On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, a friend and I decided to take a drive out to Arrington Vineyards. 

Just a short 15 minutes from I-65 at the Hwy 96 exit, Arrington Vineyards is a beautiful place situated on a hillside, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of busy Franklin life. 

Located in Arrington, which is an unincorporated town with a Franklin address, the vineyards opened just over a year ago. Arrington Vineyards is owned by several wine connoisseurs, including Country Music artist Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn). 

Since the vineyards are not even a 2 years old yet, there aren’t enough grapes to make all of the wine they offer at this time.  So,  for now, they import grapes from California’s wine country to make most of their selections.  However, all of the wine is made right there, in a separate building behind the wine-tasting lodge.  Among the choices are a number of award-winning wines which are a must-taste.

At the corner of Highway 431 (Lewisburg Pike) and Henpeck Lane sits a sweet Victorian house with a wrap-around porch and a row of gas pumps out in front of it.  

Henpeck Market is one of those establishments I’ve driven by for years but never stopped to see what was inside.  I assumed that, since it was a gas station, there would be a small convenience store inside and nothing more.  

Finally, a couple weeks ago while looking for property for some clients, I decided to pull into the parking lot.  It was noon, and there was literally nowhere to park… the place was packed!  So I found an empty space near the road and headed to the front door. 

As soon as I walked in, I was surprised to see that it was much more than just a little market! 

Don and Jackie Gregory own the place and, yes, there’s a gas station outside and the typical convenience store type merchandise inside, but did you know there is also a café and restaurant?  Oh, and a little gift shop and organic produce section, too?! 

There’s more… soon they’ll even have a post office inside.

I had the pleasure of dining at the new Wild Ginger a few nights ago. 

Wild Ginger
101 Market Exchange Court
Franklin, TN 37067
(615) 778-0081

It’s been open just a few weeks now. The restaurant is located on Market Exchange Court (facing Bakers Bridge) in Cool Springs -- just across from Miles Auto Spa.

The building is a really cool modern structure made of a combination of brick and flat stone. 

There are lots of fun places to eat in Franklin, Tennessee.

Give the wheel a spin, and find a new restaurant to try for a change!

Okay, Mellow Mushroom finally has some competition in the pizza department. (They're still #1 for calzones though.)

We've been doing lots of drive-by's past the Garlic Jim's pizza place lately -- because we've been so eager for Franklin's newest pizza joint to open their doors. That day was officially March 4, 2008.

We went for the first time last night (March 14th).

Garlic Jim's pizza ROCKS!!! Here's why...

Sound appetizing to you?

I'm just checking...

Meredith asked about the best Chinese restaurants in the Brentwood / Cool Springs / Franklin area.

I've been meaning to write about this for awhile, so Meredith, this one's for you...