Although I’ve never considered myself a history buff, I still appreciate the preservation of our past—for better or for worse, it provides pieces of the puzzle that have contributed to the bigger, modern-day picture of who we are today. And wanting to take advantage of an historical landmark just a few miles from my home in Donelson, I recently visited The Hermitage, the home of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson (who, interestingly, was the last president to have personally known all of his former presidential predecessors).
I had seen the mansion at a distance at last year’s Fall Festival (a weekend event of artisans, live music and food trucks, benefitting The Hermitage; Fall Fest 2017 is coming up again soon (Sept 30-Oct 1), but had not yet toured inside, or seen the full scope of the beautiful grounds surrounding the home. So I went with my parents to the summer’s final “Pinot with the President”—a special evening held after normal business hours that provides wine and hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to leisurely tour the cabins, gardens and mansion at your own pace. And there were expertly-knowledgeable guides stationed at the different sites to share historical stories of centuries gone by—accurately portraying what seems to be in all of us—goodness marred by the flaws of humanity and the sins of their current era; stories that share the impact of it all and the lessons we can learn and carry forward from them.
On a clear, late summer afternoon with the sun beginning to set and the temperature sitting comfortably in the 70’s, the weather lent itself perfectly to a mostly outdoor event, to fully enjoy the well-manicured garden, the mature trees and acres of rolling fields that give the feel of being hours from the city! The Hermitage estate was sold to the state of Tennessee in the 1850’s, and has been pristinely maintained; the mansion had been in the Jackson family until its sale, so most of the furnishings inside are original to when the president and his family lived there (another factoid I found interesting: Pres. Jackson and his wife Rachel never had children of their own, but adopted two sons, one was their nephew, and the other was a Native American baby who died of tuberculosis at age 16).
Pinot with the President is a once a month summer event that you can look for in 2018; but regular tours are available daily (thehermitage.com). It’s a short drive from the city and is a great way to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors of Middle Tennessee while also procuring a history lesson outside of the classroom 🙂
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