How I Go Columbia: Amy Beth Franks

Amy Beth Franks is all about Five Points. As executive director of the Five Points Association, Franks is the brains behind the hospitality district’s events, including St. Pat’s in Five Points, the annual chili cook-off and the Five After Five concert series, which will have its May installment Thursday night. This month’s concert features The Tarlatans, a Charleston rock band, and Asheville’s RBTS WIN, a sample-based electronic chillwave group. Franks likes to spend time in Five Points for both work and play, but the 28-year-old Rosewood resident likes to get to other parts of the Capital City as well.

EAT: “Saluda’s is hands down the best restaurant in Columbia. My Five Points bias aside, I love it. The food’s amazing. They have a duck dish on the menu (country-fried duck breast) that’s amazing. I also love Terra. All of their pizzas are so good, and they have that beautiful new patio.”

DRINK: “My current obsession is an iced dirty chai from Drip. Literally, it’s my obsession. I go every day.”

PLAY: “I love going to Soda City (local market) on Saturdays. I know that the rest of Columbia does too. I really love Soda City on Saturday mornings. It’s so fun, and I always run into at least one person I know. I also really love Five After Five. We changed it up this year, and it’s really fun. There’s street vendors and arts and crafts, and it actually has become an event that, if I didn’t work, I would make all my friends go with me too. And, of course, I love the river. My dog Oliver and I are down there often.”

LISTEN: “I love going to the Music Farm. I grew up in Charleston and was so used to having that fantastic venue so close, so when the Music Farm opened up here, it was quite a happy day for me. I see so many different types of acts, from reggae to hip-hop.”

SEE: “I love to show off Five Points. When my family comes into town, my mom always loves shopping on Saluda and the fountain. And my first job out of college was in the governor’s office, so I have a special place in my heart for the State House. It’s so nice to walk around the grounds up there; it’s beautiful.”

Amanda C. Coyne

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Amy Beth Franks."