Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art

On August 11, 2012 we visited Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art for our home school field trip day. It was a nice, sunny day and the high temp was below 89 degrees. Just beautiful and breezy! We originally decided to check this place out because I found a website online that said it was free. However, when we got there it was not free. After touring Cheekwood we were thankful that we paid!! We absolutely loved it!

Cheekwood is a botanical garden. Not just ANY botanical garden, but 55 acres of several beautiful, themed botanical gardens that opened to the public in 1960! Visitors will be delighted to see a Japanese garden, a color garden, an herb garden, two perennial gardens, water garden, seasons garden and an award-winning wildflower garden.

As you meander through the different gardens it is like entering a different part of the world. Our favorite was the bamboo forest with beautiful Japanese stones statues and towering bamboo. The zen garden which is made up of raked pebbles and strategically placed granite boulders and plant life was pretty calming too!

Botanic Hall, the center of the horticultural activities, had a bonsai exhibit while we were there. I am told these change often!

This particular time we visited we were able enjoy the exhibit titled: “Treehouses: Great works of literature!”

This exhibit was bar far one of the coolest exhibits we have visited with children. As you walk through the botanical gardens along the paths there are artisan built tree houses that correspond with great children’s literature throughout history.

Treehouse representations include tree houses fashioned from the books “The Giver,” “Rainbow Fish,” “Peter Pan,” “The Hobbit,” “Lord of the Flies,” and “Haroun and the Sea of Stories”. While each whimsical treehouse was so much fun and a delight for both children and adults I have to say my all time favorite tree house was the “Rainbow Fish” which used recycled cd’s and dvd’s as the scales and the sunshine sparkled off of it!

The kids even found an inch worm that they played with for a while before releasing it onto a tree.

If you are in the area of Nashville, TN this is a must visit! The kids will be talking about it for a long time!

ADMISSION PRICES:

$12 – Adults
$10 – Seniors (65 +)
$5 – College Students w/ ID
$5 – Youth (3 – 17)
Free – 2 and Under

50% MILITARY DISCOUNT for military personnel.
Must show current military ID.

Parking is 3.00

VISITING HOURS:

Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 4:30 pm

CLOSED MONDAY, except for Memorial Day and Labor Day
CLOSED Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day