The Hermitage

The Hermitage Review

The life and times of Andrew Jackson, known as Old Hickory, are reflected with great care at this house and museum. Jackson built the mansion on 600 acres for his wife, Rachel, for whose honor he fought and won a duel; both are buried here in the family graveyard. By the 1840s, more than 140 African-American slaves lived and worked on the Hermitage Plantation, and archaeological digs have uncovered the remains of many slave dwellings. The Andrew Jackson Center, a 28,000-square-foot museum, visitor center, and education center, contains many Jackson artifacts never before exhibited. Mansion tours are led by costumed guides, while those of the grounds are self-guided with audio tour. Optional activities include wagon tours (April through October) and tours of Tulip Grove, home of the niece who served as Jackson's White House hostess, and her husband, Jackson's presidential secretary.