Hermitage Tennessee - Andrew Jacksons House

The best way to learn about the life of Andrew Jackson is to visit his mansion at The Hermitage. It served as his home, an office, a gathering hall and a place for entertaining. The mansion has been carefully restored with most of Jacksons original belongings. The Hermitage garden, grounds, and cotton plantation hold the stories of the livelihood and lifestyle of the Jacksons family. The grounds continue to offer a retreat for visitors today. On the grounds, the First Hermitage can be found with its original farmhouse and log kitchen where the family lived until completion of the mansion. It was eventually converted to slave quarters. Interpretive signs explain how these buildings tell two sides of a story for visitors. The original property owner Nathaniel Hays and subsequent owners Andrew Jackson and Andrew Jackson Jr. directed the construction of dozens of outbuildings necessary to operate the 1,000-acre cotton plantation. Remains of several of these, including the yard cabin and ice house can be explored by visitors. In the garden is the tomb of Andrew Jackson, buried next to his wife Rachel and other family members. There are audio tours for the grounds and out buildings while the mansion is explored by short guided tours.