Cheekwood — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

This is definitely an excellent botanical garden with stately structures and art sculptures that are located tastefully throughout the grounds. The grounds are very well kept, groomed and watered with expertise. It reminds me of the Coastal Botanical Gardens in Maine. I would rate this Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Maine’s Coastal Botanical Gardens about equal and that’s how I come to my rating. All the plants and trees are very clearly labeled of the species. The walkways are very well laid out and in excellent condition throughout. At the time we visited, there was a special exhibition of Lego Art sprinkled all through the gardens and a Bonsai art exhibition in the air conditioned structure on the grounds. The Bonsai’s were excellent and varied and you could place a vote for your favorite Bonsai. There was one that was 55 years old! If you go out The back of Cafe 29 building, follow the walkway towards the cemetery near the woods edge and go to the left into the woods to see numerous art sculptures including the amazing stone arch that spews a foggy mist and flames from the top of the structure at random timing. If you are a bit hungry and thirsty while visiting, there is a Cafe 29 beside the mansion to the right. I highly recommend this establishment for excellent and very tasty food and drinks. I got the chicken salad with fresh brewed fruit tea that was excellent! Everyone in the group loved the food. There is inside and outside seating with a nice very open high ceiling room with glass wall facing the back area of the mansion. Doors in this room lead out to the cemetery and sculptures out in the woods. When in the Cafe walk down hall from the main ordering area toward restrooms and continue to the right to access the nice big dining area with window wall. This is a must see in the...

Cheekwood Gardens is undoubtedly a beautiful property, with expansive, well-maintained grounds and stunning exhibits. Visiting in December, I was blown away by the elaborate Christmas decorations, especially the towering trees that added a magical touch to the experience. The Andy Warhol painting was a personal highlight and a delightful surprise. The gift shops scattered throughout the property offer a variety of unique items, perfect for finding a memento or holiday gift.

However, my visit wasn't without its frustrations. While the property is spacious and picturesque, the logistics left something to be desired. Parking was poorly managed—despite the main parking lot being half-empty, all cars were directed to the overflow lot, which is much farther from the main house. This unnecessarily added to the already long walk to the house, a significant inconvenience for elderly visitors or those with mobility issues. Navigating through gravel parking made it even more cumbersome.

The ticket price felt steep for what was offered, and the staff's lack of coordination added to the disappointment. The ticket agent informed me about a docent-led tour that was supposedly starting in 15 minutes, but when I finally reached the house, I learned it had already started nearly 30 minutes earlier. This miscommunication was frustrating, especially given the premium admission fee.

That said, Cheekwood Gardens is still worth visiting, particularly if you’re an art lover or appreciate garden aesthetics. For the best experience with the gardens, plan your trip in the spring or summer when the plant life is in full bloom. Just be prepared for a bit of disorganization and a potentially longer walk...

Cheekwood is a beautiful place with fanatic sights, its unfortunate it's staffed by such rude and unpleasant individuals. My family decided to go to cheekwood to take pictures and spend time together before my sister graduates. My mother brought her camera that she uses for our family pictures so she wouldn't have to take pictures on her phone, but when we were attempting to enter a an employee stopped us and said we couldn't go in.

The 'explanation' was that my mom had a fancy camera and my sister had her Graduation cap so she must be there to take a professional photoshoot which requires someone to pay a $400 fee. (I understand if someone was making money off a photoshoot or a modeling job that there should be compensation for the gardens, however we were literally just there to look around and snap a few pictures purely for our own use. No money, no profit, no modeling,)

We were not there in any professional sense and simply wanted to take pictures together while touring the gardens. So my mom tried to explain, but was cut off many times. My mom even tried to just put her camera back in the car, but the worker refused saying 'its clear your intention is to take pictures'. It's a beautiful garden, you'd be hard pressed to find someone not there to take some pictures!!

We tried to make it clear we were not there professionally and showed that we were going to fully put our bags in the car (so we could AT LEAST walk around the gardens) but we were refused. The worker then said "Ugh this should be making sense to you" in a very rude voice and sneered at my mom. The beauty of the gardens don't make up for the...