Penny’s Trip to Franklin: A Dog-Friendly Vacation

Hi, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my spunky Chihuahua mix, Penny. 

My husband and I recently took a trip up to Nashville, Tennessee for a concert. We decided that since we would only be gone 24 hours, it would be easier and cheaper just to bring Penny with us. But I don’t really like staying in Nashville because it’s so expensive and so crowded. So we decided to stay about 30 minutes outside of Nashville in Franklin.

This was our second or third time staying in Franklin, but until we brought Penny along with us on this trip, I didn’t realize how dog-friendly it was. There were pups of all shapes and sizes everywhere! I think Penny actually had a great time. Here’s a little bit about Penny’s trip to Franklin, Tennessee.

The Day We Arrived

We arrived on a Saturday, but we were a little early, so we couldn’t check into our hotel until around 3:00 p.m. So we had to find something dog-friendly to do to kill some time and so Penny could get out of the car for a little while after the long ride. The South, and Tennessee in particular, is full of Civil War sites and history, and we were able to find Fort Granger, a 20-acre park that was the site of a Union fort during the Civil War.

The fort no longer stands, but you can still get out and walk around where it was and read some of the informational signs that tell about the history of the site. We thought it might be a good place to get out and walk Penny, but we weren’t sure if it was dog-friendly, as it didn’t really specify. But as soon as we pulled up, we saw another little dog about her size as well.

So we got out and let Penny walk around while my husband and I read all the signs and Penny smelled all the smells. It was a good way to pass the time we needed to pass until our room was ready.

The Hotel

We stayed at an Aloft hotel by Marriott, and I booked it because it had the cheapest pet fee of all the hotels in the area. But I was surprised at just how pet-friendly it was. When we checked in, there were even treats for dogs in the lobby.

Penny never seems to mind staying in hotels, and when we got to the room, she made herself right at home and seemed quite content. Well, except for when one of the hotel staff came into the room to fix our TV. She was not too happy about the stranger. But she only gave him a few barks, he fixed our TV and left, and all was good again.

Unfortunately, when it was time to go to the concert, she obviously couldn’t go to the concert with us. But we set up her crate, which we always bring when we travel with her, and she happily went right into it until we got back.

The Next Day

When it was time for us to leave Franklin the next day, we decided to go somewhere for breakfast since we would’ve had to buy breakfast at the hotel anyway. But we had to find a dog-friendly breakfast place where we could take Penny because I never leave her in the car by herself (and it was way too hot to do that anyway).

Luckily, there were several dog-friendly breakfast places with outdoor patios. We decided to go to Ruby Sunshine, a brunch restaurant with four locations here in the South. We had never been there before though, we only picked it because not only were they dog-friendly, but they also had a menu just for dogs.

We had to wait a bit for a spot on the patio to open up, and while we waited, we saw lots of dogs walking around downtown Franklin. Several of the stores allowed dogs as well, which was really nice. But Penny was just having fun sniffing all the flowers.

When our table was ready, we asked our server for a dog menu. They offered complimentary water or a dog slushy (water with ice). The food options for dogs were a doggy omelet with eggs, cheddar cheese, green peppers, and chicken sausage, doggy pancakes (pupcakes) with bananas and strawberries, and a puppyccino made with whipped cream, bacon, and blueberries.

We decided on the pupcakes for Penny. She was brought two pancakes with bananas in them topped with strawberries. They were huge pancakes compared to Penny. She was only able to eat one of them, but she sure did enjoy them, and we took the other one with us in case she got hungry on the way home.

Franklin Is Very Dog-Friendly

I love traveling with Penny as much as possible. It’s just so much easier. So I love it when I find out a city is more dog-friendly than I anticipated. I just love that I travel somewhere with her and not be as limited to the places we can go just because we have a dog.

I’m sure there are plenty more dog-friendly places in and around Franklin and Nashville, but these are just the ones we found in our short, 24-hour trip. I highly recommend you look into Franklin yourself if you’re looking to travel somewhere with your dog!