Arbor Day is a holiday that celebrates nature, specifically by encouraging people to plant and learn about trees. As Cheekwood has been designated a Center of Excellence by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and a Level II Accredited Arboretum by ArbNet, it’s the perfect place to spend the day. Programs will include guided tours of Cheekwood’s arboretum by the gardeners who care for the trees, short talks from Root Nashville on the importance of trees and things we can do to care for them, opportunities to sketch trees and create a nature collage from items at Cheekwood, and identification stations guided by Cheekwood Docents.

Schedule of Events
9 AM
Free tree saplings for the first 200 people | Arboretum Lawn
10 AM
Tree ID Tour with Vice President of Garden & Facilities, Peter Grimaldi | Bradford Robertson Color Garden Entrance
10 AM – 12 PM
TOTS! Tree Craft & Storytime| Children’s Garden
10 AM – 3 PM
Reading Table, Nature Collage, Tree ID Station, Tree Sketching | Arboretum Lawn
10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Root Nashville & Forest Walk with Me Tabling | Arboretum Lawn
11 AM
Root Nashville Talk | Arboretum Lawn
Learn how planting a tree can help grow your city! Root Nashville is a public-private campaign, led by the Cumberland River Compact and Metro Nashville, to plant 500,000 trees across Davidson County by 2050. 500,000 trees that will help create more equitable, healthy and climate-resilient neighborhoods in Nashville.
12 PM
Forest Therapy 101 | Arboretum Lawn
Learn about the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, which is offered at Cheekwood as part of the Wellness 360. Hear from Georgia Bromehead, the first certified Forest Bathing guide in Nashville through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, as she breaks down how the process works and what the benefits are.
1 PM
Root Nashville Talk | Arboretum Lawn
Learn how planting a tree can help grow your city! Root Nashville is a public-private campaign, led by the Cumberland River Compact and Metro Nashville, to plant 500,000 trees across Davidson County by 2050. 500,000 trees that will help create more equitable, healthy and climate-resilient neighborhoods in Nashville.
2 PM
Arboretum Tour with Vice President of Garden & Facilities, Peter Grimaldi or Director of Horticulture, Mary Weber | Bradford Robertson Color Garden Entrance