The Fork

Leiper’s Fork. For anyone who’s been to this little spot on the map in Williamson County, that name will likely bring a smile to your face, with the simultaneous thought, “we should go again”. I have a friend who refers to it as her “happy place in Nashville”, and I couldn’t agree with her more. If flashy and booming is your style, it might not have the same appeal to you; for although it does draw a good crowd, it’s the simplicity and (very) small town, rustic charm that endear it to locals and tourists alike.

If you google Leiper’s Fork, the description that pops up is: “an unincorporated rural village”. Seeing it officially described as a village made me fall in love with it even more. Life just moves at a slower pace in the restaurants, antique shops and art galleries that sit along both sides of the few hundred feet of 46W that make up The Fork. Even when things are “busy” (e.g. if you have to park out past the Dukes of Hazard car on the edge of town, or if the Puckett’s outdoor seating area is full of Harley riders or groups of cyclists resting after a long spin on the nearby Natchez Trace), all still feels peaceful. Being there also feels a bit like a refreshing suspension of routine reality—like no one carries their daily stresses there with them, but rather just intentionally enjoys the friendly faces, the aromas of Southern cuisine, and the chance to stroll or sit while having an unhurried conversation. I realized I’ve never noticed speed limit signs at the edge of town (even though I’m sure they’re there); so it’s interesting to me that the traffic just automatically comes to a slow crawl as it approaches and drives through—it is pedestrian friendly which slows drivers down, but, as over-sentimental as it may sound, I swear there almost seems to be a sense of paying respect to a preservation of what we need life to be sometimes: uncomplicated, contented and carefree.

On out past Leiper’s Fork about 15 minutes is a small community called Santa Fe where my dad owned several acres with a pond and a dilapidated barn on it all during my growing up years. My dream as a child was to live out in the country, so I incessantly begged my parents to build a house on the land. Even though we never did build on the property, we would often go out there for picnics or to buy sweet treats at the old country store close by (which was next to a little white church and a community center). Those 3 buildings joined by a gravel road, nestled below rolling hills, and set back from a bubbling creek, are to this day my favorite place on earth. So, countless times over the years, on a blue-sky, sunny day, I have gotten up early, stopped for a coffee, rolled down the windows, turned up the music, and made the drive from wherever I’m living in Nashville, down Old Hillsboro Rd, through Leiper’s Fork, and on out towards Santa Fe. Sometimes I’ll sit at the picnic table by the creek and read and soak in the stillness and beauty; or, if time is short, I’ll turn around and head right back home. The joy for me is as much in the journey; the time to think and pray and sing on that length of road through the picturesque countryside delights and renews my soul. So although I’ve driven through Leiper’s Fork more often than I’ve actually stopped there, it is still a big piece of the puzzle of my most cherished stretch of Tennessee geography.

So if you’ve somehow never made it to Leiper’s, I highly recommend a cheeseburger from Puckett’s–I enjoy it best on a Saturday from 12-2pm with live music (and if you have a hearty appetite, start earlier with breakfast across the street at The Country Boy). Try to make it too to a live concert at the Lawnchair Theater (cozy, outdoor venue with white lights strung above the small grass seating area), or to the bustling Chili Cookoff in October. Regardless of what is or isn’t going on when you make it there, I promise you will still experience the essence of what keeps drawing us all back; and then you’ll find yourself wanting to go back too. 🙂