Today is a gorgeous day - it's sunny, warm, and the sky is a dark blue. We're visiting The Hermitage in Nashville. The Hermitage is the former plantation home of Andrew Jackson, U.S. President number 7. In case you didn't know, his visage appears on the $20 bill. Here's a short history on him and the mansion: Jackson moved to Tennessee in 1788 and became a prosecuting attorney. He served as the state's first congressman and later as a senator and judge. However...

The temperature dropped to the low 60s after all that rain. The air feels cool, clean and dry now. We eat breakfast at the Hampton, then check out of the hotel. Today we're driving to Nashville, where we're spending the next three nights.On the way we stop at Stonehaus Winery in Crossville to taste some Tennessee wines. Crossville is situated atop the Cumberland Plateau amidst the headwaters of the Obed River, which slices a scenic gorge north of Crossville en r...

Weather: Cloudy, fairly warm, rain and thunder in the late afternoonWe had breakfast with Charles at the Hampton, then Charles left. He had a long drive home.We drove back to Smoky Mountains National Park; this time to a more remote area called Cosby. The Cosby entrance is located on the northeast corner of the park and has a campground that's never crowded and doesn't require reservations. We parked in the designated hiker parking lot and started our hike. W...

Weather: sunny, 78 degrees FVisited Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greenville with Charles. Took a guided tour of the house. Daniel Luther, our guide, was very knowledgeable and we spent a few hours touring the home, the exhibits, and watching a video. The site honors the life of the 17th President. Andrew Johnson's presidency, 1865-1869, illustrates the United States Constitution at work following President Lincoln's assassination and during attempts t...

Weather: overcast, warm, 70s After spending a day traveling on the plane and in the car, we were ready for our first adventure. This was the first trip to Tennessee for both of us.We drove about 1.5 hrs from the Hampton Hotel in Knoxville to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Charles. On the way we saw some really cheesy amusement places (near Gatlinburg). We drove for miles seeing nothing but Titanic, Ripley's, Jurassic Park, etc. rip-offs. Once we ar...