Skip to main content

Our Trip to The Hermitage & Franklin, TN

Brandon standing in front of The Hermitage.
 Two weeks ago we headed to Nashville to meet up with Brandon's parents.  Elijah spent 5 days staying with his Nina & Poppy Steve in Arkansas so he was not with us during our trip to The Hermitage.  Eva travels best in the morning so we planned on starting out early in the day.  We would end up arriving early to Franklin and knew that we would have a couple of hours to kill.  Brandon asked me what I would like to do and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I have wanted to stop at The Hermitage (the home of Andrew Jackson) for years.  I love history (I majored in biology & history in college) and Brandon minored in history while in college.  I am thankful that we can share our love of history and exploring together.   
Evangeline & I had a lovely time walking around the grounds.  (I was a little disappointed about all of the construction.)
 I am also related to Andrew Jackson on my dad's side of the family.  I think Andrew Jackson was kind of a jerk as a president and I would much rather be related to someone else but that's just the way it is.  The Hermitage was beautiful and I really enjoyed our visit.  I found it fascinating to think about gliding my hand down the same staircase or gazing upon the exact same wallpaper that adorned the house during the time our 7th president resided here.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside so you will just have to take my word for it or visit it for yourself one day.  If you do decide to visit here is a coupon.

 
The back view of the house which is just as pretty as the front.
It was interesting to learn that Andrew Jackson was well known for his hospitality.  Many famous men have stayed in his home.  I think if I lived here I would just spend all day sitting on one of the 2nd story porches.  I have to wonder if any of Jackson's children ever fell off of them.
We were not allowed to take photographs inside the actual house.  This picture was taken inside a slave's cabin. 

Another view of the slave cabin.  I think it was called Alfred's Cabin.
If you do visit know that you will probably want to allow 2-4 hours.  I think we stayed about 3 hours but we could have easily stayed longer.  I think there are more walking trails along a creek which we did not explore.  (The weather turned a little chilly.)  There are also picnic tables on the grounds where you could have lunch.  We did not take Eli with us since he was with his grandparents at the time but I would take him with us next time.  I wouldn't say it is overly kid friendly but we are pretty adventurous when it comes to taking our kids places.  (Our philosophy is kind of have kids will travel.)
The grave.

Walking around the gardens and listening to the audio recordings.  
 I would imagine that the gardens are breathtaking in the summer.  I am so thankful that we finally had a chance to visit.  The Hermitage is one of the largest and most visited presidential homes.  It boasts 1,120 acres and each year 180,000 people visit.
Eva fought taking a nap for most of our trip.  
I really enjoyed adding a fun stop on our way to Franklin, TN (just outside of Nashville).  We then enjoyed a wonderful couple of days visiting with Brandon's side of the family who live in Arkansas and Georgia.  I didn't take anymore pictures the rest of our trip (mommy brain) but we did have a wonderful time visiting the Nashville Zoo and Pinkerton Park in Franklin.  It is always a treat to spend time with family.  
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August Reads

None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us by Jen Wilkin :  I'm quickly becoming quite the fan of Mrs. Jen Wilkin.  I've been working through her 1 Peter Bible Study this summer and I absolutely loved reading through this book on the attributes of God.  I found myself reminded of so many things and almost felt a sense of relief as I contemplated what God is like.  This book was a delight to read.  I love that there is now a book on God's attributes written especially for women.  Pure awesomeness!  I highly recommend this book for both new believers and those with years of experience.  I also think it would make a great book club book. The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian: This book is one that I have been wanting to read for years and I just never got around to it.  I am so glad that I finally took the time to read and pray through this book!  What better gift could I give my husband the past month than to spend tim...
1 comment
Read more

Our First Tent Camping Experience

Earlier in June we embarked on a new adventure.  TENT CAMPING!   Two summers ago we enjoyed a wonderful time camping in a borrowed pop-up camper but this was our first experience sleeping in a tent as a family.  We loaded up our very full van and headed to Land Between the Lakes in Western Kentucky for a new adventure.  It was wonderful.   One of the neatest aspects of our trip was the fact that Nina & Poppy Steve (Brandon's parents) were able to meet up with us!  (They live a good 10 hours away from us so this was a real treat.)  We had so much spending time with them.  We stayed at  Hillman Ferry Campground  and I would definitely stay there again.   Hillman Ferry Campground has a lovely beach with an area roped off for swimming.  The kids enjoyed playing in the sand and I even took them swimming in the lake.  I have been swimming many times in a lake but I think this was my children's first rea...
Post a Comment
Read more

This Week's Goals

We have been so blessed to fill our August with such fun family memories. In the picture above we enjoyed a day trip to the Columbus Zoo where we got to get up close with some kangaroos!   August has been so busy for our family that I've neglected to share my goals the past few weeks.  We've been squeezing in lots of summer fun as we transition back to school days.  I also began teaching fall piano lessons.  Here are a few of my goals for this upcoming week.      This Week's Goals Marriage, Mothering, & Family 1.  Eli is playing flag football this fall!  I'm excited to attend his game on Saturday. 2.  Eva has a therapy appointment this week.  I am so thankful for all of the incredible progress that she has made over the past year.   3.  Take both children to the park to play this week.   Homemaking 4.  Work on plans for Disney.  I need to work on our packing list and make some reserva...
3 comments
Read more