Franklin, Tennessee - What To See and Do

[Music] nashville tennessee music city home of the grand ole opry the honky tonks and nightclubs around broadway are where musicians and singers come to get their big break countless american entertainers have called nashville home at some point during their careers but did you know many of today's top performers don't live in nashville at all they mostly reside due south in the communities of brentwood and historic franklin another spot that's become really popular with celebrities is leaper's fork which we will cover in a separate video walk around the streets of downtown franklin and it's easy to see why this has become one of the top 10 places to live in america even if you're not a celebrity [Music] everything you can imagine can be found in this beautiful historic community which by the way has the highest per capita income in the entire state today we're going to show you around and tell you what you should see and do in franklin tennessee franklin was founded in 1799 and named to honor national founding father benjamin franklin white landowners prospered greatly during the antebellum years from crops like tobacco and hemp prosperity that came on the backs of enslaved african americans one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war was fought in franklin resulting in thousands of casualties and losses on both sides more than a century and a half later three historic houses have been preserved to communicate the story of the second battle of franklin with visitors [Music] at 11 40 columbia avenue stands the carter house a property that vividly illustrates the brutality of war through hundreds of bullet holes still visible on exterior walls across the street is the lotes house which saw its own share of battle damage and later served as a filled hospital a short drive outside downtown is the carton plantation a federal and greek revival style mansion where hundreds of wounded confederate soldiers were treated one bedroom that served as an operating room has blood-stained wood floors in the decades that followed after the war african-americans were subjected to extreme acts of violence just recently city leaders have started to acknowledge that important part of franklin's history through a series of markers like this one they tell the story of how life and franklin impacted african americans who were living here before the civil war during the battle of franklin and after the war was over [Music] 21st century franklin is a bustling place that carefully balances heritage with new growth the city's downtown historic district covers 15 blocks with main street being its heart and soul countless architecturally significant buildings have been lovingly preserved and today house all types of businesses from shops and boutiques to some of the best eateries the side of nashville we're going to show you some of our downtown favorites but first here's a couple of quick tips you should know before you go want to get your visit to franklin started the right way you can do it at this building the visitor information center located at the corner of main street and 4th avenue the staff here is very knowledgeable about everything franklin and will provide useful information for your stay the visitor center also has a variety of franklin merchandise available for purchase parking in the downtown core is restricted and enforced monday through friday during normal business hours if you plan to be here a while it's best to park in one of the city's two free parking garages you'll find them on 2nd avenue south and 4th avenue south [Music] years ago as a tennessee native i fell in love with the frothy monkey in nashville's popular 12th south neighborhood so it's only fitting i make a stop at their franklin location to pick up one of my favorite hot drinks to get the day started [Music] frothy monkey is an all-day cafe specialty coffee roaster and wholesale bakery all in one they also have a location in chattanooga [Music] as you move around franklin be sure to keep your eyes open for a vintage airstream thank you for coming in we've been in business here at this location now for three years this is our flagship airstream it's a 1977 that we repurposed into a tiny little donut shop all natural ingredients great vibe we hope you all come and see us they're nice and hot when they come out i've got glazed on mine with sprinkles crunch on the outside of the donut chewy and delicious on the inside it is so good and these cute little forks how can you go wrong i got their classic cinnamon sugar one of their best sellers and they gave me a little silver fork how cool was that in addition to the timeless glaze and classic cinnamon sugar tiny little donuts stirs up fresh lemon glazed old school powdered sugar special dark chocolate glazed and simply plain plus seasonal favorites you can find tiny little donuts at these locations the honky tonks along broadway don't have anything on this place the legendary kimbrough's pick and parlor is an old-fashioned juke joint where greats like vince gill leon russell wynonna judd and emmy lou harris have played locals consider kimbros to be the best place to hear live music in the nashville area just behind that other famous place the ryman auditorium next door is downtown franklin's record shop carpe diem if you're looking for a rare vinyl this place is a treasure trove and the carefully curated selection of vintage items is a nice bonus lots of great finds here [Music] white's mercantile started out inside a vintage gas station in nashville's hip 12 south neighborhood described as a general store for the modern taste maker it was the brainchild of singer-songwriter holly williams the daughter of hank williams jr everything inside white's mercantile is carefully curated showing some of holly's favorite items she has discovered while on the road great selection of men's products here from brands like filson and duke cannon and if you're looking to pick up something for a little one in the family white's has a healthy selection of retro inspired [Applause] toys dating back to the early 1800s and believed to be the oldest commercial building still standing in historic franklin the old factory store has been utilized as a little bit of everything from banks and restaurants to juke joints and even an officer's club early visitors included the likes of andrew jackson sam houston and davey crockett today it's home to landmark books an independent mom-and-pop bookseller with tens of thousands of new old and hard to find rare books the crown jewel of main street is the historic franklin theater this show palace opened in 1937 with the film night must fall starring robert montgomery and rosalind russell today it not only plays movies there's a truly epic live music [Music] venue one of tennessee's most unique shopping dining and entertainment venues is just outside downtown constructed in the late 1920s the factory includes just under a dozen depression-era buildings that originally made stoves today it's on the national register of historic places after sitting empty for many years it was restored and turned into a spot for creatives and artisans to showcase their talents some of our favorites fork of the south a general store that supports more than 80 makers and small businesses cr 71 a unique mix of reclaimed furniture and upcycled items and five daughters bakery home of the 100 layer donut you have to try one of these franklin is known for its wealth of antique shops it is a middle tennessee mecca for all things antique and vintage home and lifestyle brand scarlet scales offers an eclectic mix of unique trinkets and architectural lighting pieces that makes this far from the stereotypical antique shop the second location of mercantile 1858 is a locally owned home decor and gift boutique that aims to turn your house into a home with one-of-a-kind items that tell a story these are two of our favorite shopping experiences in franklin be sure to list your favorites in the comments section down below [Music] you

Channel: ChadGallivanter

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Keywords: things to do in franklin tn, living in nashville, franklin tennessee, moving to nashville, moving to franklin tn, franklin tn, tiny little donuts, downtown franklin, franklin tn tour, Chad, the factory franklin, ChadGallivanter, franklin tn downtown, kimbros franklin, fork of the south, Gallivanter, whites mercantile, williamson county, carpe diem, carter house, carnton, scarlett scales, mercantile 1858, lotz house, landmark booksellers, things to do, frothy monkey, history

Id: IZiLoKpWqQ8

Length: 12min 15sec (735 seconds)

Published: Thu May 06 2021