Nashville - Things to Do - South from Nashville

As you head southeast from Nashville, large nineteenth-century plantation homes line US-31 between suburban Brentwood and the historic town of FRANKLIN , eighteen miles out. One of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War occurred here on November 30, 1864, when 8500 men fell in less than an hour. Despite forcing the Union troops back to Nashville, huge losses meant that the Southerners could not follow up their victory. Among several strategic buildings open to visitors is Carnton Plantation (AprilOct MonSat 9am5pm, Sun 15pm; NovMarch MonSat 9am4pm, Sun 14pm; $7; tel 615/794-0903), about a mile southeast of the town on Hwy-431, a former Confederate hospital where bloodstains are still visible on the floor. The town's entire fifteen-block center, now full of antique and specialty shops, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Several country stars favor the area, among them Billy Ray Cyrus, who owns a 400-acre ranch outside the town.