Just when you think you can’t take a more famous home country music tour only to end up looking through another closed road, a place like Fontanel Mansion comes along.
Yeah sure, the main entrance is normally closed and gated. But the folks at Fontanel have keys and free transportation that will not only get you up the steps of this impressive 27,000-square-foot mansion, but will also do so seven days a week, and from downtown Nashville as well.
History of the Fontanel mansion
The Fontanel Mansion was built for Barbara Mandrell and her family in the 1980s, and they owned the 136-acre property until 2002 when it was sold to its current owners, Dale Morris and Marc Oswald. Country music fans might recognize the mansion from CMT’s hit show »Gone Country» or any other photo and video shoot.
One of the most impressive pieces of information about the mansion is that the local architectural firm, Tuck-Hinton, was involved in its design and construction. But again, if you know anything about Tuck-Hinton, you will know that this company has been involved in the construction of some of the most impressive structures in Nashville, including the Adventure Science Center, Bicentennial Mall State Park, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
What’s inside the Fontanel mansion?
The Fontanel mansion itself is, of course, filled with many unique Mandrell family items, right down to a family Bible, but it is also filled with a ton of other country music memorabilia that its current owners have garnered over the years. .
Unlike many other home tours, Fontanel guests can truly explore, relax, and enjoy home. You can even touch the items. After the guided tour, visitors can sit back, relax with a soft drink, and linger in the pool atrium.
Things to do at the Fontanel mansion
The Fontanel property is not just a home tour or museum. It really is a complete complex full of things to see and do. Fontanel has the mansion, a restaurant, an impressive outdoor music venue, a studio, and plenty of walking trails. You can enjoy any number of services alone, with or without the tour of the mansion.
The trails in Fontanel are free and open to the public during the day, although registration is required upon arrival. The restaurant is open seven days a week. The Fontanel restaurant offers tasty food in a relaxing atmosphere and at a good price.
There is also an outdoor music venue, The Woods at Fontanel. This venue doesn’t offer a bad view of the stage and is lined with thick, wooded trees on three sides and the stage on the fourth. On one side are the concessions and bathrooms, and on the other, the hillside features rustic, stepped drawers. The Woods can host up to 2,500 people.
More details and Fontanel details
- The mansion has stories, 18 bedrooms, seven full baths, six half baths, five fireplaces, two kitchens, a media room, an indoor pool and spa, and even an indoor shooting range. The mansion at Fontanel is also available for private rentals, from a poolside party to an elegant event.
- The restaurant is a 140-seat full-service restaurant with home-cooked food, much of which will come directly from area farms. Daily specials highlight seasonal flavors.
- The mansion gallery museum houses exhibits and displays by many artists. The museum is equipped for intimate performances and small private events, such as rehearsal dinners, industry exhibits, and even television and radio productions.
- Making the most of the beautiful meadow and woods of the Fontanel mansion, the trails at Fontanel offer a relaxing and scenic trail for horseback riding, hiking, or mountain biking.
