Cheekwood Harvest 2026 Parking and Trolleys on Harding Road

Cheekwood Harvest is in its fourth week. It has a new Marigold River, 100,000 pumpkins and a 15-stop Scarecrow Trail, and it runs through November 1. On October weekends, though, the smoothest way in doesn't start on Forrest Park Drive. It starts at the Belle Meade Office Park, 4525 Harding Road, where Cheekwood offers free parking and a trolley that runs about every 20 minutes.

The trolley is a sign of something bigger. Cheekwood is building a $35 million Parking Pavilion & Welcome Plaza on its own grounds. It also has a deadline: move every parked car off Warner Parks land by December 2027. That makes this year's Harvest the first one held halfway through a change in how people reach the gardens. Once you know that, the parking rules, the shuttle, the prices and the news about Cheekwood and its neighbors all make sense.

Why Cheekwood Is Building a Garage With Fewer Spaces

Here's the odd part. The new garage will reduce Cheekwood's total visitor parking.

According to the Nashville Banner, Cheekwood signed a memorandum of understanding with Metro in spring 2025. Under it, Cheekwood agreed to move all of its parking on-site and off Warner Parks land by December 2027. Cheekwood calls the garage its way of meeting that commitment. Some of the cars at Harvest have been parking on public parkland. The pavilion brings them onto Cheekwood's own property.

Sources give different numbers for the reduction. Cheekwood's own campaign page says total visitor parking goes from 810 spaces to 750. The Banner reported that Cheekwood said capacity would drop from 949 to 837. Neither source explains the gap, and they may be counting different things. Both agree on the direction. Once the project is done, there will be fewer spaces and they will all be in one place.

Cheekwood's project page describes what's coming in 2027:

• Three levels of underground parking with open-air ventilation, 674 spaces in all
• Electric vehicle charging stations
• A rideshare drop-off and pick-up area
• A new ticketing center
• A large green roof, new gardens and a rainwater harvesting system

The architecture firm is HASTINGS, and the page lists completion as 2027. The 2026 Harvest is running on the parking that exists today, with construction going on around it.

How That Changes an October Weekend Visit

Cheekwood's Harvest page states the rules plainly. Every guest needs a timed-entry ticket booked in advance. When the on-site lot fills, walk-up tickets are sold only to people arriving by rideshare. The general parking page also offers a ticket discount and waives the parking fee for guests who show proof of a rideshare trip at check-in.

The off-site lot comes with its own pricing. Here's how it compares with on-site admission:

On-site tickets also carry a $2 service fee per ticket for nonmembers. Discounted tickets bought at the off-site lot are $16 for seniors 65 and up and $14 for college students. Cheekwood counts the savings as free parking, a $5 value per vehicle, plus $5 off each ticket and free entry to the Historic Mansion & Museum. A group of four on a Saturday saves enough to cover a pumpkin or two.

The trolley has limits. Cheekwood says it is not ADA accessible and takes foldable strollers only. Weather can also cancel the off-site option. On Saturday, October 10, Cheekwood posted an alert that the off-site lot was closed because of the forecast and told guests to park at Cheekwood instead. If you need step-free access, or rain is in the forecast, plan on parking at Cheekwood. Guest Services is at 615-353-6965.

The Three Weekends and Three Nights Still Ahead

The off-site lot runs on weekends only. Cheekwood's off-site calendar lists each weekend under a theme. Starting today, three remain:

1. October 17–18. Harvest Weekends Music runs noon to 2 p.m. MERJ plays jazz on Saturday and Tim Gartland plays blues on Sunday.
2. October 24–25. The off-site calendar lists this weekend as the Halloween Pooch Party. Tony Hannah and Jerry Tachoir play the noon sets. On Saturday the 24th, "Verse and Vision: Of Earth and Sky" opens in the museum. It pairs works on paper with ekphrastic poetry and runs through January 3, 2027.
3. October 31–November 1. El Día de los Muertos closes out the season. November 1 is also the last day to see "Common Ground," which pairs paintings from the Hainsworth Collection with Cheekwood's permanent collection.

Harvest NIGHTS fall on Thursdays. They are The Accords on October 15, The Cowpokes on October 22, and the Bootanical Bash with Lydia Brittan and the Royal Family on October 29. Cheekwood describes off-site parking as a weekend offer, so these nights depend on the on-site lot and on rideshare.

The new Marigold River is easy to find. It has more than 2,500 orange, red and yellow blooms lining the walkway from the Bradford Robertson Color Garden to Arboretum Lawn. It ends at the Pumpkin Village, which has three interactive pumpkin houses.

The Dispute Behind the Construction Fence

The parking change has been argued over at Metro all year. The timeline of public filings is short, and none of it has closed Cheekwood.

• June 13, 2026. According to Cheekwood, Neighbors for Safety BMH, a group of Belle Meade Highlands residents, filed a zoning appeal over the project. WSMV reported that the group said its appeal "is not about closing Cheekwood." The group cited traffic on neighborhood streets and asked why parking should expand before an access road from Highway 100 exists.
• June 30, 2026. According to Cheekwood, the neighbors sued Metro in Chancery Court.
• August 20, 2026. The Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals took up one narrow question: did the zoning administrator make a mistake when he issued the garage permit in May? The Nashville Banner reported that all five voting members upheld the permit, with two members recused. The Banner also reported that Metro is separately reviewing whether Cheekwood has kept to the special zoning exception it received in 1996. WPLN reported that the ruling lets construction continue.
• September 14, 2026. NewsChannel 5 reported that the neighbors filed an amended complaint that replaces the June suit. It names Cheekwood as a defendant, asks for a jury trial and damages, and seeks limits on amplified sound and on the pavilion.

The Highway 100 access road is still unresolved. In mid-September, WPLN reported that efforts to pick a route had stalled over habitat and trail concerns. The broader zoning question also had no ruling at that point. The Banner reported that a traffic study identified five possible access points. It also reported a separate pending lawsuit challenging a possible road through Percy Warner Park. Cheekwood says it supports a shared-use road from Highway 100. It also notes that Metro hasn't chosen a location and that NDOT decides on and builds roads.

The sources reviewed for this post report no court ruling after mid-September. So for the rest of Harvest, the garage keeps going up, the cars keep moving toward Cheekwood's own grounds, and the trolley from Harding Road carries part of the weekend crowd.

Pairing a Harding Road Weekend

The Belle Meade Historic Site has its own October calendar, and two dates line up with Harvest weekends. Trick-or-Treat 2026 is Sunday, October 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Face painting costs $5, and pumpkin picking and carving costs $15 with pre-registration required for carving. For adults 21 and up, Victorian Spiritualism runs October 16 or 25 for $95. It includes a tour led by a historian, cocktails and a visit to the mausoleum. Fall Break Family Days run through Friday, October 16, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $18, and a second adult gets in free with a regular adult ticket.

On October 25 you could do Cheekwood's noon music set and then Trick-or-Treat at the Historic Site, with both stops close to Harding Road.

How guests arrive is one of the first impressions a place makes, and Cheekwood is redesigning its arrival from the ground up. The same thinking applies when a home goes on the market. If you're wondering how your own property's arrival, presentation and timing would look to buyers, Angela Peach offers a private consultation and a design-led read on where to begin.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.