Our Stay in Franklin, NC

North Carolina

Driving to Franklin, NC

After leaving Greeneville, TN, it was only a 2.5-hour drive to Franklin, South Carolina. We arrived at our Airbnb right after check-in, but the drive up to the parking lot was an adventure. The cottage was on a hill, and the entrance was gravel with a steep drop-off. This kind of excitement was a little much for me, so I hopped out of the car before my husband effortlessly parked it.

Our First Rainy Days in Franklin, NC

We discovered our current Airbnb didn’t have WiFi! Somehow, we missed this information when we booked. However, we have unlimited WiFi usage with our phone plan, so we will manage. I prefer to work on my laptop, though, so I get my stuff to my phone via AirDrop. This way, I can still post pictures, my daily logs, and exercises to Instagram and Strava.

In the late afternoon, the weather had improved, and I went out for a short stroll. Our neighborhood is quite hilly, so I got quite a cardio workout! And I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the mountains on top of the hill!

The next day, we had another chilly and rainy morning, although the weather cleared again in the afternoon. I took my camera and walked around in this beautiful Swiss Colony neighborhood. Spring just started here in the mountains.

Bartram's Path to a Magnificent View

Finally, the day started without rain, so we headed out to hike part of the Bartram Trail in the area. We hiked a 5-mile section, an out-and-back route starting in Franklin. The trail is named after naturalist William Bartram, who explored this area in the 1770s.

The trail from Wallace Branch to William’s Pulpit began with a beautiful waterfall and continued through the forest, following the Trimont Ridge. The hike turned out to be a great workout, with a steep incline of at least 1,000 feet over about 2 miles. We even added more elevation by hiking an additional half-mile past William’s Pulpit to reach today’s highest point!
And as we expected, we were rewarded with magnificent views at the mountaintop.

Our Favorite Trail in Franklin, SC

One of Franklin, SC’s suggestions was to walk the trail, “The Little Tennessee River Greenway.” We were pleased to have this well-maintained, approximately 5-mile-long trail, conveniently located near our Airbnb. Since the trail was also perfect for both short and long runs, we came back a couple of times.

The Library, A Traveler's Best Friend

We started the day early, being active! Many locals were also enjoying the Little Tennessee River Greenway.

After returning home and taking a shower, we spent the day at the local library. We both wanted steady Internet access to complete some administrative tasks and catch up on our phone messages. As we experienced during our travels, most libraries offer these services at no cost.

Time flew by! The desk chairs were comfortable and quiet, allowing us to complete a significant amount of paperwork. Back home, Hemmes continued to explore the area curiously and afterward comfortably relaxed outside with us in the shade, enjoying the cool breeze.

A Sunday Stroll Through Downtown Franklin, NC

We visited Franklin to get a more complete impression of the town – so far, we had only seen some houses in the hills and the greenway. We couldn’t enjoy lunch in one of the many restaurants or do some souvenir shopping; everything was closed today.

However, Franklin is a quaint little town with an old-fashioned main street. Since the city sits at the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, it serves as an oasis for Appalachian thru-hikers who come here to resupply or take a zero-day break. Hopefully, they also take a much-needed shower, as we could smell the AT hikers on the trail from a distance!

From The Trail to The Library

We started our day early with a run and walk on the greenway. At 2.5 miles, we walked back to the parking lot together, just in time to avoid the rain pouring down! In the afternoon, we returned to the library. This time it wasn’t that quiet! We received some important confirmations: Hemmes was allowed to stay in the hotel in Illinois and board the plane to the Netherlands.

On my third visit to the library, I decided to walk, as the weather was lovely. My main goal was to organize and label the photos from our last four months of traveling across the USA. I needed the library’s Internet to connect with Strava so I could figure out exactly where we were on each day.

Saying Goodbye to Franklin, NC

Our time in Franklin, NC, was coming to an end. With a long drive ahead, we packed up most of our things today so we could get an early start tomorrow. Afterwards, we took a final walk along the river and said our goodbyes to this wonderful part of North Carolina.

The next day, we were up and ready to leave by 7 am. I won’t miss the lack of Internet and poor phone reception, which occasionally left me feeling isolated. The fact that the cottage looked like a 40-year-old time capsule only added to that eerie feeling. Still, we loved the cottage’s location in the North Carolina mountains and cherished our time here.

Franklin’s Airbnb was the last rental of our 2022 spring travels as we prepared to take a five-month break from our 2022 adventures to reconnect with family and friends. However, before taking the break, we had a long two-day drive ahead of us to get back home to Watertown, South Dakota.