Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

Back in the 1880s, Christopher Cheek ran a Nashville-based grocery business that was hugely successful; the enterprise was all in the family, and its offshoots – such as Maxwell House coffee founded by his cousin – eventually formed a lucrative conglomerate, which sold for millions a few generations later in 1928. After the sale, Christopher Cheek’s son Leslie purchased 100 acres (40ha) in West Nashville to erect a grand country estate. The colonial-revival mansion, a Georgian-style limestone home with formal gardens, was completed in 1932. Today, the estate is open to the public, attracting around a quarter of a million visitors annually. The big attraction is the garden, with iridescent crepe myrtle blossoms, big round boxwoods, rows of perky daffodils and Southern natives such as redbud shrubs and purple trilliums. Recommended by local insider Chaney Curd