways to save money on tickets to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

We will also include details about concessions that might not currently be available but could be added in the near future.

1. Use a Tourist Pass

If you’re considering purchasing a tourist pass, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage General Admission entry is included with the Nashville Sightseeing Pass .

This pass includes access to dozens of popular attractions in Nashville.

If you're planning on visiting multiple locations, a tourist pass is a great way to save money on tickets.

2. Senior Offer

If you're over the age of 62, you are eligible for the senior concession of $3 off the Mansion Tour.

3. Veteran and Military Deals

Both Active Duty Military and Veterans are eligible for a concession of $3 off the Mansion Tour.

4. Promo Sites

There are several promo sites like Groupon that often provide concessionary tickets to historic and popular attractions such as Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

These sites also frequently offer promo codes on local activities for an extra 10% - 20% off.

5. Family Pass

If you're visiting with your family, this ticket option will allow you to save some money.

The Family Pass includes admission to the Mansion Tour for 2 adults and 2 youths. 

The price is $80, which is $6 off the general admission prices.

6. Natchez Hill Winery Offer

Every ticket includes a concessionary wine tasting at the Natchez Hills Winery at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

This activity is of course only offered to visitors who are over the age of 21.

7. Group Offer

Andrew Jackson's Hermitage provides a group offer for groups of 15 or more visitors.

If you're visiting with a large group, this could be a good way to save money.

Find more about group concessions here .

8. Education Group Concession

If you're planning a field trip to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage for a class of students, there are concessionary prices for students, chaperones, and drivers/escorts.

High School and College Students will pay $13 for tickets, while students K-8 will pay $10.

Chaperones, Drivers, and Escorts will receive free admission.

Groups must include 15 or more visitors.

9. AAA Offer

This insurance company frequently offers concessions on popular and historic attractions such as Andrew Jackson's Hermitage.

While they might not always offer a lower price, we recommend checking before you purchase a ticket to see if you can save some money on admission.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

This section will outline what you can expect at The Hermitage, hours of operation, exhibits, and how to get there.

What to Expect

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage is where the 7th United States President lived with his wife and family along with nine slaves.

While living on the property in a log cabin, Andrew Jackson had the mansion built in 1821, and it has been renovated and rebuilt a few times since then.

It has now been restored to its 1837 condition and is now one of the most accurately-preserved presidential residences in the United States.

You’ll have access to the grounds, gardens, Mansion, and slave quarters, as well as a Visitor Center Museum.

How to Get Here

The Hermitage is located a 20-minute drive from downtown Nashville.

We recommend driving or taking a taxi or rideshare for convenience.

If you are driving, use this Google link to get directions from your specific starting location .

4580 Rachel’s Lane

Hermitage, TN 37076

Note : There is free parking at the Visitor Center.

Tour Routes and Public Transportation

There are two ways to get to the Hermitage other than by car.

There is one tour that makes a stop at The Hermitage:

• Gray Line Nashville’s Historic Nashville Bus Tour
• Includes admission to the Tennessee State Museum
• Includes visit to Mount Olivet Cemetery

Public Transportation

There are a few bus stops close to the Hermitage if you’re using buses 34 and 56. We recommend double-checking your directions with Google maps .

• Hermitage Nb - 6-minute walk
• Hermitage Sb - 6-minute walk
• Old Hickory Boulevard & 2nd Street - 11-minute walk

Hours of Operation

• Thursday to Tuesday from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm with the last entry at 5 pm

The Hermitage is closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with limited hours on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Is photography allowed?

While outside the Mansion and on the grounds, take as many pictures as you’d like. Inside the Hermitage, however, no photography is allowed.

Are bags, backpacks, strollers, or food allowed inside?

Carry-on bags, suitcases, and large backpacks are not allowed inside the Mansion. There is a place for you to set bags while touring inside the Mansion.

It is just a chair in the lobby (remember to pick it up before you exit the house) so it is not particularly secure.

Food and beverages are also prohibited.  

The grounds are stroller-friendly, but you won't be able to bring them into the house.

What will you see at the Hermitage and Mansion?

Visitor Center

In the Visitor Center, you’ll find artifacts and documents about Andrew Jackson’s life and journey from orphan to president.

Your self-guided audio tour begins here.

Guided tours are offered of the Hermitage mansion. You’ll see inside the rooms, which have been restored to their 1837 condition.

It takes about 30 minutes to complete the guided tour. Tours of the mansion run throughout the day every 5 minutes.

There is no ticketed time, so arrive at the entrance whenever you'd like to tour. There is likely to be a line but it does move fast.

Tours are small, about 10-12 people and you'll walk throughout the house meeting different docents in each room.

There are stairs and you will be able to tour the second floor if you're able.

Slave Quarters

Slavery was the source of Andrew Jackson’s wealth, and the enslaved persons who lived there - men, women, and children - kept the plantation running.

The locations of their living quarters and some discarded artifacts can be found on the grounds.

Alfred's Cabin (pictured above) is mostly original but it is restored to how it would have looked while he lived and worked at The Hermitage after slavery ended, when he was the first tour guide of the house!

You can also pay your respects to him, as he is buried in the garden next to the Jacksons.

The Hermitage has also published a list of the enslaved community found from letters and shared that information with the public as well as descendants of the slaves from this and other nearby plantations.

Rachel's Garden

The Garden at the Hermitage is beautiful and for nature lovers, they do offer special Garden guided tours.

The one-acre plot is full of flora and was known to be a special place to both Andrew Jackson and his wife, Rachel.

It is immediately adjacent to the house so can be visited before or after a mansion tour.

Garden tours are included with admission but only run seasonally on weekends.

Graves of Andrew Jackson & Family

Within the garden, you will find the final resting place of Andrew Jackson, as well as his wife Rachel, extended family, and Alfred, an enslaved man who remained here after freedom.

Original Hermitage

Jackson and his wife lived in a log cabin while the Hermitage as we know it today was being built.

Though altered, the original Hermitage remains standing today on the grounds.

If you’d rather have transportation to and from Nashville sorted for you by a tour company, Gray Line Nashville has a Historic Nashville Bus Tour that will take you to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage and the Tennessee State Museum.

Entrance fees to both locations are included, but lunch at the Hermitage’s restaurant is not.

The tour includes pickup at central Nashville hotels (if tickets are purchased more than 24 hours in advance) and lasts approximately 7 hours from pickup to drop off.

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Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

This historic plantation house and museum was the home of President Andrew Jackson. The original two-story Federal Style mansion was built in 1821 by skilled slave labor. A decade later, Jackson had the home remodeled, but it sustained extensive damage during a fire. The current classical Greek Revival-style mansion was completed in 1835. The interior features block-printed wallpaper, Italian marble mantels, crystal chandeliers and a cantilevered elliptical staircase as well as period furnishings and family keepsakes. In addition to Jackson’s tomb, the grounds of this national landmark include a chapel, landscaped gardens and restored slave quarters.

Complete Guide to Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage

Nicknamed “Old Hickory,” Andrew Jackson was a military and political leader who helped establish the city of Memphis and the modern Democratic Party. He was the first U.S. representative from Tennessee. During the War of 1812, he led a motley force of soldiers, citizens and pirates to victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Fourteen years before his election as the seventh U.S. President in 1828, he purchased a 640-acre cotton plantation, which he named the Hermitage.

A Brief History of the Hermitage

The Hermitage is situated in a peaceful meadow chosen by Jackson’s wife Rachel. The Jacksons originally lived in a log cabin that was constructed by the previous owner. Their nine slaves occupied two  smaller log cabins. These buildings are known collectively as the First Hermitage.

To replace the log cabin, Jackson had a Federal-style brick mansion constructed in 1821. It had four rooms on the first floor and four on the second. The central hallway formed a breezeway during warm weather. Ten years later, the President commissioned David Morrison to re-design the Hermitage while he was living in the White House. An entrance featuring 10 columns replaced the simple portico and flanking one-story wings were also added. After a devastating fire in 1834, Jackson hired William C. Hume and Joseph Reiff to re-build the residence as the 13-room Greek Revival-style mansion currently on the estate. The architects also designed the nearby Tulip Grove and Cleveland Hall mansions for Rachel’s nephews. Jackson entertained numerous guests at the residence, including the Marquis de Lafayette and Sam Houston as well as Presidents James Polk and Martin Van Buren.

Jackson’s grandson was the last family member to occupy the property when he moved out in 1893. The Ladies’ Hermitage Association restored the mansion to its 1837 appearance. The Hermitage is one of the most accurately preserved presidential homes in the country. Attracting 250,000 visitors annually, it is the fourth-most popular presidential residence after the White House, Mount Vernon and Monticello.

Exhibits and Tours

Tours begin at the visitor center. The museum exhibits contain artifacts that chronicle the life of the President and detail the history of the first Hermitage. You can also view a brief film about the penniless orphan’s rise to the most powerful office in the nation. Jackson planted many of the cedar trees along the guitar-shaped pathway leading to the mansion. Regarded as a sign of nearby Nashville’s future musical legacy, the guitar-shaped design made it easier to re-direct horse-drawn carriages. The main entrance on the south side includes a two-story bay supported by six Corinthian-style columns. To emulate the appearance of stone, the wooden columns are adorned with light tan paint and a sand coating. There is a second floor balcony and the northern entrance has six Doric columns.

Once inside the mansion, you will find rooms decorated with period pieces and Jackson family heirlooms. The Greek Revival-style interior features wallpaper imported from France circa 1825 that was manufactured using over 3,000 wooden blocks to hand print and color the design. Manufactured by Joseph Dufour of Paris, the wallpaper depicts scenes during Telemachus’ visit with the Greek mythological nymph Calypso. In addition to crystal chandeliers, other architectural details include classical door and window surrounds, carved Italian marble mantles and an elliptical, cantilevered staircase. A rustic mantle piece carved by a veteran of the battle commemorates the victory at New Orleans. The majority of the furnishings were present when Jackson resided in the home. The bed in the President’s room is the one in which he died in 1845.

The grounds include the tomb of the President and Mrs. Jackson. The limestone monument with a copper roof was completed in 1832. There is also a one-acre formal garden designed by William Frost in 1819 that is laid out in the English foursquare kitchen style. While the visitor center houses numerous exhibits that display artifacts relaying the story of the African-American slaves who lived at the Hermitage, the grounds include a smokehouse and three log slave quarters. Of particular note is Uncle Alfred’s Cabin. The man was born a slave on the plantation; but he remained as a caretaker after emancipation. He is buried near the President’s tomb.

Know Before You Go

The Hermitage is located 12 miles east of downtown Nashville . Beginning March 15 through October 15, the Hermitage is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. From October 16 through March 14, the museum opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. The Hermitage is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. It also closes earlier the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve. Discounts on general admission price are available to seniors, students and veterans. Active duty military and children five and under are admitted free.

While photography is encouraged when touring the grounds, it is not allowed inside the mansion. Food, beverages, backpacks and large bags are also prohibited inside the house. Pets are not permitted in the mansion or on the estate grounds. Ample parking is available adjacent to the visitor center.

Attractions Nearby

The two-story, brick Tulip Grove mansion was built in 1836 for Andrew Jackson Donelson, the President’s nephew. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places , it is one of the best remaining examples of antebellum Greek Revival-style architecture in Middle Tennessee. Sitting atop a small hill, it is located approximately one mile from the Hermitage.

Cleveland Hall was built for Stockley Donelson in 1839. Boasting 13-foot ceilings, the 18-room Plantation Plain-style estate was later adorned with Greek Revival-style columns and a pediment. The home is furnished with family heirlooms, including a chest of drawers from President Jackson. The residence was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Constructed in 1859, Two Rivers Mansion is one of the earliest and best-preserved Italianate-style homes in Middle Tennessee. It is named for the nearby junction of the Cumberland and Stones rivers. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, the property also includes a Federal-style home built in 1802.

Every Fall, This Mansion In Tennessee Embraces Its Haunted History With Evening Ghost Tours

Chris Dodge

My name is Chris Dodge and I live right here in the great state of Tennessee. My family and I are full adventurers filled with passion to see the amazing things our state has to offer. We are avid hikers and have explored many different places in Tennessee and beyond but we are always thankful to be living in such a glorious state.

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Things start to get a little spooky when October rolls around — and I’m here for it. Whether that means curling up (or even hiding under a blanket) to watch a scary movie, visiting an abandoned place , or just setting a creepy atmosphere at work with some Halloween music, October is the most delightfully spooky time of the year. The autumn season sets a certain tone that invokes creativity and things start to get a little bit more dark. To fully embrace this time of the year, why not embark on a historically scary adventure? Join a ghost tour at the hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee, for a deep dive into this season of spooky fun.

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Would you go on a ghost tour at the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee? This sounds like the perfect place for history buffs and those who love to immerse themselves in the spooky season this fall. For more information and to buy your tickets please visit The Hermitage website. 

Extend your stay longer by staying at The Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. This historical place has quite a reputation for being a haunted hotel . 

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage and You’ll Discover Some Surprising Secrets

Fun , nashville guide , travel.

April 20, 2022

Planning to visit The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee? Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a group of women, all of whom are fairly new to Nashville.

“I see these historic plantation tours everywhere,” one of them said, “but I always wonder if they’re portraying what happened accurately or if it’s all hoop skirts and Southern gentlemen.”

She had no idea she was talking to someone with an obsession for historic homes and their backstories. I’ve devoured historical novels and narratives about the Civil War era since I was a kid and toured nearly every historic home in Middle Tennessee — in many cases, two or three times.

“That’s an interesting question,” I said, “because when I moved here 20 years ago, the plantation tours I went on on made me feel uncomfortable sometimes, because it seemed like they were really minimizing the role of slavery in plantation life. I would ask questions about it and the tour guides didn’t have much to say.”

“But today,” I continued, “It’s totally different. Slavery is now a big part of every plantation story, and most places even offer specialized tours that focus on the subject. I’ve been really impressed with the changes.”

Source: Andrew Jackson Foundation

Nowhere is this shift more evident than at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage , which seems appropriate given that Jackson is one of the most controversial presidents in our nation’s history. He was beloved by many in his day, first as a war hero committed to protecting the lives of his men, then as the avowed protector of the ‘common man’ as president — the common white man, anyway.

But Jackson was also the owner of more than 150 enslaved men, women, and children and his family’s financial success hinged on their unpaid labor. His signature on the Indian Removal Act in 1830 led to the Trail of Tears — the barbaric displacement of thousands of Cherokee Indians from their homes in the eastern U.S. He had a fiery temper and fought more than a hundred duels in his lifetime. (He only managed to kill one man — He was known to be a terrible marksman.)

So how do you interpret his incredibly well-preserved home and farm for today’s visitors without glorifying a man who did some really horrible things?

You tell the whole story — the good, the bad and the ugly. And that’s exactly what you’ll find on a tour of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage today. I’ve visited The Hermitage four times now and on each visit, I discover more layers to our seventh president’s complicated story  Today, I’m sharing the secrets I’ve learned to getting the most out of a trip to The Hermitage, including hidden spots on the plantation you don’t want to miss, interesting stories and facts that will surprise even repeat visitors, and helpful information you’ll definitely want to know before you go.

Planning the Perfect Visit

A big part of what makes The Hermitage so spectacular from a historical perspective is that it’s been open to the public for tours since 1889 — and since Jackson and his heirs are the only ones who lived on this farm, an impressive amount of original furniture and personal effects have remained on the premises rather than being dispersed among family members or lost to time. And while Jackson’s descendants had to sell off portions of the property over the years to pay off debts, over time, the Andrew Jackson Foundation has managed to buy back all but 50 acres of Jackson’s original 1,000 acre plantation.

And there’s more! A multi-million dollar restoration project in the 1990s used newly-available technology to help return the mansion as much as possible to what it looked like when Jackson retired there after his presidency. Paint chips were analyzed. Letters and documents and photographs were studied. Original wallpaper was recovered and reprinted.

Outside the house, multiple archaeological excavations have uncovered more than one million artifacts from the enslaved community that lived in cabins built around the mansion. This has allowed experts to interpret the lives of the enslaved here with much greater thoroughness and accuracy than would be possible on other historic sites, resulting in a more nuanced interpretation of the complex relationships between the Jacksons and their enslaved workers. And all of this background information leads to my very first secret:

The house tour is only part of what makes The Hermitage great.

Yes, the house is amazing, and there is much to see inside. That said, the tour is fairly short and you aren’t allowed to actually go inside any of the rooms — For preservation’s sake, you’ll have to content yourself with gazing at them from the hallways. But while the house always fascinates me, I find I learn the most outside the mansion.

My advice? Start your visit at the Andrew Jackson Welcome Center, where museum exhibits and a 20-minute movie will introduce you to the life and accomplishments of Andrew Jackson. (FYI, while most adults will enjoy the film, I think it’s too dry for kids.) Next, take the 20-minute house tour. And finally, allow plenty of time to tour the grounds. Dress for the weather because you’ll be out in it for quite some time and pay close attention to my next secret, which in my opinion is the best part of the Hermitage experience.

The audio tour is a must.

Several audio tours for adults and children are included in the cost of your ticket — You can choose a tour (or tours!) based on your specific interests. The audio tours are accessed with a QR code on your phone, so I highly recommend that you bring headphones or earbuds with you. The quality of these tours is absolutely fantastic, with actors portraying various Hermitage residents, background music and sound effects, and historical photos that appear on your phone’s screen to enhance the experience. My daughter listened to the kids’ tour on a visit here when she was eleven and absolutely loved it — I still remember that day as one of her best ‘living history’ lessons ever.

Don’t skip the Nature Trail.

The grounds include a gorgeous garden where you’ll find Jackson’s tomb, original slave cabins, the kitchen and smokehouse, and more, but one of my favorite things to do here is take a walk on the Nature Trail. The 1.5 mile loop trail starts at the springhouse, winds through a forest and alongside a spring-fed creek, and leads out to the field quarter, where you’ll find the excavated foundations of the cabins once built for the enslaved workers who toiled in Jackson’s cotton fields. Interpretive boards along the path explain the information archaeologists have discovered about this population, and what they’ve learned about their story is very illuminating. (You can read more about it below.) As you loop back into the woods, you’ll pass a cotton field that The Hermitage still maintains today. It’s an easy and informative walk that takes you away from the crowds of tourists and I highly recommend it.

These cool Hermitage features need to be on your radar.

Did you know The Hermitage is also home to a meat & three soul food restaurant? I didn’t! It’s called Bailey & Cato and it’s a great way for visitors to experience traditional Southern dishes like catfish, oxtails, and turnip greens. Bailey & Cato is open from 11am-4pm Thursday through Monday.

Your ticket includes a discounted wine tasting inside the Natchez Hills Winery tasting room at The Hermitage. Wine flights, wine by the glass, wine by the bottle and wine slushes are all available for guests, as well as local craft beer on tap. And you’re free to enjoy your drink on the grounds — No need to chug it in the tasting room!

The Hermitage also offers VIP tours at 10am and 2pm each day. This 90-minute tour led by a costumed interpreter is $50 per ticket and it’s now on my bucket list. It’s a great way to get an in-depth look at the life and legacy of Andrew Jackson and the people who surrounded him. Another private tour option on my bucket list is called In Their Footsteps . It’s about the lives of the enslaved men and women who lived at The Hermitage, it’s $45 per ticket, and it takes place at 1pm each day. You’ll want to reserve your spot on these tours ahead of time, because they fill up quickly.

If you have kids, consider The Hermitage Enslaved: A Wagon Tour . A horse-drawn wagon will take you to the field quarter, where your guide will tell you how this population lived and worked in the 1800s. The tour takes 30 minutes and is $15 per ticket. Children five and under ride free.

This brooch contains a lock of Andrew Jackson’s actual hair. You’ll find it in the Welcome Center.

Interesting Facts to make your Hermitage Visit Even Better

I’m big on researching historic sites before I visit them — Knowing the backstory makes the visit a whole lot more fun, plus I can annoy my family with tons of facts and try to outsmart the tour guide! Yes, I am that person you try to get away from at cocktail parties.

Anyway, now’s the time that you get to reap the spoils of my labor. Here are a few fascinating stories that should add even more enjoyment to your trip to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

We need to talk about Rachel

We tend to think of people who lived 200 years ago as very buttoned-up and proper by today’s standards, but I’m here to tell you these people were just as messed up as we are today — Maybe, more so. Case in point: Rachel Jackson. Or, more specifically, Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson.

Rachel married a man named Lewis Robards when she was 18, but he was a total jerk and the marriage was not a happy one. She went to live with her widowed mother, who was running a boarding house. Andrew Jackson just happened to be one of the boarders there, and the two fell in love. When Robards came for a visit, he deduced that Rachel had a new love interest, and rather than dueling with Andrew (A duel ? Why am I not surprised?), he went off to get  a divorce.

Believing she was single again, Rachel married Andrew in 1791 in Natchez, but when the couple returned to Nashville, they learned that Rachel’s divorce hadn’t actually been finalized. Yup. Rachel was married to two men. After hearing the news, Robards added ‘bigamy’ to his petition and his divorce became official. Andrew and Rachel married for realsies in Nashville in 1794. The end, right?

Bigamy didn’t go over so well in polite society and Andrew Jackson had plenty of enemies who were more than happy to bring up his wife’s dubious history. Many of those 103 duels Andrew Jackson fought during his lifetime were in defense of his wife’s honor, and when he ran for president, his critics had a field day with the gossip, calling Rachel a bigamist and a fallen woman. Rachel was devastated and terrified at the prospect of living among the Grade-A gossips in Washington, D.C. She died of what was probably heart failure at The Hermitage just a few weeks before her husband took office. Jackson told friends and family members that his wife died of a broken heart.

Rachel’s portrait still hangs over the mantel in Andrew Jackson’s bedroom.

For all his faults, it’s clear Andrew really loved his wife. He never married again. He kept a small portrait of her on his person at all times. He also commissioned a larger portrait of Rachel and hung it over the mantel in his bedroom, first at the White House and then at The Hermitage, so that Rachel would be the first person he saw in the morning and the last person he saw at night. The portrait still hangs in the same spot at The Hermitage today.

Jackson had a lovely tomb built for Rachel in the garden outside the mansion, which he visited every day once he’d moved back  home from Washington. He would later be buried there beside her. The inscription on her grave reads: ‘A being so gentle and virtuous, slander might wound but could not dishonor. Even death when he took her from the arms of her husband could but transport her to the bosom of her God.’

It makes me want to cry a little just thinking about it.

Source: Bradley Howington/ Pexels

Poll the Parrot

Let’s lighten the mood a bit, shall we? Rachel had a parrot named Poll, which spoke phrases in Spanish and English, as well as several curse words. Before her funeral, the bird was on the porch and became agitated by all the mourners. It started cursing loudly during the service and had to be taken away. One observer remembered, “People were horrified and awed by the bird’s lack of reverance.” I can only imagine.

Incidentally, Poll the parrot is the narrator of the children’s audio tours at The Hermitage. Poll doesn’t curse during the tours, though. I promise.

Hannah was one enslaved worker who fled The Hermitage for Nashville during the Civil War.

Slavery at The Hermitage was every bit as complicated and disturbing as you’d imagine.

Although slavery is now included in the stories of historic Southern homes and plantations I’ve visited, most tour guides still seem hesitant to talk about how unhappy the enslaved workers must have been with their situation. This is not the case at The Hermitage. It’s easy to see here that the relationship between the Jackson family and their enslaved workers was problematic.

Jackson took out this notice in the paper in 1804.

It seemed important to Andrew Jackson and his family to give visitors the impression that their enslaved workers were treated well. They referred to them as their ‘black family’ and allowed them to marry and live in family units. Archaeological evidence suggests that enslaved people at The Hermitage had spending money, toys, and decent china, and that at least some of them had been taught to read, write, and do math. There are also letters from Jackson to his overseers, admonishing them to treat his enslaved workers well, let them rest when sick, and not work them too hard.

And yet…

Jackson was also writing letters like this one to his nephew, in 1821:

Mrs. Jackson informs me that her maid Betty has been putting on some airs, and has been guilty of a great deal of impudence. {I} have directed that the first impertinence she uses, or the first disobedience of orders, that she be publicly whipped. She can behave herself if she will and I have told her that Publickly whipped she shall be, the first offence.

Publicly whipped for ‘putting on airs?’ Wow. I thought about this letter for a long time after I read it.

Archaeologists also believe that at least some of the enslaved people at The Hermitage secretly still followed African Bakongo religious practices. They found coins with holes in them, strange bones, and marbles with a cross symbol carved into them that support this theory. You can see photographs of these artifacts if you take the Nature Trail to the Field Quarter.

After Jackson’s death in 1845, It’s very telling that when the Union took over Nashville during the Civil War, most of the enslaved people at The Hermitage fled there rather than remaining on the plantation, including their most trusted worker, Hannah, and her daughters. Check out this excerpt from a letter Jackson’s daughter-in-law wrote to her husband in 1863:

I fear all our servants will leave us. Nancy, Hannah, Martha and her three children are all gone. We have nothing but black looks from all of them they are very unwilling to do any work — it is with difficulty we can get anything out of them. Drs. Joe Smith Left a day or two ago, he is looking daily for others to go. Affairs are in a deplorable situation here.

Knowing this context adds more understanding to the stories you’ll learn about the enslaved men, women, and children at The Hermitage during your visit.

The best wallpaper story you’ll ever read.

You’ll see all kinds of interesting items during the house tour, but the most striking feature of the home for me was the identical sets of wallpaper in the upstairs and downstairs entry halls. Chosen by Rachel Jackson and ordered from Paris, it tells the story of Telemachus, from The Odyssey, and it is absolutely stunning. Fire destroyed the original paper upstairs several years after it was installed, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that The Hermitage, working with The Louvre in Paris, was able to secure identical wallpaper from a 200-year-old chateau in France. Painstakingly removed, restored by experts, and installed at The Hermitage in 1996, the upstairs wallpaper is probably older than the house itself!

There’s more to the Garden than first meets the eye.

The garden was one of Rachel Jackson’s favorite spots and it’s particularly beautiful in the spring, but little is known about what was grown there during the Jacksons’ time. Today, gardeners have filled the space with flowers and plants that would have been popular in Middle Tennessee in the 19th century. Both Rachel and Andrew are buried here, as well as several family members and former enslaved worker Alfred Jackson, who lived at The Hermitage longer than any other person — He even gave tours here for a time until his death in his cabin at The Hermitage in 1901. You can learn more about Alfred’s life here.

This post is a long one, but it contains only a fraction of the fascinating things I’ve discovered at The Hermitage during my visits there. You’ll just have to see the place for yourself — and I recommend setting aside plenty of time during your visit to explore. You could easily spend half a day here learning about the lives of those who stood on this ground two centuries ago. It’s a story that will stay with you for years to come.

Do you have questions or comments about this post? Contact me. I’d love to hear from you! And to keep up with all our adventures in Nashville and beyond, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest , and Twitter.

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Ways to celebrate Juneteenth across Nashville

by Maddie Whitaker, Emma Martinez

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Juneteenth, the nation’s youngest federal holiday, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States by honoring African American culture, achievements, and history.

Several local organizations are set to host special events in celebration of the holiday. See our list below.

Juneteenth Community Day at the National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum will host its Juneteenth Community Day on June 19. The event will focus on promoting health equity with resources such as immunization shots and health screenings available.

Visitors can enjoy food trucks, family activities, voter registration information, a live DJ, live radio remotes and important messages related to Juneteenth.

Admission is free and on a first-come basis. Find more information here .

Juneteenth615

This year, Juneteenth615 will present over 20 celebrations across Nashville, including an appearance from the mayor, live performances and a fireworks presentation.

Events such as Black on Buchanan, Music City Freedom Festival at Hadley Park, Juneteenth615 at Fort Negley Park and Taste of Freedom Restaurant Week will take place in the days leading up to the holiday. Learn more here .

Juneteenth Freedom Day 5K Walk/Run

The 2nd annual music city Juneteenth Freedom Day 5K Run/Walk will kick off at the Shelby Bottoms Greenway on June 19. The event will benefit local nonprofits dedicated to youth literacy, health and wellness.

Sign up through this form .

Tennessee State Museum Juneteenth Celebration

Visitors of the Tennessee State Museum can enjoy a day-long event on June 15 that will include musical guests, tours of the galleries, activities for children and speakers. Learn more here .

Nashville Jazz Workshop

On June 15, the Nashville Jazz Workshop will put on a series of jazz performances in honor of the rich history associated with Juneteenth. Admission is free. See the lineup here .

Juneteenth Conversations at the Hermitage

On Wednesday, June 19, The Hermitage will be hosting Juneteenth Conversations by the Vice President of Collections, our Director of Interpretation, one of the lead interpreters and more

• An Overview of Juneteenth and Tennessee’s Emancipation Day will happen at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Freed Men of Color at New Orleans at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Hannah and Aaron’s Freedom at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Alfred’s Freedom Story at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Nashville African American Wind Symphony: A Celebration of Freedom

Join the Nashville African American Wind Symphony for their annual Juneteenth concert on Sunday, June 16th at 6:00 p.m.. The concert is titled A Celebration of Freedom, and tickets are from $45 to $55.

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