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The sixth annual Holiday Lights festival opened today at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, 1200 Forrest Park Drive, Nashville, Tennessee, and will run through January 10, 2021. Featuring more than a million lights throughout the gardens, the carefully planned course offers holiday experiences designed to appeal to all ages.

New this year, Cheekwood has partnered with the Nashville Ballet to present a collection of traditional and non-traditional nutcrackers and costumes from Nashville’s Nutcracker throughout its Historic Mansion and Museum. The exhibit will tell the traditional holiday story through vignettes across Cheekwood’s period rooms.

Also new this year, Holiday Lights will be presented alongside the works of artist Dale Chihuly with Chihuly at Cheekwood, offering a new and unique experience to this year’s display.

Cheekwood has activated its new Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden as Children’s Wonderland, featuring an outdoor display of custom-made LED trees with programmed lights. The estate and gardens will also bring back community favorites like real reindeer, a seasonal trains display, a poinsettia tree, and s’mores stations.

“With a new design of more than a million lights, this year’s display is sure to dazzle our guests,” said Peter Grimaldi, vice president of gardens and facilities for Cheekwood. “Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare a lights experience designed specifically to complement Cheekwood’s sprawling landscapes and new elements, and we can’t wait to welcome new and returning visitors to enjoy it.”

Holiday Lights is open seven nights a week and requires timed tickets that must be purchased online prior to visiting. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, capacity will be limited. Holiday Lights is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Cheekwood is continuing its annual Late Night Lights offer, where guests arriving at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. receive a discounted rate on Monday through Thursday nights.

Cheekwood is considered one of the finest American Country Place Era estates in the nation. Formerly the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, the 1930s estate, with its Georgian mansion and 55 acres of cultivated gardens and expansive vistas, serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and museum with historic rooms and art galleries, showcasing works from its 7,000 permanent collection as well as traveling exhibitions. The property includes 12 distinct gardens and a mile-long woodland trail featuring modern and contemporary outdoor sculpture.

Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located eight miles southwest of downtown Nashville. Daily hours of operation: Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

(Photos courtesy of Cheekwood Estate and Gardens)