Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Tennessee

| | |

Andrew Johnson, the 17th American President hails from Tennessee and there are several spots in the Greeneville, Tennessee area, approximately 90 minutes from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to learn about his life. Johnson started as the alderman of Greeneville, then became mayor, state representative, Tennessee senator, governor, vice president (to Abraham Lincoln) and ultimately, the 17th president.  Several sites related to Johnson’s life are overseen by the National Parks Service, which provides many ways to explore the area, including a self guided cell phone tour. While we only had limited time in the area (we were traveling from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park), we were able to learn all about Johnson’s life and infamous impeachment.

Traveling with Kids:

  • You can walk to at least three of the four major spots (the monument is about a mile away from the main Visitor Center and parking lot- probably easier to drive). The Visitor Center is handicap/stroller accessible.

  • Have children pick up a Junior Ranger booklet to earn a badge from the site, which is opened daily from 9am-5pm. Check here for special programming.

  • Restrooms are located right outside the Visitor Center and there are changing tables.

  • Plan to spend about 45 minutes in the Visitor Center and Early Home. Make sure you get four passport stamps (read about the program here).

Four Main Spots of the Site:

  1. The Visitor Center: Park behind the Early Home and cross the street to the Visitor Center. There is a viewing room with a 13 minute film outlining his life and a small gift shop. The two main rooms contain the actual Tailor Shop owned by the Johnson family and the field desk Johnson used as military governor of Tennessee. Timelines that parallel national events against important events in Johnson’s life, displays on foreign affairs and Presidential Peace Medals (given to Native Americans as a sign of good will) provide good perspective on the time period. There is also a simplified explanation of Johnson’s impeachment. Kids will like dressing up in period clothing and casting a vote as to whether Johnson should be removed from office after he was impeached.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

2. The Early Home is worth a quick stop to check our where Johnson lived from the 1830s until 1851 with his family. It was here that Johnson got his start in politics, as the alderman of Greeneville, mayor, and state representative.

3. Take a short walk to the Homestead where you can have a ranger led tour of the house, filled with artifacts from his life. You’ll need to reserve tickets (free) at the Visitor’s Center. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and is child friendly. Bonus: As you walk, you might notice the Statue of Andrew Johnson (presiding over the National Historic Site)  and the Birthplace Replica (Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina) which you can explore.

4. Drive one mile and climb the (steep stairs) to the Andrew Johnson Monument and National Cemetery, where Johnson and his family are buried at the crest of Monument Hill. You can also drive and park at the top of the monument if you prefer.

For our list of top 10 spots in Tennessee, check out our post here

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

Similar Posts

  • | | | |

    10 Ways to Explore the Florence Griswold Museum in Lyme, Connecticut

    We enjoy visiting art museums with our children. Some people may think art museums are not an ideal spot to bring children, but there are a whole variety of reasons why you should- read them in this post. We’ve recently been researching local museums in Connecticut and were pleased to see that the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is open and taking very good steps to honor pandemic restrictions and keep everyone safe and healthy.

    Home to military sea captain Robert Griswold and his family in the middle 1800s until Florence Griswold’s death in 1937, the 12 acre estate includes art galleries, the main mansion, three additional structures with exhibits, an artist trail, gift shop, and seasonal cafe. The Griswold family harvested a large collection of gardens, producing much of the food the family ate, and later served to guests. Griswold inherited the home from her family and began welcoming boarders in 1899 as a way of making money. Up to 18 artists, who became known as the Lyme Art Colony, would stay in the home at one time,. Famous guests include President Woodrow Wilson and his first wife, an aspiring artist. Old Lyme became known as one of the biggest Impressionist art colonies in America, in large part to the Griswold campus. Today, it is open to visitors and welcomes families to explore what life was like for the artists in the early 20th century.

  • | | | | |

    William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, AR

    In addition to a bucket list to see all 30 Major League Ballparks, my family also has a goal to see each presidential library in the country (the National Archives oversees 13 libraries). On a recent trip to Little Rock (such a family friendly city- read about our adventures in Little Rock here), we spent the morning at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.  The Clinton Center opened in 2004 to both showcase the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton and as an educational venue for exhibitions, lectures, and programs. It’s the top rated place to visit in Little Rock, Arkansas and the Center provides living history for all ages.

  • | | |

    10 Ways to Enjoy Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum in Asheville, NC

    Now in its 12th year, the Winter Lights festival at the NC Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina is a must see and a great way to get into the holiday spirit. We spent Christmas 2024 in Asheville, and even though the city was still recovering from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, there were plenty of festive activities to enjoy, including Winter Lights.

  • | |

    5 Reasons I Love State Parks

    This past weekend Connecticut celebrated Connecticut Trails Day with almost 200 events in and around many of the 142 state parks, forests, and beaches. Overseen by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, state parks, forests, and beaches cover 255,000 acres of public space and thousands of trails for hiking and biking. One perk of 2020 and 2021 has been our family’s focus on spending more time outdoors, exploring many of these public spaces. To date, we’ve visited about 30 state parks and you can read about our adventures (and trail recommendations and travel tips) in this post focused in Fairfield County, this post focused in western Connecticut, this post focused on central Connecticut, and this post focused on the Mystic area. We’ve also started to amass proper hiking equipment (headline: you’ll want more than just sneakers) and you can read about our hiking supply post here.

  • | | | | |

    National Park Guide: Arches National Park in Utah

    Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, one of the most popular National Parks in America with two million visitors each year, is home to over 2,000 cataloged arches formed by erosion and weathering over the past 65 million years. Learn more about how the arches were formed here. Today, the park covers over 76, 000 acres and, in addition to the arches, is home to almost 500 species of plants, almost 200 species of birds, 50 species of mammals, 21 species of reptiles, and 6 species of fish (yes- fish!)

    We visited in June of 2021, during the still on going COVID pandemic, and there were some restrictions, mainly with the Visitor’s Center and programs. We highly recommend visiting early in the morning (being inside the park by 6am early), spending the morning hiking, and then leaving the park for lunch and a rest during peak afternoon sun. Later afternoon and evening will provide cooler temperatures and smaller crowds. Be careful to stay away from cactus and yucca plants, both of which are prevalent throughout the park. Both plants have sharp tips that can poke and easily puncture skin.

  • | | | | | | | | |

    10 Kid Friendly, Springtime Activities in Burlington, Vermont

    One of the most popular parts of the “Green Mountain state”, Burlington is located in the north western part of Vermont, on the shore of Lake Champlain, the largest freshwater lake in the United States (after the five Great Lakes). Burlington is home to Champlain College and the University of Vermont (with St Michael’s College and CCV Winooski nearby) and has over 500 acres of open, recreational space and almost three dozen parks. There are tons of biking and walking paths (see #10 on this list) and three sandy beaches (Oakledge Park, North Beach, and Leddy Beach) open to the public. The Sand Bar State Park and Mount Philo State Park are great options for swimming, boating, picnicking, and hiking.  There are tons of family friendly attractions for each season (tons of winter recreation options and plenty of ways to explore in the summer sunshine), but this week on the blog, we’re highlighting 10 spots families can enjoy all year.

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *