on March 14 | in Featured, Lifestyle, Restaurants, Shops, Travel | by hillary | with 16 Comments

The coming of Spring and Summer beckons vacations and times of leisure. With our crazy and hectic lifestyles, a weekend getaway can sometimes be all we need to recharge. Luckily, we know of the perfect place to retreat to. Just a hop and a skip South of Nashville you will find Franklin, Tennessee. Founded in 1799, Franklin boasts a strong emphasis on preservation and history. Here at FOLK we have become huge fans of Franklin and we know you will fall head over heels too. To make your trip planning easier we have coordinated with the Williamson County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to assemble a trip itinerary that will surely lead to a weekend you will not forget! Pack your bags, we’ve taken care of the rest.

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We’ll arrive in Franklin on Friday afternoon and check in for a cozy weekend at Jefferson House. This beautifully renovated historic home, built in 1900, is a true Franklin gem with character all it’s own. The house features ten foot ceilings, three bedrooms and two and a half baths with over 2600 sq ft of living space and two gas log fireplaces.

The master bedroom suite includes a king size bed, walk in closet, double vanity, shower and refinished antique claw foot tub. The additional two bedrooms have queen size beds and the kitchen is stocked with everything, from cookware and baking dishes to flatware. A formal dining room provides a nice space for family meals.

Settle in and unpack your bags. We’ll need to go ahead and call to order our picnic lunch for Sunday from Simply Living Life. When traveling, it’s always best to think ahead. On Sunday, our picnic will be waiting for us at the vineyard in their signature cooler basket complete with a delicious meal, wine glasses, cloth napkins, dinnerware and a table cloth. All this talk about picnics and a gourmet menu will have me hungry in a heartbeat.

Once you’re ready, we’ll take a short walk to Puckett’s for dinner – Williamson County’s most decorated restaurant. The recipient of over 40 Sizzle Awards in the last 5 years, Puckett’s has also been voted as one of the “Top 100 restaurants” and “Best Restaurant Worth the Drive” by Where the Locals Eat and “Must Visit Restaurant While Traveling” byRand McNally.

Here we’ll enjoy Southern, home-cooked meals and cherrywood smoked meats – all within the atmosphere that you can only get at a place like Puckett’s… where Real Food, Real People, and Real Atmosphere are the main ingredients!

After dinner we will take an evening stroll down Main Street. This 15 block historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but offers more than history. Unique shops, restaurants, antiques stores, entertainment venues, and more await us! Here we’ll stop in at Lulu’s (pictured above), we’ll grab the latest copy of FOLK from Yarrow Acres, and before turning in for the night, we’ll stop by the Frothy Monkey Coffeehouse for a relaxing drink.

Saturday morning we will head downtown to Merridee’s for breakfast. Merridee’s Breadbasket opened in the Spring of 1984 in an old hardware store warehouse that was once a harness shop. Voted best bakery in Williamson County for three years in a row, it’s a favorite gathering place in Franklin. Everything is still made from scratch, the old-fashioned way. This results in not only a great tasting product, but a nutritional product as well. At Merridee’s you won’t find any pre-made mixes – just bags of flour, whole grains and sugar, flats of eggs and cases of real creamery butter.

After breakfast we’ll take a short drive to Leiper’s Fork Village for some shopping, antiquing, and meeting the locals. We’ll visit the Leiper’s Creek Gallery, Serenite Maison, Yeoman’s in the Fork, The Copper Fox, and David Arms’ Gallery.

Leiper’s Fork is a charming historic village located just minutes from Historic Downtown Franklin in some of Middle
Tennessee’s most beautiful countryside.

Today, Leiper’s Fork is the area of choice for families wanting to experience an authentic living, breathing village full of characters who will delight and charm you with their stories of daily life.

If you’re anything like me, shopping makes you hungry. Have no fear, we’ve prepared for that! We’ll head back to Franklin for lunch at Joe Natural’s. We share their beliefs in the fact that great food is grown locally and prepared with care.

From gluten-free breads & cookies to vegetarian bowls to big, juicy grass-fed burgers, at Joe Natural’s we’ll all find something we love as they serve an array of delectable selections, artfully prepared fresh daily. After lunch we’ll head back to Jefferson House for a bit of down time. You’ll find me relaxing on the front porch swing, and you’re welcome to join.

After a bit of rest and relaxation, we’ll start the evening off by walking to Sweet Cece’s. In a great little shoppe with a really cool vibe, here we’ll swirl our own yogurt and add toppings to create a semi-nutritious sweet treat.

Then, it’s on to the antiques district with stops at City Farm House, Scarlett Scales Antiques, Franklin Antique Mall, and Gallery 202. I can’t wait to see what great antique finds we come across!

We’ll head over to the Red Pony Restaurant for dinner, an upscale dining and bar experience with a unique and wide range of fresh and progressive dining options.

After dinner, just across the street, we’ll catch a movie or a live show at the Franklin Theatre. The beautifully restored Franklin Theatre has been brought back to life as a state-of-the art, mutli-use entertainment venue for live performances, movies and events. This classic theatre opened originally on July 15, 1937 and several special premiers have since been held at the cinema, including Friday Night Lights in 2004, Elizabethtown in 2005 and a number of Veggie Tale productions.

We’ll wind down our exciting day with drinks and coffee at 55 South. Named for the highway that spans from Memphis to New Orleans, the 55 South menu runs deep into Southern comfort, even offering patrons a daily oyster happy hour. The restaurant features Louisiana favorites such as the crawfish fiesta trio and southern staples like greens and cornbread, cheese grits and sweet potato fries.

On Sunday morning we’ll sleep in, then pack up and drive to Mack and Kate’s for brunch (served 10am-2pm). Here, Mackenzie and Kathleen are continuing their family tradition of good food and great hospitality. After brunch we will head to the Visitor’s Center in Downtown Franklin to borrow an iPad and take the walking tour using the Downtown Franklin App. Make sure to bring your camera along!

The Franklin Tour app offers visitors a fun, interactive way to discover the history, architecture and stories that make up Franklin’s Great American Main Street experience. The app is a map-based, GPS-enabled walking tour with a real-time “you are here” feature and features six tours: Great American Main Street, Art & Antiques, Haunts & Headstones, Historic Homes of Hincheyville, Battle of Franklin, and Margin to Main. A column of informational “badges” on the left side of the screen features community information from various downtown and preservation organizations.

After a short drive to Arrington Vineyards, we’ll wrap up our weekend with free wine tastings, a gourmet picnic lunch, and live “Music in the Vines” from 2pm-6pm.

Arrington Vineyards & Winery is co-owned by country music star Kix Brooks of the legendary duo Brooks and Dunn. The unique Tasting Lodge, built from rustic timbers and Tennessee field stone, affords breathtaking views of the rolling hills and beautiful countryside. As I mentioned, it really does pay to think ahead! Combined with our picnic lunch from Simply Living Life, it will be the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Last Fall, FOLK contributor Donna took a trip to Franklin as well. Check out her leisurely walk through the hot spots of Franklin HERE. What are you waiting for? Pack your bags, print a copy of the itinerary above, and we’ll meet you there!

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