From Belle Meade's 1853 Mansion to Its Own Tasting Room
A guided walk through the Greek Revival home of the Harding family, who ran a thoroughbred stud farm at Belle Meade.
This ticket covers three parts of a visit to Belle Meade Historic Site. A professional guide leads a 45-minute tour of the mansion. Beyond the tour, the grounds and outbuildings are open to explore on your own, and the ticket includes a complimentary tasting in the tasting room of Belle Meade Winery.
The tour centers on the people who built what the site calls one of the most influential stud farms in American racing history. The listing suggests allowing at least two hours on site for the tour, the tasting and the grounds.
The booking below is the shared Mansion Tour with grounds access and the winery tasting. It confirms instantly and stays bookable until an hour before the start.
Belle Meade Guided Mansion Tour with Complimentary Wine TastingGuided 45-minute tour of the 1853 mansion, with grounds access and a complimentary winery tasting (21+).www.viator.comThe Stud Farm Story Behind the Greek Revival Columns
John Harding started the thoroughbred stud business on this land in 1816, when he advertised his stallion Boaster for breeding. His son, William Giles Harding, began the two-story Greek Revival house in 1853. The site states that the mansion was completed using primarily enslaved labor, and its timeline records 136 people enslaved by William Giles Harding in 1860.
Two cabin exhibits tell more of those stories. The Journey to Jubilee Cabin and the Harding Cabin are both free to view with any ticket. The Harding Cabin shares the story of Robert Green, who was enslaved here and later became head hostler, managing the care of the farm's thoroughbreds.
Thirty-Plus Acres With an 1884 Dairy and a Carriage House
The grounds cover more than 30 acres and are a certified arboretum. Among the outbuildings are the 1884 stone Dairy, built to house a steam-powered butter churn, and the 1892 Carriage House, built for the Jackson family's vehicles with a stable for the carriage horses beside it. Most outbuildings are reached on a pea gravel path.
On the 4:00 PM tour, see the grounds first: they lock at 5:00 PM. An outdoor game court with bocce, cornhole, croquet and horseshoes is included with admission.
Belle Meade Winery's Tasting Room and a Meat & Three
The complimentary tasting is poured in the tasting room of Belle Meade Winery, which the site bills as Nashville's oldest winery. Only guests 21 and over can take part. Food and wine pairings and bourbon tastings are separate tickets.
The Belle Meade Meat & Three, on the second floor of the Visitor Center, serves smoked meats, vegetables, biscuits and cornbread from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM daily. Outside food is not allowed on the property.
No Cameras Inside, and Stairs to the Second Floor
Photography of any kind is not permitted inside the mansion, while non-professional photos are allowed across the grounds. Food, drinks, gum and tobacco stay out of the house; a water bottle with a closeable top can come along. Strollers stay on the mansion's back porch during the tour.
The mansion has no elevator, and only its first floor is wheelchair accessible, by a ramp. Guests who skip the second floor can view photo albums of those rooms instead. Bring your own wheelchair, walker or cane. Only service animals may enter the buildings.
📍 Visitor Center, 110 Leake Avenue, Nashville. Check in at the Visitor Service desk at least 20 minutes before your tour time; late arrivals may miss the tour.
- Parking on site is free.
- Full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start; no refund inside 24 hours.
- Mobile or paper tickets are accepted.
End the visit in the shaded wine garden beside the tasting room.