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For at least 20 years, the 1st Saturday of each month has been an art celebration with galleries across the city open. The arts district downtown has been centralized on 5th avenue and features many galleries including those on the second floor of an historic structure - The Arcade - built in 1902 as a new shopping center of the age. Several galleries are on 5th ave and inside the arcade there are 18 artist spaces from galleries to studios, as well as 23 eateries.

You'll find this lovely art deco building as a former post office revitalized into a premiere contemporary museum in 2001. Exhibitions change every few months, so plan to visit often to see what’s new. Keep an eye on the calendar and let's discuss a day trip or if you are flying into BNA, schedule your first or last day for a venture into the city.

One of our neighbors in the Hohenwald area is the Elephant Sanctuary established in 1995 with 110 acres and now is a whopping 2700 acres north of town. As a true sanctuary, there are no visitors allowed so that the rescued elephants can live out their senior years in peace. However, there is an excellent website, an elecam, and a premiere visitor center. Whether you are doing research on animals or just curious about the type of nature habitat or simply an afternoon outing in town, don't miss this.

Tennessee Fitness Spa is a close neighbor approximately 8-10 min drive. This historic site is the only known double span natural bridge formation in the world. It is a purely natural formation that was formed over millions of years by a fresh water spring located nearby.

Tribes, including the Yuchi Indians from Mexico, the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muskogean, and Creeks walked the trails around the Natural Bridge and used this site over several different periods of history. The Natural Bridge is bordered by Forty-Eight Creek, a crystal-clear, cool water stream with many species of fish which can be seen from the banks. Another popular creation of nature, located behind the fitness resort's office, is the "Ice Cave." The temperature in the cave is a cool 58 degrees year-round with a stream flowing out of the cave and into our duck pond.  

The Natural Bridge is only open to the public (16 years and older) on Sundays, during our open season (March thru November)
If you are not a guest and wish to see the Natural Bridge, please call us at 931-722-5589.

The Fitness Spa has massage therapy and other classes that may be available for extended stay.

The Tennessee Valley first attracted man who followed roving prehistoric beasts. Later tribes settled in the shoals to feast on fish and mussels, hickory nuts, white tail deer, turkey, berries and bear. The warm climate gave them sunflowers, corn, squash, sumpweed. Generations parleyed with explorers like De Soto, traded with boatsmen, hunters, and, later, Civil War era farmers and soldiers. Now, you'll see real pieces of their lives, thousands of relics and artifacts, in the Florence Indian Mound & Museum -- a rare touch with the past.

Admission Charged

Tuesday-Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM

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What was once an industrial area of the city is rapidly transforming with the population boom in Nashville at the end of the 2010s. This area is convenient to the Wedgewood exit of I65 and features the more avant garde and working communal spaces of the arts community in Nashville. You will find stalwarts like Zeitgeist and even the Nashville Poetry Library along with the growth has also arrived eateries.

In 2001, the main library downtown was opened just a short walk from the current arts district. "Two blocks south of the Tennessee State Capitol stands Nashville’s downtown library. Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York designed the three-story 300,000 square foot building in a Modern Classical style. The design, a stone building with a large pedimented center block, columns, and pilasters, acknowledges the classical tradition of Nashville’s public architecture.... The monumental bronze doors at the library’s entrance were designed by local sculptor Alan LeQuire, and the grand Reading Room features a series of hammered copper repousse panels by artist Greg Ridley." The special collection, Civil Rights room, and genealogy are highlights worth visiting for research or personal interests.

The name Hohenwald is German for High Forest founded in 1878. Just south of that German town an area was settled by Swiss immigrants in 1894 called 'New Switzerland'. In the late 1890s, a dispute over potentially rival post offices in this small town lead to a court ordered consolidation of the towns. The Swiss maintained their post office, while the name of the town remained with the German contribution.

The chamber of commerce has much information about the history and contemporary resources in this community. If you are looking for a chance to explore small town rural America this is a unique spot.

The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates the Old Natchez Trace that connected portions of the Mississippi River to salt licks in central Tennessee.

The Natchez Trace experienced its heaviest use from 1785 to 1820 by the Kaintuck boatmen that floated the Ohio and Miss. rivers to markets in Natchez and New Orleans. They sold their cargo and boats and began the trek back north on foot to Nashville and points beyond. Today, visitors can experience this National Scenic Byway and All-American Road through driving, hiking, biking, horseback riding and camping.

Travel the route of the Old Natchez Trace and imagine the experiences of those that have traveled before you. The residency center is  within 15 to 20 minutes drive of numerous entrances to this historic parkway. From scenic overlooks to the Fall Hollow Waterfall and spots for picnics or hiking and camping, this area is an amazing national park preserved for explorer the natural surroundings.

"This short list doesn’t even begin to encompass all of the talented musicians who found a place in history by recording in Muscle Shoals. FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals Sound, and a host of other recording studios made Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the Hit Recording Capital of the World in the 1960s and beyond. And it didn’t stop there – today, there are recording studios all over the Muscle Shoals region, still making hits and propelling artists to fame.

This area came by its musical heritage honestly. W.C. Handy, the Father of the Blues, was born in Florence, and so were the Fathers of Rock and Roll, Sam Phillips and Buddy Killen." Much more information on attractions, live music, and history including a self-guided music tour at the website click on read more.

Nashville is a burgeoning metropolitan but the art scene has been solid and strong for decades. One example is Zeitgeist which is one of the WEHO galleries. Zeitgeist has been a staple on the Nashville art scene since 1994.

Started by Janice Zeitlin in Cummins Station, it has served as a cultivation ground for new artists and a safe place for established artists to experiment and grow.

Under the direction of Lain York, Zeitgeist maintains a firm place in the Nashville art scene today. Bridging the gap between collectors and creators, Zeitgeist provides a venue for world class exhibits in the south.

After 15 years in Hillsboro Village, Zeitgeist moved to its current location in Wedgewood/Houston in 2013. A long-time home to the studio community, Wedgewood/ Houston’s art legacy continues with WeHo Art Crawl, an art walk on the first Saturday of each month.

"Cheekwood is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek estate. Originally built as the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek in 1929, Cheekwood is one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estate. Since being converted into a museum of art and botanical garden in 1960, Cheekwood has presented world-class art exhibitions, spectacular gardens and an historic estate unlike anything else." The gardens include: Howe Garden, Sigourney Cheek Literary Garden, Martin Boxwood Gardens, Bradford Robertson Color Garden, Carell Dogwood Garden, Herb Study Garden, Shōmu-en, Blevins Japanese Garden, Wills Perennial Garden.

Lewis county is named after famed American explorer Meriwether Lewis who died in the area at the age of 35 in 1809 on a pitstop of his expedition. The Lewis County Museum on East Main Street in Hohenwald presents the story of the County beginning with the prehistoric peoples who built hunting camps here. This museum also features the world-class wildlife collection donated by Dan and Margaret Maddox.  The collection has been recognized as the fourth largest in the Western Hemisphere. If Taxidermy is your fascination, the Museum also contains one of the largest collections of wild game trophies in the western hemisphere.

FLORENCE ALABAMA is approximately an hour drive with the majority on the Natchez Trace. This monthly art festival is located on their main street that features numerous restaurants and nightlife. The event includes artists and music. "Come experience the artistic talent of the Shoals in downtown Florence at First Fridays!" Every First Friday March-Dec. Hours are 5-8pm or 5-9pm in summer.

"A genuine work of art—from the floors to the furnishings to the faucets—the Rosenbaum House grows naturally from its surroundings, cascading down a 2-acre lot facing the Tennessee River. It is one of the purest examples of Usonian design (named for the USA) with open floor plans and rooms that naturally flow from one to another. Built in 1939, the same year Wright delivered his treatise on organic architecture, this significant structure is cypress, glass, and brick and still has original hardware and furnishings designed by Wright.

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Frank Lloyd Wright freed Americans from Victorian "boxes" and revolutionized art and architecture. He was born just two years after the Civil War and died two years after the launching of the satellite Sputnik and is considered to be America’s greatest architect. Originally built for $12,000 as an affordable, middle-class home, the house is the only Wright design open to the public in the southeastern United States."

Admission charged.

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10 AM-4 PM; Sunday: 1 PM - 4 PM

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