March Madness inspires a host of spin-off bracket-style contests, and Franklin is in the thick of one such wave: we’ve secured a Final Four spot in Garden and Gun’s “Best Southern Towns” tournament that began with 32 small cities below the Mason-Dixon line. The competition is based on an online readers’ poll.
Garden and Gun magazine, a Southern lifestyle magazine based in Charleston, S.C., launched the poll on March 17 to gage its audience’s favorite American city. The publication says it saw around 700,000 votes cast during the first round.
The Final Four round, which opened today at 9 a.m. and closes tomorrow mid-evening, pits Franklin against Hot Springs, Ark. Previously, Franklin won close battles against Fairhope, Ala., and Florence, Ala. Of the Final Four, Franklin is the only Tennessee town.
If Franklin advances to the championship, the town will be pitted against the winner of Asheville, N.C., and Savannah, Ga., on Wednesday, April 2. Downtown Franklin Association Director Nancy Williams says the organization hopes to partner with local businesses—like the Williamson County Convention & Visitor Bureau and the Franklin Theatre—to host a “tweet off” on Wednesday if Franklin wins.
To submit a vote for “Best Southern Town,” go to gardenandgun.com/article/southern-towns-bracket.
To see what others are saying about the competition, check out the hashtag #SouthernTowns on Instagram and Twitter.