Visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage: Home of the 7th U.S. President

Andrew Jackson is more than a face on the twenty dollar bill. He served two terms as President Andrew Jackson, from 1829 to 1837. Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage outside of Nashville provides insights into his life. It’s not a presidential library built years after his presidency. Rather, it’s the actual place he called home from 1804 to 1845. Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage is a National Historic Landmark and has been preserved and restored as his presidential library.

I recommend taking a short jaunt out to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage while exploring Nashville. It’s a beautiful mansion, garden and grounds worthy of exploration. The museum offers insights into the man himself – a president that truly sought to give a voice to the “common man”.

Here’s a rundown on what you can expect as you visit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

Tickets and Directions to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

Although you can purchase tickets on-site, it’s better to book online in advance. That allows you to get a more desirable tour time for the mansion. But if you’re just touring the grounds, there’s more flexibility.

There are primarily two ticket options, both of which are available online.

• Hermitage Grounds Pass
• Mansion Tour, which includes access to tour the grounds

Once you have your tickets, you’re ready to visit. If you’re touring the mansion, you’ll want to arrive at least 15 minutes before your tour time. This will give you enough time to check in and walk to the entrance of the mansion.

Depending on where you’re staying in Nashville, check the travel time necessary to get to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. From downtown Nashville, it can take about 25-30 minutes. It’s roughly 20 minutes from the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.

When you arrive, there should be plenty of parking. Then follow the signs to the entrance where you can purchase or scan your pre-purchased tickets.

Tour of the Historic Mansion

Plan on at least 10 minutes to walk from the museum entrance to the entrance of the mansion. If you want to get a decent picture of the front of the mansion, I recommend taking it before you arrive at the front. There’s a spot where you walk in front of the mansion, but maybe 50 yards away. That’s the spot.

After you show your tickets to the ticket-taker, take a seat on the benches until your tour begins. Outside the mansion, your guide will give you a rundown on the mansion as a whole. They’ll also talk briefly about the grounds. One very important note… no photography inside the mansion.

Each of the tour guides along the interior tour are wearing era-appropriate clothing. They’ll talk about the artwork, structure, home additions, family, visitors and much more about Andrew Jackson, his wife Rachel and his descendants – although Andrew and Rachel never had any kids of their own. They adopted one child from Rachel’s brother and sister-in-law had twins. They names their adopted son Andrew Jackson, Jr. He became the legal guardian of other children, including a young Native American child he found orphaned following a battle.

The tour does require you to climb and descend stairs. There are hand railings to help you. After descending from the upstairs, you’ll exit through the back door and can start exploring the grounds around the mansion and beyond.

Explore the Garden and Cemetery

After visiting the buildings next to the house – the smokehouse – I recommend heading over to the garden. I love botanical gardens and this one did not disappoint. Despite it being nearly 100 degrees in Nashville that week, the blooms looked amazing. The bees were out enjoying the flowers as well.

The garden is laid out in quadrants, so you can take the time to explore each one. The southeast quadrant is where you’ll find the tombs of Andrew and Rachel Jackson. There’s also a small cemetery where other notable family members and estate workers were buried.

The most impactful thing to me was the inscription Andrew Jackson had added to Rachel’s tombstone. It’s a long tribute and beautifully expressed the love he had for his wife. It was a love he never found again, considering he never remarried after his wife died. In fact, she passed away a month or two before he was sworn in as the 7th president of the United States.

My wife loves the smell of roses and always takes time to smell them. You should, too. Enjoy the beauty and relaxing nature of the garden at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.

Wander the Grounds to Learn More About the History

In the “backyard” of the mansion, there are several cabins or areas to explore. The first one you’ll encounter as you head north from the mansion is Alfred’s Cabin. Alfred was born as a slave at the Hermitage and spent his entire life on its grounds. Even following the Emancipation, he continued working at the Hermitage. While it’s unclear where many of the slaves were buried when they died, when Alfred died in 1901, he was buried in the garden near the tomb of Andrew and Rachel Jackson.

As you proceed, be sure and use the audio guide on your phone to learn about the grounds and cabins. For example, you can learn about the Spring House, the first Hermitage and more.

Near the Spring House, there’s a nature trail that takes you over a small creek and through the woods. When the trail opens back up to a cleared area, you’ll notice foundations marked on the ground. Those foundations are known as the Field Quarters – the homes of up to 80 enslaved workers.

It was at this point of our visit that a thunderstorm quickly blew in. The rain started to pour and we sought shelter under a tree. As we contemplated how to get back to the safety of a cabin or visitor center, a man in a covered golf cart came driving down the road and gave us a much drier ride back to the museum. We even picked up a few other people on the way. Kudos to the Hermitage team who realized a dry ride to safety was needed.

Learn about Andrew Jackson’s Life in the Museum

The guides mansion tour and the large estate didn’t offer much about Andrew Jackson’s presidency. That portion is found in the museum section you likely walked through to get to your tour of the mansion. When you return from the grounds, start at the main entrance so you can walk through things chronologically.

The exhibits on the wall talk about Andrew Jackson’s birth and upbringing. You’ll learn about his courting and marriage to his wife Rachel. The war of 1812 brought him added fame as a General in the United States Army. At the Battle of New Orleans he lead his troops to a significant victory, bringing great losses to the British while keeping his troops own losses to a minimum.

RELATED POST: Visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum outside of Boston

Inside the main exhibit area is where you learn about his presidency. He has something in common with a more modern-day president in that he won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote and did not serve as president. He ran again the following election (1828) and won, serving for two terms.

There was a listing of some notable things about his presidency that I think you should know:

• Only president to have paid off the national debt
• First president to install indoor toilets to the White House
• While in the White House, some farmers gave President Jackson a 1,400 pound wheel of cheese

Like other U.S. presidents, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage serves as his Presidential Library. It has a very different look and feel compared to other ones I’ve explored. But it’s a great way to learn about Old Hickory, president of the common man.

Use the Free Audio Tour to Enhance Your Self-guided Tour

When you first arrive at the ticket window, find the sign with a QR code that links to the audio guide. It’s free to use and will definitely enhance your experience.

Once you’ve scanned the code, you’ll be directed to a website with three tour options:

• The General’s Tour (about general info about the estate)
• Rachel Jackson’s Tour (about influential women of the time)
• Poll the Parrot’s Tour (kid’s version of the tour)

Each one offers a different perspective of what you’re seeing. One of the guides mentioned how they like the children’s tour best because of the stories it shares. I used parts of the General’s Tour to better understand what we were looking at.

On the website, you have a listing of short audio snippets with an associated number. When you see the graphic on a sign, find that number and select that snippet. Then listen and learn. Don’t miss your chance to download it when you first arrive.

The Details:

Address: 4580 Rachel’s Lane, Nashville, TN 37076

Cost: Passes to tour the Hermitage grounds are $19 per adult and $12 for youth (ages 5-12). Adding on the guided Mansion Tour, the cost goes up to $26 for adults, $23 for seniors (ages 62+), $17 for youth and $23 for active military and veterans.

How long to spend: No less than one hour for the mansion tour and to explore the grounds. Plan on closer to 90 minutes to two hours.

Hours: Open Thursday-Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the last ticket sold at 5 p.m.

Website: https://thehermitage.com/

Phone: (615) 889-2941

DISCLOSURE: I received two complimentary admission tickets to the Hermitage Mansion Tour for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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