See how people lived in and around Nashville throughout various periods of time, especially during the Civil War. Tour grand estates that were homes to presidents, survived through bloody battles and the living quarters of slaves on sprawling plantations. Prepare to step back in time and check out the 10 top historical Nashville area houses and estates.

1. The Hermitage: President Andrew Jackson’s 1,000-acre property first opened as a museum in 1889 and has since run on only profit from tickets, sales, donations and grants. Learn how the land turned from a thriving cotton farm, became Jackson’s plantation home, then upon the president’s death his adopted son’s inheritance that drove him into debt and prompted a proposal to make it an expansion of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
2. Belle Meade Plantation: Located six miles west of Nashville, this example of southern Greek revival Antebellum architecture, was the site of a Civil War skirmish during the Battle of Nashville and bullet holes can still be seen in its front porch’s columns. The site’s original cabin, a carriage house, stable and restored slave cabin is also open on the property.
3. Belmont Mansion: The largest house museum in Tennessee was commissioned by Adelecia Ackelen, turned into a women’s school and turned into a co-ed four-year institution called Belmont College in 1951 and opened as a museum in 1976. Tours are scheduled around visitors’ arrival.
4. The Carter House: This modest brick home and farm is now a national historic landmark in nearby Franklin. As seen from its 1,000 bullet marks, it was caught in the Battle of Franklin during the Civil War on Nov. 30, 1864, and used as the Federal Command Post while the Carters and two neighboring families took refuge in the basement as the battle raged on outside that some call “the Gettysburg of the West.”
5. Two Rivers Mansion: The historic Itialianite mansion and the 14-acre tract of land it sits upon was built in 1859 and purchased by the city government in 1966. It is listed as a national historic site, but currently has no public operating hours but the house and grounds can be rented out for private functions.
6. Lotz House: Located directly across from the Carter House in nearby Franklin, this historic home was built on land he purchased from the Carter family by a German immigrant who specialized in carpentry and making pianos. Damage from the Battle of Franklin can be seen including an indention on a wooden floor from a cannonball that flew through the roof and a bedroom on the second floor. The house museum now boasts an expansive collection of antiques and offers appraising services.
7. Carnton Plantation: This historic home became a battlefield hospital during the Battle of Franklin and its owners, the McGavocks, gave two acres of their land as a cemetery for fallen Confederate soldiers. The estate includes the confederate cemetery, gardens and a house built by an ex-slave. Ghost tours of the plantation are also available.
8. Cheekwood: The West Nashville art museum and botanical gardens was built by the Cheek family with funds from their Maxwell House Coffee fortune and sold to house the Nashville Museum of Art’s permanent collections. Tours of the 55-acre grounds are available per request.
9. James K. Polk Ancestral Home: The Columbus-located, Federal-style home is now the only standing residence, besides the White House. His father built the home in 1816 while his son attended school at the University of North Carolina and houses more than 1,000 of the president and his wife’s belongings. The adjacent Sisters House, where two of his married sisters lived at various times, is also open for tours.
10. Rose Mont: The historic plantation house in nearby Gallatin was built in 1836 solely from materials found on location and named after a rose garden on the north side of the home. The Greek Revial and Palldian design-blended mansion is open for tours from April through October.

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