Local’s Guide to Belle Meade/West Meade
Posted by Jenni Barnett on Tuesday, September 17th, 2019 at 6:46am.
Belle Meade, which means beautiful meadow, is a small city located in Davidson County Tennessee. Approximately the same size as neighboring Warner Parks, it’s a luxurious neighborhood within a fifteen-minute drive of downtown Nashville and Green Hills. If you prefer more of a rural setting, West Meade may be a better option. You get the convenience and upscale lifestyle of Belle Meade, except with surroundings that make you feel miles away from any city. Watch our Local’s Guide to Belle Meade/West Meade video to take a look at this wonderful community!
The Belle Meade community has an almost European feel and offers a mix of plantation-style estates, charming Tudors, and mid-century modern homes. Many of Nashville’s earliest wealthy families settled in Belle Meade, including the Cheeks of Maxwell House Coffee fame and the Hardings who’s plantation lent the community its name.
Today, thousands of guests visit both Cheekwood and Belle Meade Plantation annually. Cheekwood Estate and Gardens hosts several seasonal and history-related events each year, plus rotating special exhibits including Cheekwood in Bloom when over 100,000 tulips put on a botanical show, the Harvest celebration when pumpkins, scarecrows, and mums take over the grounds, and Holiday Lights, when visitors can see over 1 million lights illuminating the trees of the estate, plus visit Santa and his reindeer.
Belle Meade Plantation is open daily for not just tours of the historic Victorian home, but also provides tours of their horse stables, their winery, plus an on-site restaurant known as the Harding House. The site hosts several holiday-themed events each year, book clubs, and lots of educational opportunities.
The area also boasts some great dining options. For fine dining, locals enjoy Sperry’s, a long-time staple of the area serving steak and seafood. 360 Bistro is another great option that has received numerous awards for its stellar wine list. For Italian fare, you can’t go wrong at Giovanni Ristorante West.
Percy and Edwin Warner Parks border Belle Meade to the southwest and offer locals an easy getaway from the city with hiking and horse riding trails, plus nature and environmental programming. Belle Meade Country Club is a private 18-hole course that attracts the area’s premier golfers.
If you’d like to feel like you live in a scenic park, West Meade is probably more for you. The terrain is so rugged that in some areas you won’t have cell reception, and your neighbors are outnumbered by the foxes, deer, and other wildlife that have called the area home for centuries.
For upscale living in one of the most convenient locations to Nashville, the Belle Meade and West Meade neighborhoods cannot be beaten. If you’re looking to settle in one of the area’s most affluent neighborhoods, look no further.
LOCAL RESTAURANTS
After 27 years in Mid-Town Manhattan, Giovanni Ristorante moved to Nashville in 2008 and has become one of the best Italian restaurants in Nashville while serving the best Italian food you can imagine. Some offerings include homemade pasta, exquisite risotto, seasonal black and white truffles, imported cheeses, salumi, veal, prime beef, fresh seafood, and the best homemade Italian bread, as well as many other items! This is all overseen by chef Giovanni Pinato.
Connecting Old English heritage and the Old South, Sperry’s offers a warm, and comforting ambiance that has impressed locals and visitors since 1974! Sperry’s kitchens contain only the finest products available including aged heavily-marbled Western beef, the finest fresh seafood available, premium dairy products, oils, and spices. All of their dressings, soups, and sauces are made from scratch and the menu is truly the freshest you can find!
THINGS TO DO
Cheekwood is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek estate! Since being converted into a museum of art and botanical garden in 1960, Cheekwood has presented world-class art exhibitions, spectacular gardens and a historic estate unlike anything else. Visitors enjoy family activities, programming for all ages, and year-round festivals celebrating the four seasons! From 150,000 blooming bulbs in the spring to one million holiday lights in the winter, there’s always something to see at Cheekwood.
Belle Meade Plantation gives you the chance to experience everything that is beautiful about the South. Guests are warmly invited to dive into the rich history of the lovely home and estate by taking part in a diverse list of both enjoyable and educational activities. The plantation is dedicated to the preservation of Tennessee’s Victorian architecture, history, and equestrian legacy. Guests can enjoy tours, educational outreach programs, shopping, dining, wine tastings, weddings, our newest Bourbon Tour, and other happenings!
SCHOOLS
- Public Schools
Residents have the option of sending their children to schools within the Metro Nashville Public School District. Enjoy quality education close to home!
- Private Schools
Residents of this area are central to many private education options! Among the many nearby, Harding Academy and Harpeth Hall School!
