Old Hickory, Hermitage and Grand Ole' Opry

Our first stop in the Nashville area was a visit to Hermitage, home of President Andrew 'Old Hickory' Jackson . President Jackson was quite the controversial figure in his day and still has his fans and enemies to this day. The museum at his home provided a lot of information to provide perspective on his life and decisions made at the time. Hearing of his difficult childhood where he began working for the American Revolution at 13 years of age and lost his entire family by the time he was 14 yo, made it easy to see how he had to develop a strong personality to survive. Not only did he survive, but accomplished a successful professional and military career before venturing into politics. Although firmly rooted in support of slavery as a plantation owner, he was also deeply rooted in the belief that the country should be united. Had he been around another 30 years or so, we would not have been surprised if he was not an ardent supporter of President Lincoln.

Displays within the museum clearly showed his appreciation for the material goods he was able to acquire and also an appreciation for big parties, along with his beloved wife. The grounds were easy to appreciate for their natural beauty, even in the winter dormancy.

The grand entry to the mansion is still framed very formally.

Under restoration, the current presentation of the mansion is very faded and tired. The appearance will be much more grand when the touchups are completed.

The original home that preceded the grand mansion is preserved on site as well.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the mansion that was hosted by costumed interpreters as well as strolling the grounds. We easily spent over 5 hours absorbing the history and the nature and would highly recommend dedicating at least 3 hours if you choose to visit the Hermitage.


We took a drive around Nashville to see the other sights, which started with the famous Grand Ole Opry.

We were taken back by the development in the area which included a huge shopping mall, riverboat rides and amusement parks.

Inside the mall, we found the continuing theme of 'guitar pickers'.


On the exterior is evidence of the recording industry's presence at every turn.

Downtown is the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

You don't have to be a country music fan to see the evidence of the vast industry in the city. The area, while certainly busy with people and traffic, still hosts beautiful scenery within and surrounding the city that creates an atmosphere quite unique from Memphis. On to Chattanooga!