The Hermitage, Jackson's Home

The Hermitage, once the home of General and President Andrew Jackson, is now a well maintained historical site, museum, and interpretive center. We chose to visit for nostalgia's sake when the we found out the Hermitage was participating in the Smithsonian Museum Day. We were each given a audio tour device, and made our way to the colonnaded home. We arrived in the afternoon, and didn't have time to visit the museum in the visitor's center. The audio guide informed us about the grounds as we made our way to the house, and once inside, we were led by guides dressed in period clothes.

After the indoor tour, we wandered the grounds, explored the slave cabins, which had once been the family home, and enjoyed the opportunity to pick a little cotton. Cotton is a bizarre and fabulous plant that I can't quite believe is real. Having grown up in the area, I had of course spent a few field trips here, and it was interesting to see how it has grown since my childhood, with a more modern visitors center, and more recent excavation work.

Overall, this was an entertaining activity (especially for the price) and I think that the Hermitage does merit at least a half day's visit for those touring the area. As a former President's home, it's an important part of history. It is also informative about the style of life at the time, and walking the grounds about the home provides a perspective on the scale of an operational farming household at the time.

Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession

On September 29, 2008, we visited the Frist because it was participating in the Smithsonian Museum Day, and, like the Smithsonian, was offering free admission. The most interesting display was an exhibit on Rodin. The museum's information on the exhibit, which unfortunately closed earlier this month is located here. The works were very interesting, as was a video and display helping to explain the process of casting bronze. I think what I like most about the artist is his recapturing some of the greatness of sculptors from the Italian Renaissance, right down to the more commercial aspects. Wikipedia has a very good entry located here, which discusses many of the works, examples of which are included in this very nice collection.

For those who may be interested in seeing the collection, and I do recommend it, it has moved to the LSU Museum of Art.