Touring Tennessee: Leiper's Fork & Franklin

"I used to have this appetite for my life, and now it is just gone.  I want to go some place where I can marvel at something."-Eat Pray Love

That movie, and more specifically that line inspired me to get up out of my every day routine, dust off my map-reading skills, and go! Where? Well, being a stay-at-home mom & living on a single income surely narrows the choices.  And while I may not be able to buy a ticket and fly across the world, I can surely hop in my Jeep and travel across the state!  Who says you need a passport to marvel at something?  There is such beauty in my home state of Tennessee, and while I have lived here all my life, I have yet to see so much of it.  We have great culture, food, and natural wonders of our own, and I intend to experience as much as I can in the coming months.  So, welcome to my newest project, Touring Tennessee.

The first thing that I did was google "things to see in Tennessee" and I found http://www.tntrailsandbyways.com/ that features tours, complete with printable tour guides and maps, in each region of the state. I chose the Old Tennessee Trail to start, since the first stops are in Franklin, TN, just a short 30 minute drive from where I live in Murfreesboro.  So first trip planned....now for a sidekick.

The first person I thought of to tag along on my journey is one of my best friends, Laura.  She has a love for photography as I do, so I knew I wouldn't feel bad about stopping on the side of the road to "marvel" and take pictures of random Tennessean moments.  She is also a stay-at-home mom so we have the freedom to pick up and go during the less-crowded weekdays, which is a major plus. 

So Laura, her son Ethan and I loaded up and hit the road to see historic Franklin and Leiper's Fork. 

Somewhere in Franklin, we got a little turned around...not a surprise if you've traveled with either of us before.

So I pulled out my handy smartphone loaded with a navigation app, and we got back on track and headed to Leiper's Fork.  This location was important hunting ground for Native Americans more than 4,000 years ago, and was later settled by Revolutionary War veterans who were given land grants as payment for their service.  It thrived as a small community with general stores, lumber mills, blacksmiths, churches, a school, and the Middle Tennessee Railroad. Today it's still a quiet but cute community, and it's the only historic village on the Tennessee portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Our tour suggested Puckett Grocery as a popular eatery, so that's where we headed first.

It's known for great burgers and BBQ, so I naturally chose a chicken salad sandwich, haha!  The food was great, the people were nice, and the atmosphere was nostalgic.  From the outside, it doesn't seem like much.  In fact, it seems a little "sketch" but once inside, I couldn't help but love what I saw.  Good people taking a break to eat good food.  And Ethan had a fantastic time.

After lunch we walked next door to the gallery to check out the work from local artists.  I was drawn to the kids' shoes made from cement...go figure :)

We walked down the street to snap some pics of the Hillsboro United Methodist Church.  The original portion of the church is 100 years old, and was once shared by Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Church of Christ on a rotating basis.  Can you imagine?

Our last stop in Leiper's Fork was a great little Antique shop owned by a girl named Alex.  I envy her job, and the view from her back porch.  She had everything perfectly placed and organized, and was easy to talk to.  She gave us the inside on a few of the local traditions and invited us to come back.  We snapped a few pics of some of her finds before we left.

yeah, those are artfully hung....from the ceiling

I had to snap a shot of the Ford...I'm guessing a 50's model because it reminds me of the '51 chevy I drove before I got married...love!

 After a challenging diaper change for Ethan, and a septic tank mess-step (my shoes still smell), we hopped in the car and headed back to....

We stopped at the historic Carter House...which is known as the most bullet-damaged building still standing from the Battle of Franklin...but they charged a $15.00 admission so we declined and headed to the square. 

We admired the Franklin Monument, erected in 1899 to commemorate the Confederate  soldiers, while window shopping at the square. After walking around we decided that downtown Franklin deserves its own day...so many places to eat and see.  So we rewarded ourselves with Starbucks coffee and headed back home.

 It was a great day, and I'm so excited for the next trip. Spelunking at Cumberland Caverns, tasting local wine and maybe some Yazoo beer, Purity Dairies, historic homes, Rutledge Falls, George Dickle, state parks, honky-tonks, southern food, and everything in between.  I'm gonna see it all...So here's to traveling without a passport, and being a tourist in your own state :)