On a sunny Saturday afternoon, we decided to go up towards Nashville to check out the famed Cheekwood Estate and Botanical Garden. This is one of Nashville’s favorite places to go for their incredible collection of art, cultural festivals and events, and spectacular gardens. Cheekwood sits on 55 acres of land so there is plenty of room to explore around.
We started our visit with a walk through their plant sale. Because my husband is the gardener of the family, he is constantly looking at what other plants he could add to one of the many flower beds that he has created around our house. We also saw the beautiful Rose Study Garden that was filled with heritage roses of every color and size.
Currently the gardens are home to a group of Trolls who are here to help humans rediscover and be inspired by nature. The trolls are part of an art installation by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Each troll has a name and a story. Our favorite of the trolls was the one named Ibbi Pip who hangs a colorful collection of birdhouses in all the trees.
We walked through the botanical garden where pieces of modern art can be found throughout. We walked through the glass bridge over the small creek. We stopped to listen to the hum of the harmonic chairs with their guitar cords stretched above the seats. We were amazed that we could hear them at all over the cacophony of swarms of cicadas everywhere.
Further down the path was the giant human like rabbit peeking out from the trees, a random assortment of stone tablets with words on them going up the hill, metal trees glittered in the sunlight, and an echo chamber sending voices all around.
We came across another of the trolls, this one with one eye open and an ear to the ground keeping watch over everything that is happening in the world. This one was named Sofus Lotus and he reminds people to be mindful of nature and all its beings.
After leaving the trail through the gardens, we were met with some of the beautiful spaces that were part of the estate. Fountains and pergolas created space of peace and respite from the heat of the day. There are many areas surrounding the estate, each of them carefully and beautifully made.
We really enjoyed the children’s area with the hidden passageway tucked away in the trees. A small tea house was set up waiting for the giggles of pretend and ringing the large bell outside. There was a living library section where the stone seats were surrounded by boxes of interesting items and books to read and learn from.
After walking through the gardens we made it to the estate itself. This estate is a beautiful example of what was the American country place era. This estate was originally the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek in 1929. Later in 1960, the estate was converted into an art museum that still has a collection of world class art exhibits.
We walked through the various rooms seeing the finery of a by gone era. Beautifully detailed china plates on the tables, cabinets of silver and crystal, and gold trim around the ornate doorways all spoke of elegance and grandeur of the early 1900s.
My favorite room was the library with the dark wood and shelves of books. I could easily imagine sitting here by the fire with a book in hand or writing a letter at the desk overlooking the gardens. I loved seeing all the early editions of favorite books like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Pride and Prejudice, and Shakespeare.
On the second floor was the art museum, where sadly no pictures are allowed. The walls were filled with beautiful pieces of art that displayed a wide interests in styles and time periods. They had a special visiting exhibition of Edgar Degas on display. Degas was one of the most famous French Impressionist using pastel and oil paintings to depict movement. He is most known for his painting of dancers. This exhibit also displayed his lesser known portraits of those closest to him and some of his artwork about horse racing.
We left the estate and found three more of the trolls on our way to the exit. Basse Buller was sitting out on the grass with his bucket inviting others to come and picnic with him, Kamma Can who collects trash to turn into something beautiful, and Ronja Redeye the smallest of the trolls.
We can understand now why Cheekwood is such a popular place as it not only connects you to the beauty of nature but also gives space to creativity and history.
If you would like to visit some other unique and beautiful gardens, then you may be interested in these:
Thanks for coming along with us on this visit to the Cheekwood Estate and Botanical Garden. May you find beauty in movement and color in the trees.
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