The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson, is set to once again feature an exciting mix of Tennessee flavors when its Fall Fest food, music and art festival returns Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
“We are delighted to invite our neighbors to celebrate autumn and the art, music and food that are a part of our collective Tennessee history, all in the shadow of President Jackson’s storied home,” said president and CEO of The Hermitage, Howard J. Kittell.
Fall Fest at The Hermitage is free for children 11 and under and offers a designated children’s area as well as food and arts especially for youngsters throughout the festival. Adult admission is $5. Tickets will be available on-site and are on sale now at all Wilson Bank & Trust locations and at www.fallfestatthehermitage.com, which also features updates of the Fest’s schedule, including the highlights listed below.
The Art:
More than 75 artists and crafters from across the region are scheduled to display work including photography, basketry, ceramics, paintings, jewelry and woodwork. Many of the visiting artisans will be demonstrating their craft-making throughout the two-day event. Fall Fest at The Hermitage will also showcase the culmination of a “Fabric of Our Community” art project featuring hundreds of art squares contributed by individuals to together create a winding, flowing path of artwork during the event. Budding artists can complete squares now through Oct. 3 at the Donelson Farmers Market and also during their visit to Fall Fest at The Hermitage.
The Music:
With deep musical roots dating back to a guitar-shaped drive during President Jackson’s residency at The Hermitage, the grounds are set to welcome a variety of music genres to the Fest’s main stage presented by the Nashville Metropolitan Airport Authority. There is a full slate of performers throughout the two-day event, including bluegrass, country, Western swing, reggae, jazz, R&B, pop, and rock, among others.
The Food:
An array of local food vendors will be on-site offering a sampling of Southern specialties and signature dishes as well as local beer and wine selections for patrons while they enjoy musical performances or stroll through arts and crafts areas.
About The Hermitage
The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, is one of the largest and most visited presidential homes in the United States. In 1856, the state of Tennessee purchased the property from the Jackson family, entrusting it to the Ladies’ Hermitage Association in 1889 to operate as one of America’s first historic site museums. Today, The Hermitage is a 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark with more than 30 historic buildings, including restored slave cabins. Thanks to efforts of this nonprofit organization, the mansion is the most accurately preserved early presidential home in the country. The Hermitage is a national model for authenticity, conservation and historic preservation. In recent years, new interpretive initiatives and educational programs such as archaeology and the history of slavery have enhanced the experience of some 180,000 annual visitors, including 30,000 schoolchildren, from all 50 states and many foreign countries; in fact, the Hermitage mansion is interpreted in five foreign languages. The property also receives 30,000 annual visits from the local community, including more than 1,000 children who play Little League baseball at The Hermitage’s Rotary Park. The Hermitage is a “Partner Place” with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a site along the National Park Service’s Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. For more information, visit www.thehermitage.com.
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Thank you to our Event Partners: Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, Wilson Bank & Trust, Kroger, Twice Daily, Picture This creative framing and gallery, Big Mean Kitty.com, D & D Events Management, Green Village Recycling, The Ryman Hospitality Properties Foundation, TriStar Summit Medical Center, and Spring Tree Media Group, LLC.