I can't address the hiking, but we loved Cheekwood in Nashville because of the fabulous gardens along with the home. The Hermitage is very good as well. Close by in Asheville Nc is Biltmore estate and it is one of our favorites.

I would post a separate question - when I saw your title I was confused, as I don't know of any plantations in the Smokies! As Nashville is four hours away from the mountains, many people will know about one but not the other.

Laurel Falls is a very popular and easy trail - it's paved most or all of the way, actually. Abrams Falls is also very popular and a little more strenuous. I'm not familiar with the other two you mentioned.

The homes you mentioned are all different animals. The Hermitage is great if you are interested in the history and personalities of that time. Belle Meade is a more stereotypical plantation, not quite as focused on a specific family. Cheekwood does have a house, but honestly most people just go for the gardens - the house isn't nearly as impressive as the other two. If you'll be in Nashville in the winter, I wouldn't bother with Cheekwood.

There's also Carnton Plantation in Franklin, if you're interested in Civil War history.

I like Grotto a bit better than Laurell. You can go behind Grotto Falls, while Laurel is sortof a combination cascade/waterfall. It is very pretty though. Either would be fine. If you are in even average shape you could easily do both. You might also consider Klingmons Dome. Abram Falls is another waterfall that is in Cades Cove area. It is a longer hike. That waterfall is a bit more powerful(normally).

The Hermitage is a very good visit. It is a nice plantation style home, but is really more about history.

You could see The Biltmore (just outside Smokies on the Carolina side). It isn't really a Plantation, but is a big big house.

I think the best Plantations are in Natchez and River Road outside of New Orleans. But there are several in many Southern states.

Yeah, I should have posted two separate questions but I got lazy.

Regarding Abrams Falls in the Smokies--how long does it take to hike on average?

We do plan on driving from the Smokies over to Nashville for a bit. Is there anything interesting to see in between?

I would love to see the Biltmore but we are not heading over to the North Carolina side this trip.

I would assume it is better to see Cheekwood Gardens in Nashville in the spring rather than summer? Or do they have blooms all year long?

DH and I are seniors and we enjoyed Grotto Falls(sign at head of trail also says Trillium Gap Trail)You might check out www.hikinginthesmokys.com and google Mt. LeConte Lodge Llama train for a fun youtube. Llamas take up and bring down supplies for the lodge. I believe the trail gets more difficult after Grotto Falls. We only went that far. Enjoy your trip.

Probably allow 1.5 hours each way for Abram Falls. Generally, we hike about 2 miles per hour(depending on terrain). Smokies have fairly rocky terrain, but a lot of the easier waterfall hikes don't have that much elevation gain/loss, so that makes them a lot easier. If you hike any of the peaks for much of a distance(somewhere like Le Conte) then that is more taxing on a person.

It's been awhile since I hiked Abrams, but spiro's estimate sounds about like I remember. It's longer than Laurel Falls.

Cheekwood will have something blooming through spring and summer (and early fall). Sometimes they have special events going on, though the only one I've heard of for this year so far is a trains exhibit. It's supposed to be great, though if you're not interested in trains and don't have small children with you, it may not be a big draw!

Crossville and Cookeville are fine places to stop off for a bite. The "minister's treehouse" (biggest treehouse in the world) is a little ways off I-40 near Crossville, but I heard they closed it down for safety reasons. There's Stonehaus Winery outside Crossville as well. If you haven't been to Knoxville in awhile, you might want to walk around downtown for a bit - they've done a lot in the last several years.

Actually we have never been to Knoxville so that might be nice to see on the way out of the Smokies. Thanks for the recommendation to stop in Crossville or Cookeville. Too bad about the treehouse.

Any recommendations for a good lunch place? Can you grab a bite to eat at the winery?

I don't remember the winery having food, though I've only been once and might be wrong. They will do a tasting, though. My knowledge of both those towns is limited to the chains on the main thoroughfares, though Cookeville does have plenty of those - fast food as well as Logan's, Red Lobster, that sort of thing. (My dad went to Tennessee Tech and we always used to stop and get Ralph's Doughnuts - looks like they're still open! The buttertwists are delicious.)

Knoxville has more options, if the timing works out. Market Square is where a lot of the focus has been. The Tomato Head has been around a long time and is a popular spot. I'm not familiar with the other places except for the chains - my parents live on the west side and I don't make it downtown very often when I'm there.

http://knoxvillemarketsquare.com/district/dine/

Thanks for the link and recommendations between Smokies and Nashville.

Back to the Smokies, in rank order what would be the preferred hike for waterfalls? Abrams, then Grotto, then Laurel? A different order of the three? If we only had time for two which two? Or something I didn't mention?

In Nashville, do you need a whole day to tour both Belle Meade and Cheekwood?

I like Grotto. But really they are all nice. Grotto and Laurell are each going to take you 2.5 hours. Abram is going to take more like 4 hours. Abram is on Cades Cove Road though and you are more likely to see wildlife(likely to see a black bear in this area and possibly even while hiking). At times, Cades Cove Road can be brutally crowded. Go the very first thing in the morning. Also, that road is closed two days a week for bicycles only and hikers only between like 7:00am and Noon(something like that anyway).
Abram is a more powerful waterfall, Grotto is a fall that you can actually walk behind. Laurel is a very pretty somewhat both a cascade and fall, IMOP.

Look them all up on youtube to get an id

Idea*

It depends on how long you tend to linger, but I'd allow most of the day if you plan to do Belle Meade and Cheekwood. You might be done at Cheekwood in an hour or you could linger for three - just depends on your personality and what you like to see. If you start at 10, I think most people would be done with both by mid to late afternoon.

Thanks again jent and spiro.

As a frame of reference to gauge difficulty in the hikes, we did the Sentinel Dome hike at Yosemite. I think that was listed as moderate. I took longer than most to go around the mountain but I eventually made it up there. The view was well worth it. So if you can compare, is Abrams or Grotto sort of like that but with less elevation gain? I think you said it was very rocky so trying to determine level of difficulty.

Regarding Belle Meade and Cheekwood--sounds like we could do both then and either before or after head over to the Parthenon in Centennial Park. I guess that would make a full day, right?

It's hard for me to imagine any trails in the Smokies being as rocky as the mountains out west - the terrain is very different. If one is a paved trail with very little elevation gain and ten is a hard hike at Yosemite or somewhere that requires boots and scrambling and that sort of thing, I'd put Laurel at a 2 and Abrams at a 3 or 4, based on my recollection.

Grotto had lots of exposed tree roots , but I don't remember many rocks.

You will have plenty of rocks and tree roots just like out west.
I think Grotto, Laurel, would be much easier than Sentinel and even Abram would be too. There just isn't the elevation gain, but Abram is a bit longer. Grotto and Laurel are super easy, IMOP. Klingmon's Dome is something most people want to do to. It is short, but it does have some elevation gain. It does offer more of that Mountain scenic type view(nothing like Yosemite though, IMOP) The waterfall hikes are more thru the woods type hikes.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWi4
Above link is to my last trip to Smoky's last June with just myself and 12 year old nephew. First few pics are in Memphis, then Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge(which we liked), Zorbing, Klingmon's Dome, Ziplining, Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls, just a drive thru Cades Cove. We didn't hike to Abram Falls this trip as it was raining super heavily at the time we were in Cades Cove.

When are you going?
My whole purpose for this trip was to see the fireflies. They have always arrived about the 2nd week of June. Well, this past year they arrived 3rd week of May. They only mate for about 10 days. The thing about these fireflies is that they all flash at the same time in unison. I am going to try it again this year. I am going to try on Memorial Day Weekend.

You will have plenty of rocks and tree roots just like out west.
I think Grotto, Laurel, would be much easier than Sentinel and even Abram would be too. There just isn't the elevation gain, but Abram is a bit longer. Grotto and Laurel are super easy, IMOP. Klingmon's Dome is something most people want to do to. It is short, but it does have some elevation gain. It does offer more of that Mountain scenic type view(nothing like Yosemite though, IMOP) The waterfall hikes are more thru the woods type hikes.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWi4
Above link is to my last trip to Smoky's last June with just myself and 12 year old nephew. First few pics are in Memphis, then Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge(which we liked), Zorbing, Klingmon's Dome, Ziplining, Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls, just a drive thru Cades Cove. We didn't hike to Abram Falls this trip as it was raining super heavily at the time we were in Cades Cove.

When are you going?
My whole purpose for this trip was to see the fireflies. They have always arrived about the 2nd week of June. Well, this past year they arrived 3rd week of May. They only mate for about 10 days. The thing about these fireflies is that they all flash at the same time in unison. I am going to try it again this year. I am going to try on Memorial Day Weekend.

Thanks all. Wonderful pics, Spiro. You got some nice close ups of the birds too. The waterfall you walked behind I guess is Grotto Falls.

We are looking forward to it. We are going later in the summer so we will miss the fireflies but I hope you catch them this time!