This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Angela at Spinach Tiger!

Living in Nashville I realize how fortunate we are to have the former home of a U.S. president within driving distance. My 8th grade daughter has been learning about Andrew Jackson in school so a trip to The Hermitage, just east of downtown Nashville, was a great spring break staycation field trip. Studying local history in middle school is much more relevant when you can actually walk the grounds of a former president.

If you are visiting Nashville or live in Middle Tennessee, a trip to The Hermitage should be one of your local attraction must dos. The Hermitage is considered one of the best preserved early presidential homes in the country and was rated the third best Presidential Site in the nation by USA TODAY. Home to Jackson from 1804 until his death in 1845, the mansion was restored after most of it was destroyed by fire in 1837. One of the most impressive aspects of The Hermitage is the authenticity. Most of the furnishings and decor are as true to the era as possible. You can also see the humble log homes where Jackson’s slave community lived and where the Jackson family first settled, prior to the mansion being built.

My girls exploring the grounds of The Hermitage with Jackson’s tomb and garden ahead.  First Lady Rachel Jackson died before her husband was inaugurated and was buried on the grounds of The Hermitage on Christmas Eve in what was to be her inaugural gown.

The Hermitage has also just launched a new Multimedia Experience which adds an additional $8 to the cost of single ticket prices, but is definitely worth it if you want a more indepth first-time experience. As part of this add-on you receive a handheld unit with photos and text along with attached headphones to listen to the narration. This was my 13-year-old’s first tour of The Hermitage and my 11-year-old’s second visit. Although I’ve toured the mansion before, the tour guides (who dress in attire that is reflective of Jackson’s era) always add interesting facts and anecdotes that differ each time.

The Multimedia Experience offers a child and adult version so that the audio tour is tailored to each age group. I would highly recommend it for children visiting the mansion and grounds for the first time. With today’s tweens and teens having grown up in a digital era, the new multimedia audio tour adds another dimension of interest that helps bring the history of The Hermitage to life.

My 5th grader listens to the new audio tour as part of the Multimedia Experience at The Hermitage.

Planning a trip to The Hermitage this year? Here are some interesting facts that I’ve compiled. Each time I visit the mansion and grounds, I learn something new!

10 Facts about Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage

• 16 million visitors from around the world have visited The Hermitage since opening as a museum in 1889
• An award-winning interior restoration was carried out between 1989 and 1997
• Jackson’s favorite portrait of his wife, Rachel, hangs in his bedroom
• Rated the third best Presidential Site in the nation by USA TODAY
• More than 85% of the objects in The Hermitage are original to Jackson’s lifetime
• The Hermitage escaped a near-disaster when an F-3 tornado crossed the property April 16, 1998; more than 1,000 trees were toppled
• Jackson actually supervised the planting of some of the cedar trees on the property
• The bed in President Jackson’s room is where he died on June 8, 1845
• The books and newspapers in President Jackson’s office are the ones he owned and read when he was alive (he subscribed to  15 newspapers)
• Several notable guests stayed in the Hermitage’s guest room, such as James K. Polk, Sam Houston, and Martin Van Buren

The Hermitage is open year-round, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Photography is allowed on the grounds, but videotaping and photography are not allowed inside the mansion.

Check out the calendar of events for upcoming special events held at The Hermitage. We loved attending the annual Middle Tennessee Highland Games last fall!

Would you like to win a pair of tickets (one adult admission/one children’s admission) for the new multimedia tour at The Hermitage?

Simply leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you are interested in learning more about Andrew Jackson.

• Tweet the following: I want to win to tickets for the new multimedia tour at The Hermitage (@7thpresident) via @BlondeMomBlog
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Giveaway ends midnight Wednesday, April 20.

Disclosure: I received free passes to tour The Hermitage.