{"id":40134,"date":"2016-05-14T10:58:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-14T14:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/?p=40134"},"modified":"2016-05-14T13:08:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-14T17:08:11","slug":"seven-sunday-46-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/14\/seven-sunday-46-9\/","title":{"rendered":"I left my heart in Nashville and Franklin……"},"content":{"rendered":"

DISCLOSURE- This is a very very long post with a ton of pictures- take a little coffee\/wine break to enjoy….<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hi ya’ll, I am back from Nashville\/Franklin and let me tell you…..it was perfect! I am still on a high and getting to channel my inner Southern belle reminded me that there is NO WHERE like the South. I might physically be back here in NY but my heart is back in Nashville.<\/p>\n

What a fabulous place! From the showhouse to our hotel to the charming towns, amazing restaurants, and mostly the warm, gracious people….no wonder Nashville is one of the ten fastest growing cities in the country! Not surprised one bit, I could live there in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n

There is so much to share and tell you about that I decided to do this in two posts. I will not post my usual Seven on Sunday tomorrow so that I can post part 2 which will be all about the showhouse\u00a0 and will resume Seven on Sunday next weekend.<\/p>\n

Where to start? Well being asked to be the honorary chairperson for the O’More Showhouse<\/em><\/a> was indeed an honor. It totally validates what I do and was the ultimate compliment. Thank you Joanne Haynes for not only inviting me and bestowing this honor upon me but for being the maestro to what I would consider one of the best done showhouses I have seen. Period! Click here for info<\/em><\/a>, it’s on for two weeks and if you can, you simply must go!<\/p>\n

Three great friends and myself (we turned this into a girls trip) left for Nashville on May 10th and arrived to the most gorgeous historic iconic hotel, The Hermitage<\/em><\/a>. I\u00a0 thank my wonderful talented dream travel agent, Sandy of You Must Be Wandering<\/em><\/a> for making all the arrangements (if you have a trip in your future by all means contact her)<\/p>\n

I was a little nervous about it being ‘tired” as so many old hotels are but let me tell you from the minute we walked in….it was opulent but understated elegance all the way. With some of the most hospitable hotel staff I have ever encountered..topped off with gorgeous rooms and incredibly comfortably beds (very important) complete with Frette sheets! It was perfect not to mention arriving to a bottle of champagne (sent by a dear reader\/customer) to congratulate me was a beautiful way to get things kicked off!<\/p>\n

We had a wonderful breakfast and spent the day touring all over the place, lunch at Adele’s, getting to walk in and out of several bars\/restaurants (every meal so good, a definite foodie’s town) with live music all along Broadway (that was such a treat) went to the 12th St shopping district and got to see the darling shop Draper James (Reese Witherspoon), stopped by to the Belmont Plantation\/Mansion and of course went to Ryman Hall where there is a lineup of concerts that rivals any major cities venue…wow!<\/p>\n

So much to see and do and we did a bit of everything before we headed the next day to Franklin, here are my highlights (many highlights) Do not read this standing up, grab a seat and a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and take it all in…..LOTS of pictures here!<\/p>\n

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First the amazing Hermitage Hotel-<\/p>\n

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Then out and about in town-<\/p>\n

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Lots of blue and white at Draper James including the darling dressing rooms (above)<\/p>\n

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Love those blue doors and these blue chairs gave me an idea for PB…LOVE!<\/p>\n

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You gotta love a store that not only thinks about pets but thinks about them in blue and white:)<\/p>\n

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Lots of other great places for some “retail therapy”….<\/p>\n

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And along Broadway-<\/p>\n

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Thanks Chef Dave:)<\/p>\n

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How cute are the musical notes bikeracks!<\/p>\n

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Got to hear lots of great voices!<\/p>\n

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Moving along to Fraklin\/Leiper’s Fork-<\/h3>\n

Franklin would be the picture next to the words “perfect charming town” if there were one in the dictionary. I would liken it as a Greenwich,CT meets a small Charleston\/Savannah with a topping of Mayberry….ultra charming, upscale, truly picture perfect.<\/p>\n

For anyone interested in more info found this great article this morning over at the NY Times click here (worth the read<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Fell so in love with this awning above as we waltzed in and out of the most charming shops<\/p>\n

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The next day one of my amazingly kind “mayors of the city” readers\/customers was so kind to take us on the most fabulous tour of the famous Leipers Fork where so many celebs live (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Justin Timberlake, Vince Gill, Taylor Swift, it goes on). This area is a DREAM. Seriously I was ready to\u00a0 move, the most spectacular countryside I have ever seen dotted with some of the most spectacular farms\/homes I have ever seen, jaw dropping beautiful! Here is just a taste…..<\/p>\n

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I was totally fascinated by these incredible stone walls that line the roadways, the history is as fascinating as they are beautiful. These are “dry stack walls” built without any mortar and this is all part of the famous Tennessee Trail where you can trace the steps of Indians back to the 1800’s….totally fascinating!<\/p>\n

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Every single road int his region looks just like this- breathtaking!<\/p>\n

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This amazing wall of stone was built by the Indians along the Natchez Trail (no mortar) and is still standing!!<\/p>\n

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And there is one spectacular home after another…..<\/p>\n

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Had lunch at The Country Boy where you might see Carrie Underwood or Vince Gill having lunch or breakfast right next to the local folks..<\/p>\n

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But this one below my friends,\u00a0 is where I think I could easily move and never look back:)<\/p>\n

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Then we all had lunch in the historic and uber charming Leiper’s Fork and I fell in love with one place in particular, here is a sampling of what we saw….<\/p>\n

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The shop Serenite Mason is amazing, she has a\u00a0 beautiful eye and a spectacular way of merchandising, I could have stayed there for hours!<\/p>\n

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But THIS little place is the one I fell in love with…. the David Arms gallery<\/em><\/a> is where I left my heart, oh my word…what a most beautiful gallery\/shop which was set up in an old barn. It just envelopes you in a most beautifully elegant rustic way. Just an incredibly well curated shop\/gallery.<\/p>\n

Pictures cannot do it justice but when you walk in…it just takes you to another place not to mention he is INCREDIBLY talented and I hope to own one of his works one day soon. It is worth the trip just to go to this wonderful gallery-<\/p>\n

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Step inside-<\/p>\n

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Is this original oil not unbelievable!!<\/p>\n

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These originals were sold (above) but these were giclees, so fabulous!<\/p>\n

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I love this sign “There is a crack in everything, that’s for the light to get in”….ahhh to see the beauty in everything, right on David!<\/p>\n

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Well, friends hopefully this is the next best thing to having been there!! Yes I do believe in taking lots and lots of pictures. Thank you Ann for this most wonderful tour\/lunch! Now here’s my recommendations ya’ll……<\/p>\n

TO STAY-<\/h2>\n

The Hermitage<\/em> <\/a>This ultra elegant hotel is like going back in time with all of today’s moderns amenities Just spectacular main lobby, very spacious, large elegantly appointed rooms, incredibly comfy beds with Frette sheets, wonderful restaurants, spa, gym, and fantastic locations.<\/p>\n

This is most certainly the Grande dame of Nashville hands down. I would love to be back in June for the country music awards, when they will really be hopping but it’s been booked for almost a year:) A special shout out to JR and Bruce, both who went above and beyond the call of duty and made our stay as wonderful as it could have been…you guys are awesome!<\/p>\n

RESTAURANTS-<\/h2>\n

We loved Adeles<\/em> <\/a>for lunch, you can go healthy or not but it was a fun and lively atmosphere, great, convenient location<\/p>\n

The Farmhouse<\/em> <\/a>– Smaller, health conscious, farm to table…smaller plates, but very good and adorable atmosphere<\/p>\n

5th and Taylor<\/em><\/a>-Loved this place. went for dinner, felt like an old airplane hanger, we all had great meals and the atmosphere is fun with a great energy. Daniel Lindley the head chef has received FIVE James Beard nominations..no surprise!<\/p>\n

M.-<\/em><\/a> Loved it here, a eclectic twist on Southern food, heck yea! We loved everything we ate, and it’s no wonder it has received many awards. Chef Dave could not have been nicer, brought out an amazing slab of desserts for us and even a car service back to the hotel. Thanks Chef Dave! And one of my readers who is well connected was sure we got the VIP treatment and we most certainly did:)<\/p>\n

Red Pony<\/em> <\/a>(in Franklin)\u00a0 Sophisticated Southern indeed! A fantastic choice, that was recognized by the James Beard Foundation…every single dish was a home run.<\/p>\n

ACTIVITIES-<\/h2>\n

We hardly did it all and if only we had a few more days:) Nashville is booming and the two tours we tried to get into were booked for the next two weeks so we did some on foot and drove around.<\/p>\n

If you will be in the area in the next weeks run do’t walk to the O’More Showouse,<\/em><\/a> yes it’s that good. So much talent under one roof, this is one of the best showhouses I have been to period. And I am not saying it because I was involved!\u00a0 (more on that tomorrow)<\/p>\n

Waltzing down the famous Broadway which is dotted with endless little cafes\/bars\/restaurants almost all that feature day and night live music. That was such fun to get to hear so many singers, and so many talented ones to boot. I loved going into the shops that sold the cowboys boots and hats…never have seen so many under one roof!<\/p>\n

Of course stopping by the original Ryman Theater<\/em><\/a> and Country Music Hall of Fame<\/em><\/a> , also Johnny Cash Museum (we did not go but you know it’s gotta be good)!<\/p>\n

Visiting Belle Meade Plantation<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The 12 South shopping district, another great little area that has some wonderful shops including Draper James<\/em> <\/a>which was adorable and so “Reese” I especially loved her liberal use of blue and white…..of course:)<\/p>\n

Driving to Franklin (about 25-30 min) and having lunch downtown\/shopping and then driving the Natchez Trail into Leipers Fork<\/p>\n

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Homestead Manor<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

In Franklin\/Leipers Fork-<\/h2>\n

Inspirations on Main<\/p>\n

Scarlett Scales Antiques<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Registry<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

David Arms<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Serenite Mason<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The West and Company<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Copper Fox\u00a0 <\/em><\/a>Where they feature only locally made arts and crafts, so much talent!<\/p>\n

Country Boy Restaurant (where you just might see Keith and Nicole waltz in seated next to a local farmer) yep that’s how they roll……plus we even got to try for the first time fried green pickles!! And they were good:)<\/p>\n

Puckett’s a local favorite,<\/em> <\/a>which gets mighty lively at night, music, food, anything goes!<\/p>\n

By all means be sure you drive along the Natchez Trail..it is spellbindingly beautiful!<\/p>\n

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Well friends needless to say I had a grand ol time…it honestly could not have been better, everything from start to finish was just perfect. I hope I was able to successfully capture the flavor of this amazing experience. On days they called for major storms, we only got a short burst of rain and then the sun came out, it was like someone above was watching over us to insure all went as smooth as a bowl of shrimp\u00a0 and grits.<\/p>\n

I cannot recommend a trip to Nashville\/Franklin enough. So much so that I am talking to my husband about a quick trip there sooner than later, as I know he would love it. To my friends<\/strong> thank YOU for coming along and celebrating with me, it would not have been the same without you by my side. You seriously are the best!!<\/p>\n

A special thanks-<\/h2>\n

Above all the natural beauty, the wonderfully curated shops, the winding storybook roads, majestic gorgeous homes and farms, the outstanding restaurants,\u00a0 it is the people of Nashville\/Franklin who make it what it is. It almost brings tears to my eyes to think of how kind and gracious everyone was…..I felt so happy to have been able to experience that even for 4 short days.<\/p>\n

I cannot thank each and every one of you enough from shopkeepers to waiters, to the amazing hotel staff and all those involved in the show house (especially the doyenne of it all Joanne Haynes) to Susan who sent me a bottle of champagne to my room, to Ann, the most amazing friend\/tour guide, it goes on…..I hope one day you will allow me to reciprocate the kindnesses you bestowed upon me and my friends. I will be forever grateful and hold this special trip near and dear to my heart forever. Thank goodness I have all these pictures to reflect back on. Until we meet again Nashville……<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow, the gorgeous Showhouse!! (click here for info<\/em><\/a>)
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DISCLOSURE- This is a very very long post with a ton of pictures- take a little coffee\/wine break to enjoy…. Hi ya’ll, I am back from Nashville\/Franklin and let me tell you…..it was perfect! I am still on a high and getting to channel my inner Southern belle reminded me that there is NO WHERE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[2214,2212,2221,2217,2209,2224,2215,2208,2222,2223,2220,2216,2218,2213,2211,2219,2210],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40134"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40322,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40134\/revisions\/40322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.enchantedhome.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}