What began with a bicycle ride became a 22-year journey of bringing neighbors together, creating traditions and making life a little sweeter.
In 2004, Amy Law was pedaling through Franklin, Tennessee, when she came upon Westhaven, a brand-new neighborhood being developed by Southern Land Company. Something about its welcoming front porches, charming streets and promise of small-town living captured her imagination.
“I either want to live there or work there,” she remembers thinking.
The following Sunday, while browsing the newspaper classifieds, Amy spotted an advertisement for an activities director at Westhaven. She applied, got the job and began what she thought might be a brief change of pace from her career in therapeutic recreation.
Twenty-two years later, she's still here. And the community she discovered on that bicycle ride has grown from approximately 50 homeowners to more than 2,700 homes, along with a remarkable collection of amenities, activities and cherished neighborhood traditions.
Through it all, Amy has played an important role in bringing neighbors together and helping Westhaven become a place where friendships come naturally.
It Started With Coffee on the Porch
In those early days, Westhaven didn't have all the swimming pools, fitness centers or a calendar filled with concerts and celebrations found here today. But Amy had something just as important: a pot of coffee, a few pastries and an idea.
Every Friday morning at 6 a.m., she would set up refreshments on the porch of the community's sales trailer and invite residents to stop by.
Before long, neighbors were gathering over coffee, swapping stories and discovering shared interests. Someone mentioned starting a book club. Another suggested a golf outing. A musician volunteered to perform a concert.
Little by little, those simple conversations grew into lasting relationships and beloved neighborhood traditions.
"That's where these relationships were born," Amy recalls.
Today, Coffee on the Porch remains a Westhaven tradition, joined by a wonderful variety of resident clubs, social gatherings and special events. And the philosophy behind it all remains wonderfully simple: Bring people together, listen to what they love and help good things happen.
Where Every Day Brings Something to Enjoy
At Westhaven, it's easy to imagine a Saturday that begins with a morning walk along a scenic nature trail, continues with an afternoon by the pool and ends with live music under the Tennessee sky.
The community's thoughtfully planned amenities make those moments part of everyday life. Residents enjoy four swimming pools, inviting clubhouse spaces, a fitness center and movement studio, an art center, playgrounds and nine miles of nature trails. The championship Westhaven Golf Club offers another favorite setting for recreation and camaraderie.
Amy's work focuses on helping residents discover ways to enjoy those beautiful spaces together.
Friday evening concerts invite families to spread out on the lawn, enjoy music and grab dinner from a food truck while the children play nearby. Fitness classes and walking groups encourage healthy habits with a social side. Art activities, movie gatherings, book clubs and pickleball offer countless opportunities to discover new interests and new friends.
For families with children, summer camps, poolside activities and playgroups bring the fun close to home.
Amy sometimes describes the experience as having the pleasures of a resort built right into your neighborhood.
The difference? At the end of the day, you're already home.
Making Connections That Last
One of Amy's favorite examples of Westhaven's neighborly spirit began when a popular water aerobics instructor stopped teaching.
Rather than let the program disappear, two participating residents became certified instructors themselves. With support from the lifestyle team, they kept the classes going.
Today, approximately 50 residents gather at the pool three mornings a week for exercise, laughter and friendship.
It's the kind of story Amy loves because it illustrates what makes Westhaven special.
"I think we listen to them and we make it easy," she says.
That means helping neighbors discover shared passions, providing spaces for gatherings and making it simple to participate. Beginners can take pickleball lessons before joining a game. Residents can organize their own clubs with support from the community team. New homeowners can explore activities and events through the Westhaven app.
And there's never any pressure to join in.
Some residents fill their calendars with activities. Others are perfectly content enjoying a peaceful walk or a glass of wine on the front porch as evening settles over the neighborhood.
There's room for both, and every lifestyle in between.
A Community With a Heart of Its Own
For Amy, some of the most rewarding moments have little to do with the events themselves.
She's watched children grow up, families celebrate milestones and new neighbors find friendships that make an unfamiliar place feel like home. She's also seen the difference a welcoming community can make for people entering a new chapter of life, including those who have lost a spouse.
That caring spirit extends well beyond Westhaven's streets.
Through the resident-created Westhaven Foundation, homeowners volunteer, support local causes, provide scholarships and help neighbors throughout Franklin and Williamson County. Annual favorites such as PorchFest have become celebrations that residents eagerly anticipate and proudly call their own.
Amy is quick to credit the homeowners, along with Southern Land Company's original vision, for the community's enduring success.
"I think that's key," she says of residents feeling a sense of ownership.
It's a spirit that can't simply be included on a list of amenities. It grows from shared experiences, familiar faces and the little gestures that make people feel welcome.
Sharing the Westhaven Spirit
Today, Amy also serves as Regional Director of Community Management for Southern Land Company, drawing on more than two decades of experience to help shape lifestyle programming across the developer's growing portfolio of single-family communities. Her responsibilities currently include Westhaven, Fairington in Tennessee and Westerly in Colorado, building on previous involvement with other SLC communities, including LaurelBrooke in Franklin. While each neighborhood has its own distinctive personality, Amy's approach remains rooted in the same philosophy that helped Westhaven flourish: listening to residents, bringing people together and creating opportunities for meaningful connections.
Each community has its own personality, and Amy's approach is shaped by the people who call it home. But the lessons she learned over coffee on that sales trailer porch continue to inspire her work.
Back at Westhaven, she still plays a hands-on role in planning the activities and celebrations residents have come to love.
And after more than two decades, she remains delighted by the friendships, traditions and unexpected moments that continue to unfold.
Perhaps that's one of the most appealing things about Westhaven. Beautiful homes and remarkable amenities may first catch your eye. But it's the warm smiles, spontaneous conversations and friendships waiting just beyond your front door that make it a place you'll love to call home.
Discover the homes, amenities and welcoming spirit of Westhaven in Franklin, Tennessee, at WesthavenTN.com.
