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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Belle Meade Plantation

After we left the Grand Ole Opry, we toured a Plantation.
I love to do these sorts of tours, where you feel almost like you've stepped back in time!

We went to the Belle Meade Plantation (which means beautiful meadow) in Nashville. It was very interesting to drive through the city and then suddenly come upon this view!
This is the entry to the plantation. You probably can't see it but there was a woman in period dress, hoop skirts and all standing in the front doorway.




This was the original home of the owner, built in1807 on 250 acres of land. He did very well and built the larger house on 1820. It reached a peak of 5000 acres and became one of the finest thoroughbred breeding operations in the country. Every horse that has raced in the Kentucky Derby since 2003 can trace it's bloodline to this plantation!
This property remained a private residence until 1953, when it was acquired by the Association of Tennessee Antiquities.


Our first stop was the carriage house. It was a beautiful building, with a herringbone patterned, brick paving floor. There were lots of old wagons and buggies to look at.


Here are a few buildings on the property, clockwise from top left:
Carriage house, gardeners building, play house and dairy. In the same picture as the dairy you can see some slave quarters to the left.



A huge magnolia tree in the back yard.



Part of the back yard.



The back porch




Heather, Andy and Bob sitting in the front before our tour.




This is Tom, who toured us through the house and told us it's history. One of the interesting things he shared was that President Grover Cleveland spent his honeymoon here!



The damage on this front pillar is from gunshots during the civil war.



We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house, but our guide let me take this picture looking out the second floor window.


Here's a few pictures of the beautiful property.


We all really enjoyed our day in Nashville!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Mari! I love to tour old homes like this! What a beauty! Thanks so very much for sharing these awesome pics.

Betsy Brock said...

Lovely! Everything is SO charming...wow. Love the long drive up to the home. I can just see those carriages rolling up!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness. I love places like this. I remember when I was little my parents took us to see Monticello. At the time I didn't understand how fantastic it was. I just wanted to go back to our hotel with the pool : ) Now I wish I had paid more attention. What a grand vacation.

Jenny said...

I've been to Belle Meade! It's enchanting. I'm so glad you got to visit.

Sylvia said...

Really enjoying looking at your photos. We love doing the same thing here in UK. Keep them coming!

Hootin Anni said...

I would Love To Live back Then!!! Can you imagine having servents, a huge home like this, and being able to hostess huge parties that went on into the next day?!! LOL

Fabulous photos Mari.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

What a fun tour your gave here Miss Mari!!! I can just imagine the beauty and the history you experience on a tour like this.

Thanks!

God bless ya and have a beautiful week sweetie!!! :o)

Penny said...

How beautiful! Love your virtual tour! =)

Melissa said...

Wouldn't it be fun to actually go back in time and see what life was really like back when people lived in that house? I love old houses like that. I've just caught up on your past few recap posts and it looks like you had such a wonderful time! Glad Andy is back safely :)

SusanD said...

I loved visiting this plantation a couple years ago. The property is beautiful and the history is interesting. Thanks for sharing. Have a fabulous week. Blessings, SusanD

Raise Them Up said...

I loved the tour! What a beautiful place! And those front doors were amazing. I'm putting Belle Meade on my list of places I want to see. :)

Kim said...

Oh my goodness! That is GORGEOUS! The herringbone brick floor inspires me to do something fun like that when we build our patio :) Can you imagine living in such a beautiful spot? Is that a river or a creek running through it? I'm so homesick for the south right now! As pretty as it is where we live (and it's beautiful) it's a different kind of beauty and I miss the southern U.S. Thanks so much for sharing these photos!!!

Pat said...

When it's grand...it's very grand! These are the things little - and big girls dream about! I love to hear the history as well as see the grounds and house. Thank you!