Sumner real estate: Durham Farms, Millstone come alive in the summer

(Article Click HERE. Bill Lewis, Special to Nashville Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK — TENNESSEE) Home is where the heart is, as the old saying goes, but this summer in two Hendersonville “lifestyle” neighborhoods, it’s also where you can listen to an outdoor concert or learn how to grow herbs and veggies and sample produce grown by local farmers.

“Have fun, get out of the house, and celebrate summer,” said Lacey Edwards, lifestyle director at Durham Farms.

The public is invited to attend upcoming concerts at Durham Farms and agriculture classes at Millstone that will be taught by experts from the University of Tennessee Extension Service. The events are free.

Durham Farms’ summer concert series continues June 2 in one of the pocket parks in the subdivision, located on Drakes Creek Road between Vietnam Veterans Boulevard and Long Hollow Pike. Food trucks, including Cousins Maine Lobster, will be on hand. There will be a petting zoo and a bounce house for kids.

On June 23 another concert will celebrate the grand opening of the community center, named The Farmhouse, which includes a fitness center, a pool, a café and a WiFi hub. It will host community events like happy hours.

At Millstone, being developed by Goodall Homes off Saundersville Road, agriculture experts from the extension service will answer questions about tomato gardens. They’ll also help kids plant tomatoes and peppers, said Jana Pastors, community lifestyle director.

The class is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on June 14, she said.

“Agriculture classes fit the lifestyle and the theme” of Millstone, which is designed around an outdoors lifestyle, said Pastors.

'The kids are running, the adults are relaxing'

On July 24, adults will discuss canning and freezing produce while kids learn about planting seeds and flowers. On Aug. 28, adults will learn about maintaining healthy turf while kids learn how to grow succulents in containers. Classes begin at 6:30 p.m.

“Back in the day, canning was very popular. Now it’s popular again,” said Pastors.

The classes will be held at Millstone’s farm stand, next to the community center. That’s the place where local farmers are periodically invited to offer samples of their produce.

At Durham Farms, other events planned this summer include movie nights and kids’ parties with paint ball and ice cream.

“The kids are running around and the adults are relaxing,” said Edwards.

Hosting concerts and giving local artists a chance to perform makes sense for a neighborhood in Hendersonville, with its rich music industry heritage, said Edwards.

“Live music attracts so many people,” she said.

Durham Farms and Millstone are among a handful of Nashville-area communities with professional lifestyle directors. Others include Goodall Homes’ StoneBridge subdivision in Lebanon and the Waters Edge neighborhood in Franklin, where Pastors plans community activities.

Westhaven the master-planned community in Franklin, and Southern Springs, the new Del Webb active adult community in Spring Hill, also have lifestyle directors.

Durham Farms will eventually have 1,000 homes. Millstone will have 614 homes, including single-family houses, cottage homes, villas and townhomes.