NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cheekwood is ready to light up its grounds for the 10th annual Holiday LIGHTS.
The grounds have been transformed into a winter wonderland with more than one million lights throughout the property and a one-mile walking path to see it all. There are smores, seasonal drinks, a Holiday Marketplace to do some Christmas shopping and the intricately designed interior of the mansion.
This year, guests will be able to see a new feature called the “Pixel Pine.” It’s a 28-foot tall tree covered in lights that can be programmed to show different colors and designs.
This year the former Chief Floral Designer at the White House, Laura Dowling, transformed each room inside the historic mansion into a Christmas wonderland. She also helped with an exhibit that follows the First Ladies’ holiday themes from Jacqueline Kennedy who began the tradition in 1961 through the Obama administration when Dowling served as White House Chief Floral Designer. In that exhibit can see images from the White House Historical Society and Presidential libraries. Dowling is also doing some hands-on workshops next month.
Evening hours are 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. for guests to see the lights and mansion. Cheekwood is also open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for folks to walk the grounds during the day and also tour the mansion.
You can buy tickets at cheekwood.org.
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
