NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Cheekwood’s Frist Learning Center reopened in late August after a multifaceted renovation that includes a restored and interpreted horse stables and tack room, updated art studios, a new gift shop and a new fast-casual eatery, Café 29.
The restored stables provide insights for the first time about the Cheek family horses, which played a central role in life at Cheekwood in the 1930s.
Historic images and exhibits in the new café also interpret Cheekwood’s connections to Maxwell House coffee. The name Café 29 pays homage to the year 1929, when the Cheek family broke ground on the estate.
The café, which features indoor and outdoor seating and a picnic-to-go with a pick-up window, serves the original Maxwell House coffee blend.
Leslie Cheek, who built Cheekwood, made a fortune in the 1920s after investing in his cousin Joel Cheek’s Maxwell House business.
The learning center renovation came a year after the restoration of the 1930s-era Cheekwood Mansion.
