I will be honest, I wasn't planning on Franklin, Tennessee. But my dear friend Kathryn said oh no, if you are doing Nashville one day and you have another day, you have to go to Franklin.
Phenomenal advice. No regrets. Our day did not start out early. It was Sunday and I video chat with the grandson I usually video chat with every Saturday. We left right around 10 with an hour long drive ahead of us from Cedars of Lebanon campground.
We also had an RV /tow dolly part to replace. We tried multiple auto parts stores and Tractor Supply, to no avail.
By now it was time for lunch. We have not been eating out for lunch, we have had sandwiches every day for a week and we were ready for a change. So I set the GPS for The Factory and away we went.
The Factory
The Factory, Franklin, Tennessee
The Factory was originally built in 1929 on 20 acres as…you guessed it…a FACTORY. There were multiple owners and even a change in production lines until it completely closed in 1991. In 1996 a gentleman and his wife purchased the 10 building conglomerate and the following year it was added to the National Registry for Historical Buildings. In 2021 a property management company purchased it and you now have a lovely destination in a sweet town with an art gallery, yoga studio, shops and eateries. I love the way they repurposed this space. High in the rafters and duct work they have window boxes with vines that hang down. The place is well lit, signage is clear and the business are unique and varied.
I started in a Tennessee store where I purchased post cards and a Christmas ornament. I then found a lovely store with butterfly and nature art. I took a snap chat video for the grandson who loves butterflies and chatted with the store owner. She even made a movie recommendation.
Edleys BBQ
Then it was off in search of lunch. We don't usually eat out BBQ, pork isn't top on our menu. But I have been in Tennessee for a week...can I really leave Tennessee without having BBQ. So I chose Edleys BBQ.
I ordered the brisket platter and Gary ordered the brisket loaded nachos. Ha!!! No pork for us after all! The brisket was very good and the cornbread might have been the best cornbread I ever had! Gary is STILL talking about the nachos!!!
My wonderful brisket lunch at Edleys BBQ at The Factory in Franklin, TN
Gary’s loaded nachos with homemade chips!
After lunch we exited The Factory to head downtown. If you haven't been following along you might not know that we love exploring little towns. On our way downtown we passed lovely homes with pretty architecture.
Downtown Franklin
I cannot truly tell you what downtown is like because when we reached downtown we happened upon Pumpkinfest. This is the 41st running of the Pumpkinfest however this is the first year that the festivities took place over the course of two days. The streets were all blocked off and there were vendor stands everywhere. And this wasn't like a vendor fair where everyone is selling pre-made goods. I mean, yes , there was the gutter guy and the lady with the replacement windows. But for the most part this was an artist fair. One side street had just food vendors...again food trucks and local vendors. No Mr. Softee.
I purchased some art work from a young artist named Mia. What caught my eye was her The Lion and The Lamb painting. So I asked her if all of her work is Holy Spirit inspired. She said 90%. The piece I purchased I believe is God's vision for the nations....what do you think??
We walked for hours talking to some vendors and just admiring all of the talent. And so many who glorified God with their gifts. There was also live entertainment on multiple stages throughout.
The weather was lovely and the atmosphere delightful. We spoke to a pastor at a church stand and he is very proud of his Franklin..how they have preserved the small town feel.
I didn't even get to do any of the historic battlefields. This is the first day on this Tennessee Loop that I felt like I could have used another day in this one place for additional exploration.
We walked the long trek back up the hill to The Factory. Last on my list was Jeni's ice cream. I sampled two of the flavors and got the two half scoops in a bowl. They very kindly give out a wedge of their waffle cones with the ice cream not in a waffle cone container.
ice cream at Jeni’s Ice Cream
I ordered the vanilla with a touch of honey and the gooey butter cake. The waffle cone was super buttery as well. Gary got the hazelnut something or other.
It felt good to rest a bit as we enjoyed our ice cream. As we were heading for the car Gary saw a sign for a carousel. We stepped outside to a neighboring building and there inside was The Carousel of Dreams. When we entered the building we were the only people so the young man who worked there approached us to share some history. The carousel opened May of 2025.
He asked us how long we thought it took the one man, Karl Means, to carve and paint all of the animals and the two benches. I was astounded ONE man could do that at all. This young historian told us it is the only carousel in 100 years to be completely carved by one man. It took Mr. Means more than 30 years. I rode the sea horse which put Gary on the bear next to me.
My only disappointment was the lack of organ music. How can you have a carousel without organ music??? The dad behind knew all of the words so I guess it is a popular kids song they were playing. It’s fine, times change. 🙂
This day was completely not in the budget!!!
$47.00 for lunch (I had edited a book for a friend and she paid me so she actually paid for lunch)
$20. For artwork by Mia
$17.00 for ice cream at Jeni's
$10.00 plus tax for a carousel ride.
This was one of my favorite days. ♥️
Maybe some day I will get to visit Franklin, Tennessee again. I would definitely recommend this lovely small town as a must stop if you find yourself in middle Tennessee!
Get out there, Friends, and live life while you are living!!! I love you and I am praying for you.