Knoxville, Tennessee-based Sea Ray's new $1.6 million 540DA Sundancer features a state-of-the-art joystick-controlled drive system allowing it to turn on a dime and literally maneuver sideways. The 54-ft. yacht has two 600 hp Cummins MerCruiser Diesel motors; the Zeus pod drive system employs propellers that work independently of each other and rotate 360 degrees on their axes to allow feats of steering impossible with traditional propulsion systems. Coupled with a sleek, aggressive exterior and luxe interior he yacht is designed to compete with European models which are usually far more stylish. A GPS-controlled Skyhook system automatically keeps the craft stationary even in strong currents or heavy winds, while both the forward VIP and master staterooms have a queen bed, Bose sound system and full bath; the latter also has a flat-screen TV.

Today's estate is a bit of Tuscany in Tennessee. Bella Luce is a gated 30-acre private estate in Franklin,Tennessee. The 11,143 square foot villa is on a higher elevation for beautiful views. The home's great room includes matching bookend fireplaces that rise 25 feet to meet the handcrafted Douglas fir trusses. The five-bedroom home has a kitchen with fireplace, a theater with stadium seating, billiards room and exercise room. One particularly nice feature is the tall lookout tower. The grounds also include a six-car garage and an infinity-edged pool. The new home is enhanced with older details including 150-year-old bricks and reclaimed walnut floors. Graceful arches and a secluded courtyard with a fountain enhance the tranquil style. More interior pics are available in a recent article in the Tennessean showing the wrapping room, outdoor kitchen and more. It is listed at $12.9 million.

[Thanks, Lee!]

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For a while the Eagle's Nest property in Franklin, Tennessee was the most expensive property in the area (it was listed at $33 million last year but is now down to $29.5 million). But now the Real Estalker reveals that country singer Alan Jackson has topped the market in Franklin by putting his huge home up for sale. Jackson's palace is 19,000 square feet with six bedrooms on 135 acres of land. The property includes a stocked lake with a boat house, three ponds, a 20-car garage, separate gym, a two-bedroom log cabin and more. Jackson and his wife Denise built the home known as Sweetbriar which has a hotel-like feel. The main home has a huge home theater and a downstairs recreation area with a full bar.

An expansive virtual tour can be found here. The log cabin just might be the most charming part of this property. It's got a great balcony perched right over the Harpath river and a small kitchen stocked with vintage-looking appliances. The home is hugely impressive but the question is whether anyone needs a home of this size and scale anymore and if they will pay $38 million to live in Franklin, Tennessee. Given that Eagle's Nest has been on the market for around a year, I'm guessing we'll be seeing Jackson cut his price by at least $5 million within six months.

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Cigar company C.A.O. International is partnering with custom motorcycle builder Sucker Punch Sally's to put a lucky cigar smoker on the back of a new bike. The ride, which hasn't been created yet, will be inspired by C.A.O. cigars and should be a dream for anyone with a passion for sticks and speed. The design reaches back to the 1950s, with a minimalist approach and a shortened rear fender – from which the appellation "bobber" is derived.

So, which cigar inspired what will undoubtedly be a monument to manliness and power?

The C.A.O. America cigar is the culprit. It's a full-bodied smoke that is best consumed after you've had a meal (even if you normally enjoy heavier cigars. It's made in Honduras with two wrapper leaves: one's Connecticut shade, and the other is a chocolate brown broadleaf.

Before a lucky winner receives the motorcycle, it will be taken around the United States – to both bike rallies and cigar shops. If you're in Henderson, Nevada on June 4, look for it at the Tobacco Leaf. Finally, next spring, the bike will be given to a randomly selected winner at a party to be held at C.A.O. headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.

A former river cruise vessel is being docked permanently and will now be a floating hotel and lounge on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.The Delta Queen is a 285-foot-long wooden steamboat which offered overnight river cruises for up to 176 passengers. Last fall the boat lost its exemption to provide cruises (fire safety concerns generally prohibit these boats from carrying more than 50 overnight passengers). The floating hotel will offer jazz brunches and will host weddings and meetings. There are 88 cabins including two outside master suites located on the bow of the sundeck.

The boat is a National Historic Landmark which once carried former President Jimmy Carter as a passenger. Its twin, the Delta King is a hotel and restaurant moored in Sacramento, California. The grand opening is scheduled for April 15 and overnight weekend accommodations range from $89 for simpler, smaller cabins up to $175 for lavish cabin suites.

Nashville's newest place to stay is the Hutton Hotel, a new four-star independent luxury hotel set to open at the end of the month. The hotel is located at a central West End address near Vanderbilt University offering access to landmarks and attractions. The Hutton has 248 rooms including 54 suites. Room have flat panel televisions, granite baths and refreshment centers. The bells and whistles are saved for the two penthouse apartments, one of which is shown above, that have private balconies, steam showers, fireplaces, wet bars and more.

The 1808 Grille serves New American cuisine and also provides room service. The hotel has the green angle covered with bamboo flooring and furnishings in the lobby and other areas, card readers that disable guest room lighting when a guest leaves the room, dual flush toilets, laundry water recycling and other programs.

The Hutton is starting off with a Valentine's Day package that offers a night's stay, four-course dinner for two, champagne and candlelight turndown service and breakfast for two in bed or at 1808 Grille for $299 per night plus tax. A more lavish celebration in the Penthouse East room includes a Champagne toast for eight and a five course dinner served in the suite. A freshly-prepared breakfast for two waits the following morning in bed or at 1808 Grille. Rates start at $3.500.

People have been commenting on the fire that hit the Crantzdorf estate in Tennessee, a former estate of the day, this weekend on the original post but I decided to repost when reader Susan led me to the article that says Steve and Ashley Grindstaff, the owners of the home, won't get any insurance money to repair the home. Steve Grindstaff is quoted in the Kingsport Times News as saying that he is self insured and "won't get one dime of insurance" for the estate which was listed at $28.5 million. The home was severely damaged in a fire after a lighting strike hit a copper beam in the turret of the castle-like home's tower. The copper beam conducted the lightning through the top floor of the house and striking the water main. The top floor has fire damage and the lower floors were soaked with water. The Grindstaffs, who own several car dealerships, reportedly were finally set to close on the house this week. They plan to rebuild as quickly as possible.

Today's estate is one of those elaborate fairy tale homes that requires a lot of money and a certain type of buyer. This castle-style home in East Tennessee took over 10 years to create. It is over 20,000+ sq. ft. with 21 rooms including nine bedrooms. The rooms keep the theme of the exterior combining both antique pieces and new furniture on a grand scale. The fountain and doors and fireplaces are antique as well and the home includes handcast moldings, Italian marble floors and stained glass. There is a large home theater, indoor basketball court, large pool and a replica of the Bristol Motor Speedway complete with six cars. The home sits on 13 acres on Boone Lake and has lake access containing a boat house and gazebo. It is listed at $28.5 million.

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UPDATE: This home caught fire on January 10 and suffered major damage.

[Thanks, Rob C!]

What does $33 million buy you in Franklin Tennessee? Let's find out with today's estate of the day. This over 20,000 square-foot manor house is on nearly 700 acres. The main residence with its porches and Corinthian columns was built in 2002 but aspires to an antebellum style. Because the land is mostly flat, the huge home can be seen from most parts of the property. The entry foyer is dominated by a grand staircase which rises to the 4000 sq. ft. master suite under twin Waterford chandeliers. There are 12' ceilings on the first floor, and 11' on the second floor. How's this for a figure, the window treatments for the 59 windows boast over 2000 yds. of imported fabric. The lower level is includes a billiards room/cafe,a columned surround sound movie theatre and a nine-car showroom garage/workshop. As you might expect, the home has state of the art surveillance and alarm systems. There is also a climate controlled kennel for your canine guard. There is a pool and the property also has a large maintenance shed, caretakers house, covered picnic area and a dock.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Overall the condo market is still struggling but there are pockets of exuberant planning. In the Nashville neighborhood of Belle Meade, Tennessee there are three projects planned that offer luxury housing for empty nesters. Belle Meade is already home to a wide variety of large luxury homes but now developers are betting some of these homeowners might be looking for something a little smaller and less time consuming.

Belle Meade Court offers both condos and townhomes and at prices from $400,000 to $750,000 is the least expensive. It is the only one currently under construction. The Manning at Belle Meade, shown above, which is planning construction by the end of the year, offers two bedrooms under 2,000 square feet up to penthouses over 5,000 square feet. Community amenities include an entertaining salon and dining room, catering kitchen, guest suite, private wine storage, a library, fitness center, business center, pool and croquet lawn. Prices range from $950,000 to $5 million. The third project, 112 Harding Place, is in limbo until the market heats up again but is located near the Belle Meade Country Club and offers units from just under 3,000 square feet to over 5,000 square feet and are expected to be priced from $1.3 million to nearly $2.8 million.

Given the current real estate market it does seem likely that at least one of these projects probably won't make it to completion. Their success hinges on the interest of retiring baby boomers willing to invest in condo life.

Nashville, Tennessee is seeing a lot of lavish new builds. Today's estate is one of the most expensive new houses in the area. The Mediterranean-style home is 20,000 square feet positioned on 8.5 acres in the Bancroft area of Forest Hills. A lot of newer homes lack charm but this one with its beautiful hardwood floors and gracious lines is really something special. The kitchen is large enough to film a cooking show and looks like you could actually cook in it. There is an ample exercise room and a big garage which seems to currently serve as some sort of playroom. While the home theater is the usual study in boring beige there is a fantastic office that is open to the floor above. There are seven bedrooms total. It is listed at $6.9 million which is very high for the area but a big discount considering it was once listed at $8.99 million.

Oh wow, NFL cornerback and occasional aspiring wrestler Adam "Pacman" Jones is another athlete hoping for a big sale on his house. The flamboyant former Nashville Titan has moved on to the Dallas Cowboys and so he has put his Franklin, Tennessee home up for sale. And reading the blurb on the Real Estalker I knew I was in for a doozy. I've never seen quite so many gargantuan televisions in one place outside of a sports bar. The five-bedroom home is on 30 acres (the property website is called 30 acres and a lake). I'm not sure quite what to make of this one-- a big brick arch in the middle of a room for no good reason, a bedroom that appears to have a set of home theater seats plunked in front of a massive screen, a bathroom that seems to be designed based on the health clubs and gyms that Pacman Jones has likely seen a few of-- all these things combine to make a home that is many things but welcoming is not one of them. The property includes an eight-stall horse barn and a bucolic dock and lake spoiled by the addition of fountains. No pool but there is an above ground hot tub plunked onto the back deck. There are also two other homes on the property. Jones picked up the home in 2006 from an actress and a producer for $1.575 million and has listed it for $1,799,950 which the listing calls "priced well below market value." Maybe, but it will still be a hard sell.

What is the cut-off for size for boutique hotels? I generally think it is under 150 rooms but a new multi-use project in Knoxville, Tennessee bills itself as having a boutique hotel even though it's got 200 rooms. The Metropolitan Plaza project is actually a fairly large project, including a 15-foor tower with as many as 32 condos above the hotel room as well restaurants, a bank and retail shops on the lobby level. There is also an office tower planned that would stand about 7-8 floors tall. The $78 million project from Knoxville-based Commercial & Investment Properties also includes an enclosed pedestrian bridge linking the complex to the Knoxville Convention Center.

The proposal beat out two other proposals for the redevelopment of the downtown state Supreme Court Building.The project does not have a hotel brand linked to it yet but the developer says that several are interested. Once approved, construction on the project could begin as early as this fall and be completed by early 2010.

Established in 1995 and existing on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary is devoted to providing a safe refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants that are old, needy, and sick after being retired from zoos and circuses. It is also passionate about educating others on the crisis facing these large and gentle creatures, and working to stop the capture and training of elephants from their natural habitats to perform in circuses and safaris. They have 23 elephants total in the sanctuary, and you can meet them all by name and picture and either send a general donation or sponsor a specific "girl" after reading each of their bios and getting to know them in photo albums.

Today's home is located in The Governor's Club, one of the most elite communities in middle Tennessee area. In this community the homes run big but this must be one of the largest. It is nearly 20,000 square feet and doesn't just have seven bedrooms it also includes a bowling alley, golf simulator, theater room and a billiards room. The outdoor area is a network of multiple pools with a waterfall, waterslide misting pool and screen-in porch. The home has views of the lake and the golf course. The home sits on 2.42 acres and is listed at $7.9 million which is really high for the area.

[Thanks, Lee]