by TJ Anderson

Happy Arbor Day, Middle Tennessee. Every year, we take a little time to celebrate the importance of our green, leafy friends, which feels like a worthwhile thing to do. 

In the stuff I write about here on the blog, I focus a lot on what’s inside, maybe for obvious reasons. But the property your home sits on has as much of an effect on your life as what’s inside the walls — sometimes more — and a bounty of big trees can really bring beauty to your days. Plus, they help provide us with oxygen, which isn’t such a bad thing.

To celebrate Arbor Day, I took a look at the Open Houses around Middle Tennessee this weekend, and picked out some properties that’ll fulfill even the most ardent tree-hugger’s needs.

First, the broader picture of what’s happening on the Open House front:

CLICK TO SEE THIS WEEKEND’S OPEN HOUSES IN DAVIDSON AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY

Then, my leafy, lovely picks:

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1309 Forrest Ave., #5

Nashville, TN 37206

$450,000 

Including a property on Forrest Avenue in this mix? Sorry, had to be done. But as it happens, this renovated East Nashville loft in a historic building (it was built in 1903) offers a pretty fantastic mix of city/country feel. The interior is modern and sleek; the grounds are lush and lovely, with shady trees galore. You don’t always find condo properties with so much Arbor Day-tastic flair. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

5812 Vine Ridge Dr.

Nashville, TN 37205

$560,000

A verdant life in Hillwood Estates: This mid-century property is nicely updated, and I’m particularly wowed by the large, multi-level deck, which gives you a fantastic treehouse perch on the top level. Open Saturday 1 to 5 p.m.

1005 Beech Grove Rd.

Brentwood, TN 37027

$664,900 

A full acre of treelined property in Brentwood in a neighborhood that’s an Arbor Day dream — see above photo. If you get bored of nature, though, no worries — 4300-plus square feet of well-kept living area in this 4-bed, 3 1/2-bath home, including a flex space with plenty of room for your pool table. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

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6405 Johnson Chapel Rd. W

Brentwood, TN 37027

$689,900

With this expansive Brentwood home, you get almost 4 acres of park-like property, the area around the home beautifully landscaped. Really cool flooring detail in here and lots of big, sun-drenching windows, but the property’s just hard to move the focus off of — the hardscaping, the opportunity to gaze upon your woodland paradise from the 8-person gunite hot tub with waterfall? Whew. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

800 Wonderland Ct.

Franklin, TN 37069

$759,900

Wonderland indeed. This Franklin home is huge — more than 4,200 square feet, replete with a nice wine cellar and massive media room. The property isn’t as huge, at only a half acre or so, but man, what they did with that space — impeccably manicured, with a colorful mix of trees and shrubs and other pops of life that make for a picture-perfect living work of art.

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421 Lynnwood Blvd.

Nashville, TN 37205

$899,000

There’s lots to love about the classic design inside this high-end mid-century renovation. If you want to be surrounded by nature, there’s lots to go absolutely bonkers over on this manicured, not-quite-three-quarter-acre Belle Meade property. Big kudos to the folks who landscaped here — it’s a wonderful mix of artful planning and big, big life. The mature trees almost swallow the home, and I mean that in a great way: privacy, peace and beauty, all around. Open Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

Any of these properties fulfill your Arbor Day-celebrating, tree-loving dreams? If I can help you get into the perfect home, let me know!