Spring Hill

Although new subdivisions with upscale housing are starting to change its rural landscape, Bethesda maintains a small town attitude. “I think the small community, the schools, the people, just the homelines of it, and the welcoming feeling you get when you meet someone else,” says long-time resident Joyce Smith about Bethesda’s appeal. During the summers, the Bethesda United Methodist Church is among the institutions that invites neighbors to mingle over homemade ice cream. Several local farmers also grow crops like tomatoes and corn that they deliver to residents who have placed orders of fresh produce. Some might even come home and surprisingly find what Smith calls “a mess of corn” hanging on their door knobs. “We still have families that run the farms. We still have farmers that still cut hay and raise big gardens. With their gardens, they share with their neighbors. It’s a great place to live,” says Smith, who spent decades writing for several community newspapers. “I just think we’re a great community, and we have great people.” Lush and vast farmland dominate the areas around Bethesda-Duplex and Bethesda roads. Long stretches of fences border multi-acre lots with homes ranging from ranch-style houses to modern brick Traditionals. Groups of round hay bales and barns occupy the other parts of these rural lots. The rural lands feature a mixture of open fields and dense groups of mature trees. A row of towering pines line a section of Bethesda-Duplex. Despite some of the remaining rural scenery, subdivisions with upscale housing have increasingly popped up across the Bethesda area. The new houses have also made up most of what’s gone on the market recently. Primarily exhibiting Traditional traits, they measure more than a few thousand square feet and occupy lots ranging from a third of an acre to over an acre. Some of these houses show Greek touches like first and second floor porches with white columns. Many of these houses run between $1 million and $1.5 million. New townhouses with similar styles can also run between $500,000 and $600,000. Operating since 1879, the Bethesda Market & Deli is a staple for groceries, meats and prepared meals like burgers and pizza. “The Bethesda Market’s pizza, I’d put it up against any of the larger name pizzas,” Smith says. “They’re just friendly people. You enjoy going and doing business with them.” The market prepares plates and to-go boxes of down home fare like shredded pork with sides of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. For more shopping options, Spring Hill to the west is a typical destination. The small city’s Crossings of Spring Hill shopping center is home to a Target, several chain restaurants and the AMC Classic Spring Hill 12 movie theater. On Saturdays during the summer, churches throughout the community put on ice cream socials — or suppers, as those in Bethesda call them — where goers can also enjoy grilled burgers and hot dogs. The socials involve charity auctions, during which the organizers raffle off items ranging from homemade cakes and pies to flowers donated by the Riverbend Nurseries. “All kinds of things are donated to the auction,” says Williamson County Commissioner Betsy Hester, whose district includes Bethesda. “It’s fun to go see what’s been donated, and it’s fun to bid because you’re bidding for a good cause.” Williamson County also hosts the Tennessee Renaissance Festival, which occurs over many days in May. Goers decked out in renaissance wear can pose for photos in front of the impressive Castle Gwynn or grab turkey legs from the food booths. Other entertainment includes horse-mounted performers clad in armor. The Bethesda Park and Recreation Center houses several facilities like a basketball gym, sand volleyball court and baseball fields. With baseball being a major activity here, the site often hosts games. Children also enjoy burning off energy at its playground. Liberty Park close to Franklin to the north spans 85 acres with more baseball fields and a 10-hold disc golf course. Williamson County also has plans to build a new recreation center in Bethesda. The facility’s amenities will include a senior citizen space and more ballparks. Children and teens in Bethesda have access to several highly rated schools. Younger students can start at Bethesda Elementary, which received an A grade from ratings site Niche. The rating platform ranks Bethesda Elementary as among the top 50 best public elementary schools in the state. Students can then attend Thompson’s Station Middle School and Summit High School, which received A and B-plus grades respectively from Niche. Niche ranks Thompson’s Station Middle as the fourth best public middle school in Tennessee. The middle school’s extracurricular activities include a Battle of the Books team and a Video Game Creation Club. Battle of the Books challenges participants to read a list of books and involves competitions against other middle school teams. The community also remains involved in school matters, with the Bethesda Masonic Lodge being among the local groups that regularly raises scholarship funds for students. “The communities around Bethesda are all very small, including the schools. That means parents become friends, all the kids know each other and their siblings, and close relationships are common,” says Matt Bogosian, Realtor with Kerr & Co. Realty, who’s made many sales in Bethesda and its neighboring communities. Bethesda-Duplex Road runs directly to Spring Hill, which is about 8 miles west of the community. Bethesda Road connects to U.S. Highway 431, which runs to Franklin about 15 miles north of Bethesda. Downtown Nashville is about 33 miles north of Bethesda. Commuters in Bethesda take Interstate 65 west of the community to reach both the Music City and the Nashville International Airport, the latter of which is about 35 miles north of the community. The Williamson Medical Center in Franklin sits 15 miles north of Bethesda.