Franklin, Tennessee is like a Southern Hallmark movie setting. My friend from college that we stayed with really wanted to show us Franklin, as it’s one of her favorite places. I can certainly see why.
Next to the glittery cowboy-booted party life of Nashville, Franklin is an elegant but friendly town with a kick-back on the porch, family-friendly vibe. After an exhausting conference, Franklin allowed me to take a deep breath and relax.
I absolutely love all of the dessert shops. We grabbed iced mochas (and a pancake plate for Rachel Ann) at The Coffee House at Second and Bridge. It is adorable- situated in an old house. I definitely want to go back when we have more time. We relaxed on a picnic table outside, then explored downtown Franklin.
We saw the iconic Franklin theater and Landmark Books! Landmark has books, old maps, and globes lovingly crammed into every corner. It was a fantastic place to visit! Landmark Books is the inspiration for Karen Kingsbury’s book, The Bridge.
I bought The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron and chatted with a staffer about the unfortunate US cover of Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry (we both like the UK cover much better). The US cover just doesn’t accurately portray what the book is about in our opinion.
I thought the history of the Landmark Booksellers building was fascinating:
“Our building, circa 1808, was known as The Old Factory Store and has had visitors such as Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston and Davy Crockett.
Upon establishing Franklin in 1799, founder Abram Maury sold 3 lots in the town plan, including Lot 20 where our building is located, to Joseph McBride, of Nashville.
The building itself, now believed to have been built between 1806 and 1808, is the oldest commercial building still standing in Historic Franklin, Williamson County Tennessee. Known as The Old Factory Store it has housed banks, shops, restaurants, juke joints, officers club, as well as many residents on the 2nd floor.”
https://www.landmarkbooksellers.com/about/
We finished our time out at Pasta and Cream, a hole in the wall Italian restaurant with giant fresh portions. We absolutely loved Franklin!!
