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.

Jim and I have been to the Grand Ole Opry Show more times than I can count. And I'm not even that much of a fan of Country music. I like music in general, but very few CDs in my collection are of the Country genre. (Jim's collection is a whole 'nother story.) Sure, I like a lot of individual songs performed by various Country artists, but rarely enough to buy a whole CD of 'em.

That said, I also wasn't introduced to Bluegrass and Folk and other forms of music like that until I moved to Nashville with Jim 7 years ago.

So why in the world would I want to go to the Grand Ole Opry so much, you ask? And how do I justify spending upwards of $50 a ticket for the experience?

Here's the scoop...

Some business friends of ours were contemplating a visit to Nashville in the near future. They wanted to stay somewhere close to downtown and take in all the sights & sounds that Music City has to offer -- over the course of 2 or 3 days.

They asked for some advice. Here's what we recommended...

To date, we've been to the Bluebird more times than we can count.

We are members of their "frequent visitor club". (For example, we used our "special privileges" once to score front row seats for Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Ashley Cleveland, Lari White, and Leslie Satcher on 11/13/2004.)

Open since June of 1982, The Bluebird Cafe features songwriters and acoustic music 7 nights a week, providing a stage for both the newest songwriters in town to play as well as for Nashville's most established writers. The Bluebird is known for helping start the careers of many country artists including Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood and Kathy Mattea. Source

Our first time going to the Bluebird Cafe was July 19, 2001. We were brand spankin' new to Nashville and the Bluebird Cafe was a great first experience.

On a whim, we thought we'd check out the 6pm FREE show -- because a "friend of a friend" was supposed to be performing there.

When we arrived, there weren't any tables left, so we accepted their "best available" seats... at the bar. (This would not be the last time we would find ourselves seated atop tall barstools in the back -- at the bar area -- of the Bluebird Cafe.)

Here's what it was like... to give you some idea of what you can expect if you decided to go to the Bluebird soon.

We have been there many times since this first visit in 2001. It's also a great place to take guests when they're visiting us here in Nashville.

There's been a lot of hustle & bustle going on in and around The Listening Room Cafe lately...

There's been a lot of change in downtown Franklin, TN lately.

It seems like ever since Gray's Drug Store closed up shop a couple of years ago, we've seen a fair amount of turnover among the storefronts lining downtown Franklin.

I guess we can blame it partly on the high rent, and partly on Franklin's unique demographic... among a whole host of other factors I'm sure.

But thankfully, when one business leaves, another one comes in its place.

The latest buzz in Franklin these days is what the new Listening Room Cafe will be like!

Most are excited to see another live music venue coming to downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Word is, the doors will open in February '07.

Here's a funny little story about how TheFunTimesGuide.com led us (from Tennessee) to spend an evening with a really fun couple (from California).

It all started when Beth posted this comment on our site:

"I love your site and all the great information. You and Jim sound a lot like my hubby and me. Hubby plays softball and we are Jeepers too! I am the writer in the family. We are coming to Nashville this summer to scout areas for relocation in two years and your site has really helped a lot. Thank you so much!"

Since both the guys just happen to be wearing Hawaiian shirts (no Cowboy garb for these two!), I just had to share Bud Light's Real American Heroes, "Mr. Hawaiian Shirt Pattern Designer":

If "Live" music in an intimate setting is what you're after, then you've gotta love the Franklin and Nashville Tennessee area!

If you haven't already experienced the services at Bellevue Community Church yourself, then you may be wondering just what it's like at BCC.

One thing's for sure: BCC is definitely not like your average, everyday church. (Our parents will be the first to tell you that!)

But it IS an enjoyable experience... no matter WHAT religious background you're from.

Odds are...

...you WILL have a great time

...you WON'T believe it's over already -- time will go by faster than you'd imagined

...you WILL feel welcomed no matter who you are, where you've been and what you've done in your past

...you WON'T feel pressured to give money

...you WILL walk away feeling certain that Pastor Dave was talking directly to YOU

...you WON'T be raising your arms (unless you're clapping to the beat of a song)

...you WILL be laughing out loud

...you WON'T see people in polyester singing badly

...you WILL feel the beat of the music (some of the best Christian "rock" music mixed with "traditional hymns")

...you WON'T be sitting next to "perfect" people -- they don't go to this church

...you WILL hear Bible-based messages that relate to you... and me... in the "real" world

...you WON'T be contacted by anyone -- your level of involvement in this church is soley up to you

...you WILL feel motivated to take control and make some changes in your life

...you WON'T be able to wait until Sunday rolls around again!

Are You Ready?...

Sound interesting? Sound like fun? Check it out some Sunday! You'll be glad you did.

Nashville's famed Printers Alley is so named because of the large number of printing companies that used to be housed in that alley. In fact, the last printer to leave the alley was Ambrose Printing Company in 1977.

Today, Printers Alley is a Nashville hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Popular sites in the alley include: Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar, the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar, and Lonnie's Western Room -- to name just a few.

It seems quite appropriate that we eventually ended up living in "Music City, USA" since we have a unique appreciation for songwriters, the music industry, and songs that aren't necessarily mainstream. We feel so fortunate to live in such a musically-rich town.

Puckett's Grocery is a little country store that's located in the trendy suburb of Franklin, Tennessee called Leiper's Fork (20 miles southwest of Nashville). They sell a lot more than just groceries... try lobster, deli sandwiches, and music -- lots and lots of live music!

We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame with Jim's parents.

I must admit, while I didn't have the patience to listen to all of the audio tour, and read all of the highlights listed at each display... I thoroughly enjoyed the more "interactive" things like...