Cheekwood is one of the best sites to see in Nashville. Whether you’re visiting the city or a local, the gardens and mansion are worth visiting – especially when they have a temporary exhibit or at Christmastime!
I’ve been a few times now, and I look forward to going again this Christmas. I’m sure I’ll see something new that I’ve missed before. Most recently, I visited with my mom, and I took a lot of pictures so I could share about my visit! I’m excited to share more about Cheekwood and show you what you can see if you visit for yourself! I’ll also answer some basic questions that hopefully help you with your visit! Consider this your guide to Cheekwood!
What is Cheekwood?
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, set on 55 acres, is the former home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek who built the home in the 1930s for their family. The house is modeled after grand 18th century country estates in Great Britain.
Leslie Cheek Sr. ran C.T. Cheek & Sons, a wholesale grocery distributor. He also invested a company that made Maxwell House Coffee, and the family received $45 million in 1928 when it was sold to Postum Foods.
The home was passed onto their daughter Huldah Cheek, but she and her husband gifted the estate in 1957 to the public as a museum and botanical garden – likely due to the high cost of upkeep.
If you’re interested in more history about their family and estate – the mansion has tons of information written out in the rooms for your self-guided reading. I also believe there’s an audio tour available. But the employees monitoring the museum were also more than happy to share their knowledge when we asked. Also, don’t forget to grab the free pamphlets available. They share additional information and summarize things nicely!
Tickets
Tickets are available on the Cheekwood website. For non-member admission, there are 2 options – garden only and garden + mansion. Garden only prices range from $20-26 for standard adults, with various discounts for seniors, students, and children. The garden + mansion ticket prices range from $26-29.
Garden Only gives you access to everything except the mansion itself – so it does include access to other buildings on the estate like the Stables and Frist Learning Center.
Garden + Mansion includes the Mansion which has the beautiful historical rooms to walk through, and a large art gallery on the top floor.
My advice: If you’re going during Christmastime and only care about the Christmas lights – just grab garden tickets. If you’re going during the summer, I’d recommend getting the garden & mansion ticket, because it’s a great way to cool off in the summer heat. Plus, it’s really cool.
Where is Cheekwood?
Cheekwood is located in Nashville, TN, technically right outside the border of Belle Meade. The area is beautiful with public parks, expensive homes, and plenty of history.
What to See at Cheekwood
There’s something for everyone at Cheekwood – whether you’re taking the kids or the grandparents. The botanical gardens and mansion are the main draws to the estate, but the art gallery, Trains, and temporary exhibits add to the magic!
The Gardens
With Cheekwood being on 55 acres, there are plenty of gardens to explore. While there are lots of points of interests on the grounds, some spots to catch in my opinion are the Blevins Japanese Garden (beautiful area!), the Robinson Family Water Garden, the Martin Boxwood Gardens, and the views from the Wills Perennial Garden. In general, I also love walking around the East Garden sections – it has a lot of small pockets and cool seating areas/structures.
There’s also a sculpture trail you can follow in the Carell Trail Gardens – though I’ve never been to that part since I’ve typically gone in the evening. It’s a bit of a walk and hard to see in the dark. But that also goes to show that there’s always more to see – I’ve been 3 times!
The Mansion
The Mansion is a great museum with period rooms to view on the first and second floors. Some rooms are fairly original, while some have been recreated with pieces that they would have used. The home truly is a museum with trinkets – think cups, silverware, and more – and information galore.
The mansion is extravagant in its architecture and size. The rooms have beautiful detail and smart designs to make things comfortable – like in the Loggia. And bonus – even the public bathrooms on the second floor have original features!
My favorite areas of the house were the Transverse Hallway – stunning, the Drawing Room, the Library – wow, and the Recreation Room – it just felt cozy and has views of the Wisteria Arbor.
Art
On the top floor of the mansion, there’s an extensive art gallery which even includes an Andy Warhol. I enjoy looking at art, but I’m no art scholar. So, I’ll include some pretty photos of the space and art, and let you explore for yourself!
The Trains
THE TRAINS! This is my favorite part of the entire estate. Every time. And I especially love it at Christmas when it’s all lit up with lights. The trains are set up like a fairytale in the woods. It’s truly magical and great for all ages.
There are multiple trains running on overlapping and crossing tracks. There are little world dioramas to look at. It’s honestly hard to explain but trust me when I say it’s the best part of the estate. Unfortunately, I don’t have many photos – I take a lot of videos of the trains, so check out more photos on their website!
Exhibits
While technically the Trains and art galleries are considered permanent exhibits, Cheekwood also features temporary exhibits. And they’re pretty cool.
Christmas at Cheekwood
If you live in Nashville or nearby, I think going to Cheekwood at Christmas every year is worth it! It’s a magical time of the year with the Christmas lights displayed all over the gardens. There’s photo-worthy sites for you and your loved ones like the light covered walkway and the little gazebos. Grab a hot drink (yes, they have hot chocolate with alcohol & other alcoholic beverages) and walk around!
LIGHT: Bruce Munro at Cheekwood
The Bruce Munro LIGHT exhibit is running through October 27th, 2023, so you still have time to check it out before it’s gone! I went to this exhibit earlier this summer with my mom, and we had a great time!
The exhibit is spread out across the park – a map is given with the location and names of each art piece on the estate which is very helpful! The art displays are large light displays, and they are mesmerizingly beautiful.
It’s important to note that they don’t have the LIGHT exhibit every night, so make sure you look at tickets online for the exhibit and plan accordingly.
Shopping
If you’re looking for some mementos or even a gift for a friend – Cheekwood has great gift shops. And honestly, I’m sad that they’re all behind the ticket gate. The mansion has its own museum gift shop on the first floor. There’s also the new Garden Shop which is beautiful and full of so many great gift ideas!!
Where to Park
If there’s one thing I always worry about in Nashville, its parking. Luckily, Cheekwood has free parking! If you get there earlier in the day or evening, you can snag a spot in the paved lot when you drive in (to the right). If that’s full, you’ll be redirected to the left, where they have overflow parking. The overflow parking is more like grassy, field parking, but it’s not much farther than the paved lot – so that’s a plus! They also have mobile lights, so it’s still lit up nicely at night.
Farewell Thoughts
Cheekwood is absolutely stunning, and I love going! There’s just so much to see!
Let me know if you go to Cheekwood – in the comments or over on Instagram! If you liked this guide to Cheekwood in Nashville, TN, I’d love for you to share this post!
