belle meade plantation

Lovely tour by guides in traditional dress..Loved the shop some different things to buy in there..went back this year just to get some more gifts...

Beautiful mansion, tour guides dressed in period clothing, lots of out buildings, indoor bathroom very unique!!! Beautiful decor!!!

Please do not be fooled by the high ratings for this attraction. I am completely lost as to what people love about this stop. I found it to be a waste of money and time. I wonder if people really spoke freely about their stop. Skip this tour and see something else in Nashville like the Hermitage. Your time and money will be much better spent.Our trip only allowed time for one stop at a mansion. This one was a huge disappointment and mistake! The $16 fee was very high considering it was for a rushed and restricted tour of the inside only. I have toured mansions all over the U.S., and this one was the worst. I had recently read Tamara Alexander's book " To Whisper Her Name" and was so excited to be able to tour the mansion. Sadly, I really wish that I had simply left it in my imagination. Visiting the real setting was such a disappointment.Unfortunately, the house smells strongly of mold and mildew. During the tour, I spotted numerous places where I could see visible mold. The inside felt dark and dingy. The tour guide was well informed and tried to keep the tour interesting. It was not his fault the tour is incomplete and restrictive. You cannot tour every room as most have to be viewed at a distance. The entire outside is not included in the tour. The information centers strictly around the family who lived there and nothing of the impact and part in history. There is a wealth of history outside including stables, slaves quarters, and so much more. During the entire tour, the slaves and servants were not mentioned. A great plantation cannot exist without the nameless people who make the wealthy comfortable. They should have been included. The truly wealthy never amass their fortunes without the help of hard-working poor individuals who were either ignored or tolerated.. This needs to be corrected! The wealthiest names today did not get there without help.Honestly, I would have rather done a self-guided tour at my own pace at a much more affordable price. Being able to take pictures of interesting bits would have been nice. Items I find interesting are never in the pictures and postcards in the gift shop. I would have enjoyed exploring slowly and absorbing what I wished to see. The tour spent so long in some rooms and raced through other areas. It seemed we spent forever downstairs but breezed through the upstairs.My biggest annoyance on the tour was at the winery. There is free wine tasting but a bottle of water will cost you $3.50! My paid tour included alcohol but not non-alcoholic drinks! What a message for the State of Tennessee to send! I was thirsty and denied a simple glass of water. Ridiculous, and the young lady at the cash register was rude. I had understood the bottle of water was free -- I didn't want a bottle of water but simply free Nashville tap water. Let's face it - wine is much more expensive than water! It certainly left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I never wish to return.

A lovely tour guide dressed in period clothes gives details of the life there. So interesting, and she was well informed for everyone's questions were answered in more detail. Do not miss going into the slave quarters and read every word. You might end up with moist eyes with sympathy for the "name less" servants. To sip different wines at the winery gift shop was fun. They have nice picnic areas, so suggest bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds. The tourist type restaurants are so expensive everywhere in Nashville!

I had recently read Tamara Alexander's historical fiction book "To Whisper Her Name" and wanted to see the Belle Meade Plantation where the story had taken place. What a delight when our tour group was given a tour by the head curator! He had great insight into the owners, their families and the horse business of the plantation as well as the people who served them - first as slaves and then as hired workers. I couldn't have asked for a better tour. The house is fully furnished and a good many of the original furnishings and pictures that hung on the walls have been returned to the plantation. The staff is continuing to work with descendants of the original owners to secure more of the original furnishings.It was a cold winter day, but I was so glad that I went anyway.

This is a decent historical site that is pretty well preserved. The guide were in period dress and knowledgeable, there is also a winery they drop you off at on the way out of house.

Great tour. The history of the site is very interesting. The wine shop has packed full of original wines and great gifts for family and friends.

Our guide, Jesse, was so enthusiastic throughout our tour! He did an amazing job explaining all the history and answered all our questions with detailed explanations. Beautiful house, furniture and grounds! Unique piece of history that is a must see! Also, visit the winery. Very helpful there too and the wine is fabulous! We had a case and a half shipped home! Definitely all worth the trip!

Very charming and interesting. The guide was very knowledgeable..but possibly too much information..couldn't quite take it all in. But definitely worth a visit.

Nice tour and wine tasting. Everyone was informative and friendly. My dad got to take the tour free with military ID.Nice that they do that.

Went to Belle Meade on probably one of the coldest days in Nashville; but really enjoyed the tour. We were given a map to take ourselves around the facilities until our tour commenced within the next half hour. Browsing around the estate we saw the stables, slave quarters, the owner's original home, the creamery and the winery. When we met up at the main house for our tour, we were happy to come inside! The house was well heated and we could relax and warm up. Our tour guide was extremely informative; not just about the families and the history but also about the area, the times, the horses, and many aspects of that time and place in history. As we walked from room to room he encouraged us to ask any questions we wanted and sure enough he was ready with the answers! Just the right time (probably close to an hour) from beginning to end and plenty of time to try the winery and gift shop. I would highly recommend the tour; just from the historical perspective and the great tour guide!!!!

Sorry forgot guides name but a fellow like this makes a tour . Walk into rooms and he will explain items and gives a history lesson on the horses from the plantation. Included in your tour price is a wine tasting with small wine samples . Also the barns have period horse drawn coaches .

The tour is great and the wine is even better. The best blackberry wine you will ever have!! The staff is great and very helpful and the plantation grounds are great to relax with a bottle of wine after your tour and tasting.

Belle Meade is an excellent tool to learn about the civil war time period and the families that lived in the house. I liked the tour, it was a Christmas tour. I liked the period costumes and the history lesson. I enjoyed walking around the grounds the most. The slave cabins were the most interesting. The restaurant on the property was very disappointing. I think that they had staffing issues but even more than that the restaurant is not of the same theme or era. There are tv sets at the bar and the wait staff are in regular attire. I think that the theme should be linked. Our meals were really mediocre and we waited over an hour for our meal. We bought a Groupon so it wasn't expensive. We didn't stay for the wine tasting, we were ready to be on our way.

Tour was great if you like historical sites. Wine tasting was very good! They make great wine! It was icy when we went, so we were not able to walk around the grounds, but during better weather, there appears to be a lot to see outside.