Planes, Trains & Autos

Hey Guys!

My daughter and I recently visited Cheekwood Estate & Gardens after I discovered that Thomas Dambo had placed some of his trolls there.

I had first learned about the trolls of Thomas Dambo after visiting the Bernheim Arboretum in Clermont, KY.

Read my post about the Bernheim Arboretum here

Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist who quit his job in 2011 to pursue his passion of creating artwork from discarded trash.

His artwork has been placed in 20 countries across five continents.

He does many different types of artwork but his most popular pieces are his giant trolls!

My daughter and I visited Cheekwood on a Tuesday since we felt it would be a lot less busy during the week than a weekend and not to mention, I am off work on Tuesdays. 🙂

Tip: Cheekwood is closed on Mondays

I went ahead and pre purchased our tickets online prior to our visit in order to avoid extra time at the ticket counter.

There are two different types of tickets offered when you visit Cheekwood….the gardens only ticket which is $20 plus a $2 service fee and the gardens and mansion tour ticket which is $26 plus the $2 service fee.

The gardens only ticket allows you access to the trolls, 55 acres of outdoor space, select buildings including 13 Botanical Gardens, Sculpture Trail, Children’s Garden, Frist Learning Center and more.

The gardens and mansion ticket allows you access to the same as above plus a self guided tour of the historic Cheekwood Mansion that was built in 1929.

I noticed that when you purchased tickets online, you had to pick a time slot to visit…I chose 11 am but once we arrived to the park, it really didn’t matter what time you arrived.

We arrived around 10:30 am and were directed to a gravel parking lot.

The parking is limited here so I would arrive as early as possible if you plan on visiting.

After getting parked, we headed to the entrance where we had to have our ticket scanned at the ticket booth.

Once they scanned our tickets, we were given a booklet of the gardens that included a map of the grounds and the location of each of the 6 trolls.

There are also maps of the gardens scattered throughout the grounds.

There are a total of 13 different gardens located at Cheekwood so be sure to visit them all!

We headed to the first troll we could find which didn’t take long!

We found the troll called Ronja Redeye first.

This is the smallest troll of the 6.

However, all of these trolls are huge and you don’t realize just how big they are until you stand next to them!

This troll is 10 feet tall and her flag is 15 feet tall.

After getting our pictures with this troll, we continued our walk through the gardens.

This garden was called the Bradford Robertson color garden.

The flower beds in this garden contain annuals, perennials, and tropical plants, which bring pops of color all along the sidewalk.

It was in this area where we would find our second troll called, Kamma Can.

This troll is wearing a necklace made from all kinds of colorful, recycled plastic “trash”.

This troll is 14 feet and 7 inches tall, making her the second-tallest Troll in the garden.

After this troll, we continued along the trail.

This area of the gardens was called the Dogwood Garden.

Dedicated in 1982, this garden displays many variations of dogwood trees.

Along this path is where we found troll number 3 called, Rosa Sunfinger.

This troll is a little over 11 feet tall and “tends to her garden”.

I found this to be one of the coolest trolls out of the 6 just because of the garden that was growing out of a car!

The details of each troll is really amazing!

Continuing along the path past the troll.

We came to a fork in the trail and took the trail to the right that would take us to the next troll.

This area was called the Howe Garden.

This garden is rich in historical significance and is one of the most beloved gardens at Cheekwood.

After the passing of Mrs. Cora Howe in 1969, her heirs donated the garden in its entirety to Cheekwood, establishing it as the first donated garden installation on the property.

The next troll we arrived to was the Basse Buller troll.

This troll is 12 feet tall while sitting, so you can imagine how tall he would be if standing!

A couple more pictures of this troll

After this troll, we arrived to the children’s garden. 

This 2 acre garden is geared towards families with children.

It offers lots of water fountains and unique and interactive features that are engaging for all ages!

Tip: Look for the turtles in the turtle pond….there are over 20 turtles that call this pond their home.

After leaving this garden, we decided it was time for lunch so, we headed to Cafe 29.

The café is located inside the Frist Learning Center Courtyard, and offers a casual, made-to-order menu including soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods, a children’s menu, snacks, coffee and more.

You will pass the Cheekwood mansion on your way to the cafe.

The cafe is located to the right of the mansion

It’s located inside what used to be the horse stables.

Tip: The cafe serves Maxwell House coffee because, Leslie Cheek, who ran his family’s wholesale grocery distribution C. T. Cheek & Sons, had invested in his cousin Joel Cheek’s Maxwell House business. It sold in 1928 for $45 million!

After looking over the menu, my daughter and I both decided on the combo meal that included a sandwich, chips and a drink for $17.50.

We both decided on the breezy bleu wrap….it was ok but it had too much blue cheese for our liking!

The cafe offers indoor and outdoor seating

After lunch, we headed outside to check out the old horse stable across from the cafe.

This is where the Cheek family kept their prized horses, Platinum and Rosewood.

There were informational plaques located inside the stables that told about the history of the stables, horses and grounds.

The original light fixtures were still hanging outside the stables!

This picture, taken in 1932, is of Huldah Cheek and the family dogs, Hero and Aristotle.

She was the daughter of the Cheeks.

After the stables, we headed to find the next troll.

We walked back through the Bradford Robertson Color Garden.

So many colorful flowers along the path!

We passed the Ronja Redeye troll along the way.

In this garden you will find eight curved arches, covered with flowering vines.

Continuing our walk along the path

At the end of the path, we arrived to the sculpture trail.

The sculpture trail was established in 1999 and features ten works of art on a 1.5-mile woodland path.

The trail features a diverse range of sculptures, created by artists from Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Not long after starting the trail, we spotted our next troll called, Ibbi Pip aka the birdhouse troll.

This troll stands 15 ft tall and is carrying a bag of colorful birdhouses as well as hanging up birdhouses on the trees.

Near this troll is the Silent Music art work by artist Jaume Plensa.

The sculpture, made from metal pieces shaped into letters and characters from the alphabets of different languages, depicts a seated male figure with their legs tucked up in a pose of rest.

The next sculpture along the trail was the Mohammed’s Circle by artist Guy Dill.

As you continue along the trail, it leads you into a wooded area where you will find more sculptures.

The trail takes you along a wooded boardwalk and it was really peaceful.

We spotted the next sculpture called, the crawling lady hare. 

I don’t know about you, but I find this to be a bit disturbing! 😅

Who could come up with something like this? It’s just weird!

My daughter said it reminded her of something out of a horror movie lol!

Some of the sculptures along this trail were just cheesy!

As we continued the trail, we came up on the sculpture called the Glass Bridge.

I am not one of those people who really enjoys art or even understands the meaning behind some of the strange pieces of artwork! I guess I’m just not artistically minded lol!

A few more sculptures along the trail.

Near the end of the trail, we spotted the 6th troll called, Sofus Lotus.

This troll is 7 feet, 6 inches tall and 24 feet long.

It’s lying with its ear to the ground “listening to the Earth below”.

The head alone was taller than my daughter who is 5’7″!

Continuing the trail

We spotted more sculptures

As we continued the trail, the wooden boardwalk ended and we found ourselves walking along an unpaved path into the woods.

The first thing we spotted along the trail wasn’t a sculpture but a live deer!

The deer was not bothered at all by my presence.

Some of the sculptures we spotted along this path

After walking the wooded path, we turned around and headed back the way we came.

We spotted the Blue Pesher sculpture.

After entering this sculpture, you will walk through a forty-five-foot-long tunnel where you will find a cylindrical room with an oculus, some ten-feet in diameter above.

After this sculpture, we headed to check out the grounds around the Cheek mansion.

We passed an old outdoor water feature along the way.

The back of the house

We passed this old sphinx statue.

We got turned around and ended up in the herb garden.

This garden was installed in 1983 and is devoted to the study and evaluation of herbal plants. It was originally used to determine the types of herbal plants that can be successfully grown year-round in Middle Tennessee.

I spotted this old concrete post that had a gargoyle at the top of it….it looked like it was an original piece to the property.

We then spotted a cool, model train track!

This exhibit is located in the Turner Seasons Garden and is mostly geared towards children but we thought it was really neat!

The exhibit features a series of overlapping tracks that passes through a wooden “tree like structure”.

We saw as many adults here as we did children!

The exhibit also featured interactive sounds that made it sound even more like a train station.

After leaving this exhibit, we headed towards the mansion.

The Cheek mansion is beautiful!

The house was built in 1929 and the Cheeks moved into the house in 1932.

The house had 36-rooms (excluding service quarters). There were eleven bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, and two elevators.

While the bedrooms no longer exist, guests can tour the Drawing Room, Library, Loggia, and Dining Room, among other restored spaces.

Like I mentioned earlier in this post, we decided not to tour the house so we just walked around the outside of the house and took pictures.

After taking a few pictures of the front of the house, we walked behind the house.

Behind the house you will find a large green space with fountains and concrete statues.

You will also find the, not to be missed, Wisteria Arbor.

Not only will you find a gorgeous terrace draped in wisteria, but this location is also known for its breathtaking views of the surrounding Warner Parks and the Reflecting Pool.

Wisteria Arbor consists of two parts; an upper and lower arbor separated by a dramatic fountain and cascading double staircase.

Tip: You can have your wedding at Cheekwood too!

The views from the terrace were so beautful!

I can’t imagine what it would have been like waking up to these views!

It kind of reminded me of the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC but on a much smaller scale!

This is the one area you will want to take your picture! 😉

After taking way too many pictures of this area, we walked back towards the font of the house.

We spotted this huge tree in front of the house…..no telling how hold it was!

More shots of the front of the house

After leaving the house, we decided to head home.

We passed the visitor center on the way out.

Cheekwood holds many events throughout the year.

Beginning on Sept. 14th, they will hold their Cheekwood Harvest event that runs through Oct. 27th.

During the event, Cheekwood will have more than 75,000 pumpkins, three pumpkin houses, more than 4,000 chrysanthemums and a nine-foot-tall P’mumkin topiary made of orange mums arranged in the shape of a giant pumpkin.

Pre Purchase your tickets for this event here

Tip: The trolls will only be at Cheekwood through Sept. 1st!

Thanks for reading!

Click here to find links to all of my blog posts