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Two Rivers Mansion

Two Rivers Mansion

Two Rivers Mansion
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles21 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
5
Average
7
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Peggy K
Island of Hawaii, HI153 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
This history of the place was very interesting and our guide very good. The mansion itself is not in very good condition and a lot of the decorative additions are not from the period. It was set up as a wedding venue and even though there was no wedding scheduled the equipment was left out.
Written July 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carrie R
Bee Spring, KY95 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017 • Couples
My husband and I took a day trip to Tennessee, and we were privileged to be able to include a tour of Two Rivers Mansion in our visit. It is a beautiful historic home, only open for tours for three years now, so a great "new" old house in the area that is well worth your time to visit. Since we were the only two visitors, our tour was a private one, but we got the full treatment with a friendly, knowledgeable costumed guide. We were also able to tour the 1802 house, which was the earlier house built on the property. Most chandeliers, fireplace mantels, floors, and trim were original to the house, including the beautiful ruby red glass in the front door. Because most of the family's possessions were sold at auction when the last private owner died in the 1960's, the mansion does not hold a great deal of furniture that was owned by the family, but more pieces are coming in all the time. The house and grounds are a wedding venue, so there is not a lot of space for full antique furnishing. They are, however, working to change this with plans to stop weddings inside the mansion and move them to a nearby facility that is about to be constructed. This will help them transition to the status of a full-time house museum. What they lack in furnishings they more than make up for in interesting stories and personal attention. Every question I had--and I tend to ask a lot--was answered either by our guide or the other lady, who seemed to be the director. We were so glad to have been able to tour Two Rivers and hope to come back after it has made it's change over to a complete house museum.
Written July 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,479 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Couples
Just when you thought you'd seen every antebellum mansion in the Nashville area, another one pops up. We knew about the McGavock family, which owned the Carnton plantation on the Franklin battlefield. But Two Rivers Mansion at 3130 McGavock Pike in Nashville was a whole new education. And a very enjoyable one. Located near Opryland, between the Stones River and thee Cumberland river,Two Rivers was home to the McGavock family for three generations until 1965 when it was purchased by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The 1,100-acre plantation was turned into an 18-hole golf course, baseball and softball diamonds, six tennis courts and a playground. But the magnificent mansion remains. It was built in 1859 by David H. McGavock, whose family owned Carnton, and his wife, whose family owned Belle Meade Plantation. Designed like Belle Meade in the Italianate architectural style, Two Rivers was one of the last of the elaborate antebellum country homes built in the Nashville area and is one of the earliest and best preserved of the ornate Italianate houses in Middle Tennessee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The first home on the property was built in 1802 and still stands to the rear of the larger 1859 mansion. You can see the names "David, Willie and Frank" stamped in three of the bricks on the back porch, for the McGavocks (husband David and Willie for wife William Elizabeth Harding) and son Frank. In the 1880s, the thriving estate was known for its livestock, garden, orchard, dairy operation, fox hunting and Morgan horse breeding. There were over 50 buildings on the property. Most were destroyed by a tornado in 1933. Visitors are fascinated by the elegance of the main entrance, men's and women's parlors, mantels, furnishings, paintings, floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors, antique fireplaces and vintage wallpaper. The informative tours take you back to a time of southern aristocracy and cavaliers that, as Margaret Mitchell wrote, is Gone with the Wind.
Written September 11, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DianneF50
Grand Marsh, WI137 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My son and daughter-in-law picked this place for their wedding. What a beautiful place to be. The surroundings are wonderful. A place where you can imagine a Southern belle being outside in the yard. Wedding was to be outside but weather changed that. Inside is magnificant and a must see! Inside or out the place is grand with history too!
Written February 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elliott R
Baltimore90 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Solo
A stone's throw from Opryland is Two Rivers, home to the McGavock family until 1965. It is now part of the city park system.
Do a search for the Friends of Two Rivers Mansion, then call them up (615.885.1112) for info.

Drive through the arched trees toward the mansion and you are transported to 1859, when the grand house was built. Park to the right of the mansion, then walk past the front entrance and to the 1802 house where it all started. There you can donate
$6 each for the tour.

The family story is the area's story, a window on life from the time of Andrew Jackson to the present. It's also a story of self-sufficiency (e.g., They made the bricks for the mansion from the clay right there). It's about surviving calamity and disease, dealing with wars and social change, and the pitfalls of stewarding wealth and a good name through succeeding generations.

The mansion provides history in hospitable from. My guide was more than happy to entertain questions in an affirming and informative style.

You will enjoy the boxwood maze and its restored fountain. The women's and men's parlors, the mantels, paintings, and magnificent mirrors, and especially the stories. Some auctioned or inherited furnishings have been donated back to the place; other furnishings are of the times.

Expect to take an hour, or 90 minutes if you are into history.
Written August 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Coloradotuff
Denver area14 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2013 • Business
I tried twice to visit but found the doors locked and a "closed" sign hanging off a statue near the front door. That was a little disappointing but I was so happy to see one of the fine old homes at all and what remains of its grounds that it didn't matter.

You drive up a tree-lined gravel lane to the house. I guess during open times or busy times you're supposed to park in the lot off to the right, but I was a rebel and parked on circular drive. The circular drive surrounds a walking garden of boxwood with a statue in the middle. Very stately. The house itself not as big as you'd think it would be, but imposing nonetheless. The "old house" off to the left is even older, and small by today's standards.

It's interesting to see a piece of a lifestyle gone by and to ponder the circumstances of the fortune that built it.
Written May 10, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ZoeIris
Murfreesboro, TN4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
I went to a wedding there and it was beautiful and elegant. The Mansion as a backdrop in the wedding pictures was so captivating. It mad the whole wedding gorgeous and then the dinner and dancing outside was so much fun. I would recommend having a wedding there anytime. Coming up the driveway was as much fun and seeing the inside of the Mansion as well.
The History of the Mansion and the people who owned it is incredible.
A must see for sure!
Written July 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HanKelly
Bowling Green, KY4,524 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2012
Went to a summertime wedding at the mansion. The front steps were a nice setting for a wedding ceremony. The inside is very old, like any old downtown style house with huge doors and locks that look like they are from 100 years ago. Backyard was set up as a dance floor with adjoining deck. Nice place, not sure what kind of attraction it is during normal times, but does have the old timey feel to it.
Written May 29, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tencatdaddy
Athens, GA426 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
Would love to have toured the place but.....

I left three messages and never received a return call so thought someone would be there on Friday when they hold the farmers' market. There were lots of vendors--who were very nice and had some lovely items for sale--but no one had a clue about the house and no one fr/ the house was there.
I wandered around the grounds and saw a lovely home exterior. Apparently they are more interested in the "big ticket" weddings/events than actually offering tours to visitors (despite the fact that the web site makes it sound as if the opposite is their preference). At least some one could return telephone calls.
Written September 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KMW
40 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Couples
The drive up to the house was like out of a movie, we just needed a horse and carriage 😀
Before going make sure they are open! We were very disappointed that it was closed at the time of our visit.
Written May 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Two Rivers Mansion - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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