Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Nashville, TN

Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingDate NightHistory BuffLocal Gem

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

1200 Forrest Park Dr · Nashville, TN

Why you should go…

Cheekwood is the former estate of Leslie and Mabel Cheek, whose family fortune grew from a wholesale grocery business and an investment in Maxwell House coffee. Architect Bryant Fleming designed the limestone mansion and formal gardens, completed in 1932, and the property opened as a botanical garden and art museum in 1960. Today you can wander eight distinct gardens, including the Blevins Japanese garden and the terraced Martin Boxwood garden, and walk an outdoor sculpture trail.

  • #botanical garden
  • #historic mansion
  • #art museum
  • #sculpture trail
  • #holiday lights

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery

    $25–$50

    Tour an 1853 Greek Revival mansion that anchored a famed thoroughbred stud farm, then taste wine at the on-site winery.

    1.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Theatre & Events
    Iconic

    The Bluebird Cafe

    $25–$50

    Hear Nashville songwriters play their own songs and tell the stories behind them in a 90-seat listening room.

    3.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Theatre & Events

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    The Parthenon

    Under $25

    Step inside a full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon to see a 42-foot gilded Athena and an art museum.

    5.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Loveless Cafe

    Under $25

    Eat scratch biscuits with preserves, country ham and fried chicken at a Southern roadside cafe serving since 1951.

    6.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Frist Art Museum

    Under $25

    See rotating art exhibitions and hands-on art making inside Nashville's former main post office, an Art Deco landmark on Broadway.

    7.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Andrew Jackson's Hermitage

    $25–$50

    Tour Andrew Jackson's Greek Revival mansion, then walk the gardens, museum exhibits and the tomb where he and Rachel are buried.

    17 mi awayMore like this