Last week, I got to visit Nashville for that quick trip to the Southern Living Ideahouse and while we were there, my friend, Vicki, and I also did a fun tour of Fontanel, former home of Nashville Country music legend, Barbara Mandrell. That was such a highlight for me, as I’ve long been a fan of Barbara Mandrell. She has such a fantastic voice and I just love her story and her family as well. I watched her TV show that was on for several years with her and her sisters and admired that talented family. I also remember Oprah doing an interview years ago at Fontanel with Barbara, showing her audience around the house and I thought it was so cool. To see it in person was a real treat.
This 27,000 s.f. log home formerly owned by Mandrell and family, is situated on 136 acres and nestled in the rolling hills of the Whites Creek Valley, just 10 minutes from downtown Nashville. The property also has the Woods Amphitheater concert series, evens and activities at the Pepsi Studio Gallery, and award winning kitchen and wine bar at Café Fontanella and many other activities, so you could definitely spend a day at Fontanel touring both the log home and the Southern Living Ideahouse. The log home is open 7 days a week. I think the home was completed in 1988 and is now owned by Dale Morris and Marc Oswald. It is open to the public for tours 7 days a week and no one occupies the house.
We were told that Barbara Mandrell and her husband, Ken, still live in the Nashville area and moved out of the house in 2002, when they downsized to a much smaller home. Barbara is no longer touring or active in her career, but is enjoying her retirement years, I’m sure.
Part of the buildings at Fontanel.
The GoGoo outpost has lots of sweet treats. And this old truck was cute.
The day we were there, it was just myself and my friend, Vicki, and one other couple taking the tour, so we got to see everything up close and personal with our really knowledgeable tour guide, Dana. We found out that she is great friends with Jaime, Barbara’s daughter, who also is Head of Hospitality at Fontanel now. I was so glad I got to meet Jaime briefly later at the party.
My longtime friend, Vicki, and I had a great trip to Nashville together. We’ve been friends since we were 15, so you can imagine the adventures we have had together.
This is Fontanel from the bottom of the driveway. That brick wall hides the helicopter pad. That glassed area is where the indoor pool is located right in the middle of the house.
From the driveway looking at the front side of Fontanel, this is a picturesque view of the rolling hills of Tennessee.
Another view of the log home, with the pool in the middle of the house.
Driving up the driveway, this is the landing area for cars to park with a covered walkway to the house.
Vicki and I were waiting for our shuttle bus to come back after the tour. I had fun taking lots of pics!
This area also has some cute as can be bear statues climbing on logs. Very much part of the mountain scenery here.
When they say Fontanel is a log home, they aren’t kidding! Big fat solid logs are everywhere in this home. The front doors are quite impressive too.
Stepping in the front doors into the foyer, it’s a soaring ceiling with Barbara’s portrait on the wall.
Logs and brick are some of the natural materials that make up this large home. It’s an amazing place.
The Mandrell sisters.
The entire right side of the house is the magnificent great room, which is probably the biggest great room I’ve ever seen. All wood, with massive fireplace and beams, it’s a treasure trove of Country music memorabilia.
Check out that soaring beamed ceiling.
This space alone would house a pretty big party comfortably with all the seating areas.
Fontanel really has a lodge feel to it for sure, which is appropriate in the TN mountains.
Dolly Parton clothes and wigs are on display for awhile at Fontanel.
Another look at the bookcases filled with interesting artifacts.
A spiral staircase and more.
Signed guitar from The Eagles, one of my longtime favorite bands. I loved their music too.
Another look at that massively tall and soaring ceiling.
There was so much of Barbara’s memorabilia still in the house and that was interesting to see. She has had quite the career in Country music and I admire her greatly.
Dana told us that guests were allowed to sign the big log posts in here.
Here’s a close up at how the logs are put together.
Another room of Country memorabilia.
She told us we could try on the hat, so Vicki gave it a whirl. Yeehaw!
Country Music Hall of Fame for Barbara Mandrell.
Another shot of the massive fireplace.
Next, we stopped in the really huge dining room. With rustic wood walls and planked ceilings, it had a warm and cozy feel, along with the Flokati rug.
That’s a large crystal chandelier that’s hanging over the table and you can see a beautiful painting of Barbara and her daughter, Jaime.
One massive dining room table, set with pretty china.
Passing through the pantry, we saw a growth chart for Barbara’s 3 children.
A side covered porch holds more eating areas.
The halls and landing areas are even huge. This is a foyer area on one floor.
There’s even a soda shop/game room.
Each family member had their own snacks named for them, lit up in neon. Really cute!
The 3 kids had their own too.
With a pool table and lots of Country memorabilia, this was a fun room to see.
I’ll be back tomorrow with Part 2 of the Fontanel mansion. It’s quite a sight to see, with all the bedrooms and the kitchen and pool too.
Interesting. What are the wires spanning the ceiling in the great room? Barbara sold it leaving behind all the memorabilia and furniture? Does someone live in the house? Thanks for sharing.
Yes, she left lots of her things there and it is sort of an ode to her career now. I’m not sure what those wires are, maybe a lighting system. No one lives in the house, it’s open for tours and events only.
What is Barbara Mandrell doing now?
We heard she is retired and enjoying her kids and grandkids.
WOW!
Horrible house. I hope at least if you have to pay to get in some of the proceeds go to a good cause.
I remember seeing the house on tv. several years ago I was sad to learn the family didn’t live there any more since they seemed to really love the place and it seemed so perfect for them. thought at the time it was a forever home.
Gina, I guess after raising kids there, it was way too big to keep up, so I can’t say I blame them for moving.
Interesting! I just wonder why they used brick instead of stone which in my opinion did not look as well with the rustic timber as stone would have. Just an opinion I’m sure she liked it as shown.
Thanks for the tour. It is not my idea of a beautiful home, either. Too much wood for me. The furniture in the great room is a huge disappointment. Looks like it came from Aaron’s furniture rental. I’m sure Barbara loved it and I remember reading about how much meaning went into the design.
Ok I have to ask…did you see the Visa tag on any of the clothes? Haha
Visa tag, I must be missing something?
Fun pictures. I’ve always loved Barbara, too! The current owners are managers of many famous country artists like Alabama and Kenny Chesney. And, if I’m not mistaken, I think the architects for this home also designed the Country Music Hall of Fame. I love the signatures on the log! Bet there were some fun times in this house.
Thank you for sharing. I, too used to love Barbara Mandrell. The house seems to have been built with the idea of it being a “show place” one day. I don’t think it looks too cozy or homey. Maybe after seeing the kitchen and bedrooms I will feel differently. Living room sectionals look way too small for the space. Are there gardens? So enjoy a peep into other’s homes!
Thanks for sharing. This is just the kind of thing I love doing when I’m on a vacation or a trip of some kind. I bet you had a great time on the tour. I have to say though that this house is an ode to money and not taste. Not well done at all, even for the late 80’s.
Most of the furniture in Fontanel now is not what Ken and Barbara had. When they moved, the new owners did buy some of it as Barbara took very little of it with her. However, that furniture is pretty much gone now. For example, the furniture if the Great Room is not what Ken and Barbara had there. While the bed that is in Ken and Barbara’s suite was theirs, the beds in the kids rooms are not the ones the kids had.
I am sure it is because Jaime works for Fontanel that there is some actual Barbara memorabilia there…either things Jaime has long had or things her mother let her put on display at Fontanel. It is not a situation where Barbara left her memorabilia there..or sold it to the new owners.
The Soda Fountain room (that is what Barbara called it) is not set up like Barbara had it.
The admission price one pays to tour FOntanel…that is controlled by the people who own it now. Barbara has absolutely nothing to do with Fontanel now and is not making money off of it (though I think the new owners should be required to pay her something for the use of her name).
I read the Visa comment. For those who do not know, there was a time when Barbara did some commercials for Visa. I do not know if she ever wore any “Visa” clothes other than for the commercials but I do know that I have one of her Visa outfits.
I have not seen any reference to this in this blog or the earlier one on the opening of the Southern Living Hospitality House though I have seen reference to other buildings on the property other than Fontanel, itself. I am assuming the buildings I am thinking of are still there, though I do not know what they might be now. But, anyhow, facing the main gate to the property on White Creek Road…somewhat to the left of it is another log home. This is where Irlene Mandrell and her husband at the time living for some years. Then, there is another building there which I believe is the one Ric used for his photography. Other than these two buildings plus the stone farm house considerably to the right of the main ate (and the A frame structure way right of it), there were no other buildings there. The rest of the land was actually a working alfalfa farm. And, the area where the amphitheater is now was also just bare land back when Ken and Barbara lived there.
Sometime prior to building Fontanel, Ken and Barbara had a log home built for Ken’s grandmother in the Northwest. Perhaps this is where their love for a log home came from. So, when they moved to the Fontanel property, this might be why they opted for log home. There are surely also reasons why this house was built as secluded as it was. But, even back in the early days of it, there was a time when Barbara actually said that she did not envision living there forever. She also said she loved the time they lived in the stone house on the property.
Shes an amazing lady! My husband and I were part of her fan club for years and can not say nothing but wonderful things about this family! Have driven to her home several times definitely describes our “Barbara”!! So happy she decided to share her home with the fans and the public. Also glad to her Jaime is part of making that happen! Wonderful family! We love and miss her performing!
i love the house,any thing made of logs is beautiful, is it true that that Barbara’s house is the biggest house that was used for people to live in, i no there might be bigger motels or even mall,s but i did here that Barbara,s house was the biggest in the U.S.
I think the Biltmore house in Ashville SC is the largest private home in the US.
Barbara Mandrell’s home, Fontanel, is a fabulous log home. I can only imagine how magnificent it was before the likes of Kenney Chesney, Kid Rock and that bunch of hooligans took control of Fontanel.
This log cabin mansion was the perfect castle for the longtime Queen of Country, Barbara Mandrell, at her prime.
I am longtime fan of Barbara Mandrell and her musical/singing talents. It saddened me to see her retire when she did … and it clerarly saddened Fontanel, too.
Just as it did with Country Music, I’m sure the loving, robust spirit of Fontanel struggles without Barbara Mandrell.
God speed, Barbara Mandrell. YOU are missed.