Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art

   It’s tulip time!  Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and redbud and cherry blossoms provide splashes of early spring color in an otherwise hibernating garden.  Cheekwood Mansion, which was built in 1929 by Leslie and Mable Cheek with profits from the family’s wholesale grocery and Maxwell Coffee House businesses, sits on a hill overlooking the garden. The mansion and garden were inherited by the Cheek’s daughter who deeded them over to be a privately funded public garden and art museum.

         

  Paved paths wind through themed gardens. A trail makes a loop the woods where 13 sculptures are located. The mansion has furnished rooms and a few small art galleries. There may be art galleries in the stables too but if so we missed them due to lack of signs or any other information.

 

        

   Visitors using wheelchairs will need assistance because the garden is very hilly. The garden map has the accessible route marked. The Japanese Garden is down a steep, narrow, and uneven path and is not accessible. The sculpture path is not accessible due to the terrain and unpaved, mulched surface. Most of the mansion is accessible however the road up is very steep. Look for the accessible entrance on the right side of the main entrance. The shuttle is a golf cart and is not wheelchair accessible.

  Oversized parking is in a gravel lot. The streets around the garden are narrow so use caution if driving an RV.  Garden  36.08688, -86.87386

Adventure Science Center

  Like many science museums this one is geared toward children but we still found enough to keep us entertained for a couple of hours and we even learned a few things. :-)  One of the most popular attractions is the Adventure Tower, a 75’ tower in the center of the museum with hands- on exhibits, slides, and structures to climb.

        

   Most of the exhibits are accessible but a few require the ability to stand. I think that each level of the adventure tower includes a ramped entrance.

  Oversized vehicle parking is located in the lower lot. It’s a pretty long trip up to the museum so people with mobility issues may wish to be dropped off at the entrance door.  Museum   36.14742, -86.77576

Fort Negley

   Nashville surrendered to the Union Army on February 25, 1862, less than a year after the beginning of the Civil War, and it remained under Union control until 1867. With good river and rail access Nashville was an important supply depot for the Confederate Army so holding the city was a major goal for the Union Army. A labor force of 2,768 free and run away slaves built Fort Negley as part of the defense around the city which included a 7 mile fortified line and Union gunboats on the Cumberland River.

The fort didn’t see any action and fell into ruin when the war ended and the Federal troops left. A restoration was attempted in the 1930s but it wasn’t until 2004 that the area was opened to the public as an historic site. Stone foundations trace the outline of the fort and boardwalk trails with interpretive signs follow the inside walls. A small visitor center with a few displays and two videos about the fort is located at the base of the hill where the fort is located.

  The visitor center is accessible. A road which is closed to traffic circles the fort. It’s a steep hike along the road to the fort so wheelchair users will need a strong helper. We did not go to the top because even though it looks like a beautiful day in the photo it was actually windy and cold.

  The parking lot is large enough for small RV. Larger RVs can be parked along the roads.  Fort   36.14288, -86.77511

Lane Motor Museum

   As far as car museums go this one is really unique. It specializes in mini European cars but also has amphibious vehicles, military vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, prototypes, one-of-a-kind vehicles, and motorcycles. These are cars you won’t see anywhere else in the US. The lack of ropes or chains along with opened windows on most of the vehicles allows visitors to get close enough to peek inside without window glare – not a normal practice in auto museums. 

         

 

  The museum is accessible.

   RV parking is in the rear of the building but the walk back up the driveway to the museum entrance is long and steep. Visitors with mobility issues may wish to be dropped off at the entrance. Museum  36.13983, -86.73462

Tennessee State Museum

   A new museum is slated to open in the fall of 2018 so this information has a limited life span. That being said, judging from the current museum, the new one should be an excellent. The first floor covers the human history of Tennessee from early Native Americans up to the presidency of Andrew Jackson. This floor appears to have been recently updated and I think the large exhibits will be moved to the new museum. Some smaller items have already been moved. The second floor of the museum has a hodgepodge of dated exhibits about slavery, the civil war, and life after the war which I’m sure will be updated for the new museum.

 

  The accessible entrance is located on Deaderick Street. The museum building is shared so stop at the desk for directions to the first floor exhibits. Everything is accessible.

  Visit the museum on the weekend when the state employers are off and park for free in the employee spaces around the Capitol.  The sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition but wheelchair users may need assistance due to hilly terrain. Museum  36.16491, -86.78198

Natchez Trace – Mile 327.8 to Mile 444.0

Mile 327  Colbert Ferry – George Colbert, who was three-fourths Chickasaw and one quarter Scottish, owned a ferry, inn, and a substantial plantation along the Tennessee River. He died in 1839 at age 75 after the Chickasaw were forced to move to Oklahoma. Drive to overlook as trails are not accessible.

        

Mile 375.8  Old Trace Drive – 2.5 mile drive along the old trace. One of the few places where RVs are prohibited.

Mile 382.8  Metal Ford – Slag pile and evidence of mill race from 1820 charcoal burning furnace used to manufacture pig iron. Short trail is not accessible.

      

Mile 385.9   Meriwether Lewis Campground and Gravesite – Meriwether Lewis, famous from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, stayed overnight at this location in 1809. He was found in his room on October 11, dead from a gunshot wound, and there’s still debate about whether it was a murder or suicide.  A memorial marks his burial site. A small reconstructed cabin has exhibits. A short, hard surfaced and accessible trail leads to a section of the trace.

        

       

A free campground has 32 sites with paved parking pads, tables and fire rings. The accessible site has concrete under the table and is close to the restroom.

Mile 391.9    Falls Hollow – Small scenic waterfall. A short paved trail leads to an overlook. The trail has a steep section and is accessible with assistance.

        

Mile 401.1  Tobacco Farm – Old barn with interpretive signs about tobacco farming and processing.

Mile 405.1  Bakers Bluff Overlook – Pretty view of the valley farms.

Mile 444.0  Northern Terminus – We were expecting a little more but this is it. Just a gate ready to be swung shut if the road is snowy or icy.

In conclusion – We really enjoyed driving along the trace and learning a bit of the history.  We drive slowly and didn’t get started each day until after lunch so it took us seven days to drive the trace. We stayed at three campgrounds on the trace, one campground slightly off of the trace, and in Walmart lots at Jackson and Tupelo. We stopped and read every sign and tried to see the sights that required a short walk but were disappointed at the lack of wheelchair accessibility. Most of the short trails were made years ago and haven’t been upgraded.   Trace  34.8361, -87.94272