CHEEKWOOD MAKES ‘BEST PUBLIC GARDENS’ TOP TEN LIST

NASHVILLE, TN – Southern Living named Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art to its Readers' Choice Awards top ten list, ranking tenth for "Best Public Gardens". Cheekwood joins a diverse group of destinations in the listing. Southern Living readers voted for their favorites in the different categories. January's issue names the magazine readers' choices for "best" places to stay, visit, shop and dine in the South.

"We are thrilled to be on this list again. It brings regional and national stature to what everyone in Nashville knows is a true treasure." said Jack Becker, Cheekwood’s President/CEO, “It also reaffirms the uniqueness of Cheekwood and its remarkable landscape."

The top ten "Best Public Gardens" list includes:
1. Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia
2. Bellingrath Gardens, Theodore, Alabama
3. Biltmore Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina
4. Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
5. Atlanta Botanical Garden, Georgia
6. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina
7. Dallas Arboretum, Texas
8. Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Alabama
9. Garvin Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, Arkansas
10. Cheekwood Botanical Garden, Nashville, Tennessee

Cheekwood is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek estate. Cheekwood exists to celebrate and preserve its landscape, buildings, and art and botanical collections, and, through these unique means provide an inspiring place for visitors to explore their connections with art, nature and the environment. Cheekwood is located at 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville, 8 miles southwest of downtown Nashville. Open Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For further information call 615-356-8000 or visit www.cheekwood.org.