Williamson County, TN

Williamson County and its unique cities have plenty of standouts that make them great. Here are a few of our favorites.

Arrington Vineyards

Kix Brooks isn't just a country music star -- he's a vinter, too.
The musician began Arrington Vineyards in 2005 with businessman Fred Mindermann and winemaker Kip Summers.
It took a couple years to construct the winery in the Arrington community, and bottling the first vintage began in July 2007.
The operation currently sells 12 different wines, including a riesling, merlot, chardonnay, viognier, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and a sweet raspberry.
The wines are sold in fine wine shops throughout New York City, New Orleans, Oregon and Tennessee.
Visitors are welcome to drop by the winery, picnic on the peaceful grounds and sample some vintages.

Golf Above Par

Officials at Sports Illustrated know all about the sixth hole at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club.
In 2009, the national magazine ranked hole No. 6 as one of the 18 greatest golf holes in the country. The hole is a par 3, 171-yard challenge from the back tees, and 131 yards from the ladies tees.
Its star-shaped green is surrounded by bunkers while the entrance is very narrow, making it difficult for any bounce-on shot. The putting surface has several slopes and contours that yield few birdies.
Nashville Golf & Athletic Club in Brentwood is a private course.

Bowie Nature Park

It's one of Williamson County's hidden gems. Bowie Park & Nature Center in Fairview has 722 acres of forest, lakes and trails that provide a idyllic setting for enthusiasts of bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, running, walking and roller blading. For children and their parents, an on-site Treehouse Playground offers safety without sacrificing fun.
The playground has multi-level wooden structures with mazes, interconnecting tunnels, ramps, bridges and ladders. There is also a small tyke area as well as a wheelchair-accessible area.

Carnton Plantation

Carnton Plantation served as a Confederate field hospital with an operating room upstairs during the bloody Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864 -- a monumental battle in the Civil War. Author Robert Hicks memorialized the events of that battle in his bestselling novel The Widow of the South.

The Factory at Franklin

The Factory at Franklin is a 12-building collection of shops, restaurants and galleries created from an old stove factory. A colossal sculpture on display outside The Factory nods to the complex's industrial past, using materials from the former stove factory located there.

Nissan headquarters

When Nissan President/CEO Carlos Ghosn announced in 2005 that the automaker would move its North American headquarters and 1,300 jobs from a Los Angeles suburb to Franklin, it was big news.
Now the carmaker inhabits a 450,000-square-foot,state-of-the-art corporate center in Cool Springs that represents a capital investment in excess of $100 million and incorporates tons of green features.

Puckett's Grocery

Founded by the Puckett family in the 1950s, Puckett's served as a country store to several communities in Williamson County before becoming the beloved "meat and three" the local restaurant chain is best known as today. Today, both the Leiper's Fork Puckett's Grocery and its downtown Franklin sibling focus on classic Southern food -- including legendary burgers  -- and provide an eclectic stage for many of the most talented singers and songwriters in Music City. Puckett’s hefty list of accolades includes includes dozens of local awards as well as mentions in publication like the New York Times Magazine.

Franklin Theatre

The enduring romance with the Franklin Theatre began in the summer of 1937. The marquee spilled onto Main Street inviting citizens countywide to see "Night Must Fall," starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. In the 72 years that followed, life changed dramatically. But the Franklin Theatre stood timeless, becoming one of the most beloved small-town movie houses in the South. Today, the theater is in the process of being restored and preserved as a perfoming arts center for the community.