We have our run of the Allandale Mansion

On the list of attractions we wanted to see in Kingsport, Allandale Mansion was next, so we got our directions and hit the road.

We've seen a handful of mansions in our travels, and we thought it'd be cool to get a tour of this one in east Tennessee.

But, I guess, it doesn't work that way.

Out front of Allandale Mansion in Kingsport, Tennessee.

We pulled up the long driveway and were impressed by the front of the mansion with its covered steps and stately columns.

We found parking around back, and with the help of the nearby grounds crew, we made our way to the office entrance.

Inside, a woman was busy preparing for her appointment with a local bride-to-be - mansions like this are great for weddings - and she burst our tourist bubble by telling us the mansion was only really open to the public twice a year.

But then she surprised us by saying we could go through a door on the other side of her office and let ourselves around the mansion anyway.

Inside the front door of Allandale Mansion.

We took our own private, guide-less tour. We loved the working kitchen, marveled at the staircase in the front hall and checked out the bedrooms upstairs.

We didn't learn a thing about the history of the place, its residents, or its importance.

Upstairs in someone's important, probably historic bedroom at Allandale Mansion.

We took our pictures, resisted the urge to pose in funny ways with the mansion property and eventually saw ourselves out.

We snapped a few more pics out front and drove off. Who knows what goes on at Allandale Mansion, but at least the trustworthy staff saw fit not to deny a couple curious travelers.