Botanical Gardens Plus

On the south western edge of Nashville lies a wonderful and varied botanical garden. With gardens showcasings herbs, dogwoods, and native Tennessee wildflowers, as well as more formal japanese, perenial, and terrace gardens. Easter is a fabulous time to visit with some of the best flowers in bloom, and bees buzzing. The landscape also features some tranquil ponds, and enough room to spread out a picnic blanket, let the little ones roam, or toss a frisbee. There is also a visitors center facility, with room for botanical showcases.

But Cheekwood is not just a botanical garden, it also has a very beautiful mansion, which is actually the Cheekwood Museum of Art, which houses not just some interesting permanent collections, but also has space for traveling exhibitions. Since March of 2007 it has housed a beautiful and petit collection of faberge, including 3 of the famous eggs as well as other delicacies. That exhibit is currenlty ongoing.

In addition to all this is the woodland sculpture trail, a combination of the two different aspects of Cheekwood. This gentle trail wanders through a periwinkle carpeted forest leading to several interesting, unique, and modern sculptures, which were captivating even to my more classical and traditional art oriented mind.

Cheekwood is a real gem, and not to be missed on a beautiful spring day. Admission is perhaps a little steep at $10 per adult, but for the right art exhibit, the price is more than fair. for more information, check out Cheekwood's Website