Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery

"In the 1800s, this historic property thrived by breeding racehorses. John Harding began a thoroughbred stud breeding business on the 250-acre plot that he had purchased in 1807. In 1819, he built a simple two-story brick Federal Style home, which his son William then added onto with a larger Greek Revival style addition in 1854. By 1860, the Harding family had become one of the wealthiest landowners in the area with 136 enslaved people. Even after 1865, when the Civil War ended, John Harding died at 87, and the 13th Amendment (which abolished slavery) was ratified, the estate continued to prosper. The breeding business grew in the 1870s after the family purchased a stud named Bonnie Scotland, a foal to Queen Mary, one of the most influential mares of Great Britain. The descendants of Bonnie Scotland represent two-thirds of all Kentucky Derby winners to date, including 11 Triple Crown winners. In 1886, a well-known American-born stallion named Iroquois joined the breeding stock, bringing international attention to the property until the end of the century. In 1884, a Gothic Revival stone building was built for its dairy farm to house a steam-powered butter churn that produced up to 140 pounds of butter per week made from the milk of over 100 Jersey cows. In 1892, the carriage house and adjoining stable were built, along with a formal dining room when the home was renovated. Ultimately, back-to-back deaths of the family heads in 1903, combined with the estate's sizable debt, led the remaining family members to sell the stud business, home, and property."

"The best blackberry wine I have ever had! We had an informative wine tasting And I appreciate that the tours and plaques respect not only the prize winning horses but African American people who made Belle Meade great"

"Open daily 9-5. Mansion tour starts at $28, 2h grounds access starts at $20. Have cool wine pairings, bourbon tours, etc. Available on Viator."