The Andrew Jackson Estate

While in the land of Baptist churches, country music, and BBQ, I really wanted to tour a plantation.
My mom and I had our hearts set on the Belle Meade plantation, where Seabiscuit, Secretariat, and Funnycide's blood lines began.
The tour of the mansion and stables ends in a vineyard where guests experience a wine tasting.
We were on our way there when we got word that it was somewhat of a disappointment.
We were short on time, so we decided to visit another estate, one with a little presidential history.
The Andrew Jackson estate is only a few minutes from Nashville and worth every penny.

No one is allowed to take pictures on the inside of the home, but I got my fill in outside.
The slave cabins are open for walking around and seeing how they lived.
This first one is that of Alfred, the slave who eventually took over the main house.

The estate has a horse-drawn carriage that will take you all over the property, but Mom and I decided to walk it out.

There were many of these slave cabins, where up to 100 people lived in them at one time.
The attics are a wood slat where they were forced to sleep shoulder to shoulder with someone else.

This is the back of the house.
Towards the left of the picture is an enormous and beautiful garden. It has a cemetery of maybe 25 graves including the tombs of former President Jackson and his wife, Rachel.

If you are looking to do something historical and are in the Nashville area, pop over to the Andrew Jackson estate.
Anyone who was in the area while Jackson lived here was expected to stop by.
Not stopping to say Hello was considered extremely rude.

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Franklin, Tennessee

My Mom and I headed South of the city to explore another town that was recommended by LC.
Franklin, TN is just a small drive from Nashville & is filled with things to do.
We indulged at Ivey Cake first- obviously we needed energy to walk through blocks and blocks of shops.
I went for my all-time favorite red velvet cupcake while my Mom went for a toffee, chocolate cupcake.
They have a zillion varieties to choose from.

The whole town is filled with small shops and big houses.
Some of the old mansions have been turned into art galleries and boutiques.
Our favorite was probably the Bagby House.

We only spent a half hour or so trying on every hat they had on the rack.

Bathos is basically a soap factory. Everything is handmade and smells good enough to eat.
They have everything from bath salts to body scrubs to hand soaps and face masks.
The scents are endless.
The owners have pre-cut chunks of each item or you can cut your own and buy in bulk.

Because our trip was only a couple days, we had to squeeze a lot into every day.
If you really took your time in Franklin, you could easily spend a few days going through all of the shops.
They have one main strip of shops and restaurants, then little streets that trail off with equally good places to stop off at.
If you visit Nashville, don't forget to stop in Franklin.

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The Chocolate Covered Strawberry

LC, my friend that's living in Nashville, recommended the most quaint, beautiful restaurant I have ever been to.
It's on the North side of the city, and you'll miss it if you don't know what you're looking for.
The Chocolate Covered Strawberry isn't on any tour guide or map, and the concierge at your hotel probably hasn't heard of it.
While it's a rather large establishment, it has managed to keep it's homey feel, and I have a feeling people are keeping it a secret for a reason- it truly is a hidden gem.
I know you'll keep the secret safe.

We walked up to a mansion, feeling like we were just stopping by a friends house for lunch.
Already amazed by the beauty of the place, we followed the signs to the hostess stand.
We then followed the leader to the back of the house, checking out all of the rooms on the way.
The place was filled with women, young and old, catching up and spilling gossip.

I opened the menu to find that everything sounded absolutely amazing.
I settled on the veggie croissant- filled with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, olives, swiss cheese and a red pepper-cream cheese spread.
I added on a creamy apple cinnamon salad served with a delicious melt-in-your-mouth gingerbread cookie.
Every sandwich is served with, of course, a chocolate covered strawberry.

My Mom went for the Smoked turkey, swiss, sweet apple hummus, & cucumber slices croissant. (Yes, that's what it's called!)
She also opted for the pasta salad and ended with a chocolate covered strawberry.

One of the front rooms is filled with one of a kind items for purchase.

The house just keeps going and going and going.
We sat allllll the way in the back of the house in a small room with all different sizes of wooden tables.
Some rooms in the house had some larger picnic style tables with big fluffy chairs, while other rooms had 'table for two' size tables and wooden chairs.
One of LC's friends described it as "very Alice in Wonderland".
I agree.
It truly was a unique experience, and I absolutely cannot wait to visit again.

If you're looking for a venue for a baby or bridal shower, or just want to get together for the girls, you won't regret going to the Chocolate Covered Strawberry.
You can make reservations here.

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