In Gallatin, home is not a single structure or address. It is a living, breathing ecosystem of history, land, family, and hospitality. For Ashley Cline Cook, home is both deeply personal and deliberately shared. It is found in the creak of original hardwood floors at Historic Stonewall, in the laughter of families gathered for milestone weekends in her short term rentals, and in the soft bleating of goats under the moonlight on her hillside farm.
Ashley Cline Cook is a hometown girl through and through, though her name itself tells a story of evolution and return. In a world full of Ashleys, her individuality took shape as Cline, the maiden name that followed her from childhood onward. It carried her through sports, friendships, and the formative years of early adulthood, becoming the name people used and remembered. When she married her high school sweetheart, Matt Cook, she made a conscious decision to drop her middle name and restore Cline to her identity, ensuring that those from every chapter of her life could still find her. That instinct to create connection, continuity, and belonging has shaped every chapter of her life.
Many Hats, One Center
Today, Ashley wears many hats: real estate broker and co-owner of LOCAL 615, Airbnb host and founder of Gallatin Stays, farm owner, preservation steward, MBA graduate, certified Master Small Ruminant Producer, mother of three, and former elite collegiate athlete. Yet despite the pace and pressure of these roles, she remains grounded by a singular truth.
“Home grounds me from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in town,” she says.
That grounding began early. Growing up in a country subdivision, Ashley dreamed of space. Room to move, land to work, animals to love, and freedom from close neighbors. It was never about escape, it was about intention. That dream eventually led her and Matt to their current farm property, where underbrush once overtook logged land and possibility waited patiently underneath.
But before the goats, before the farm was named, before Gallatin Stays hosted more than 527 stays since 2022, Ashley’s path home wound far beyond Sumner County before it came back home.
Competition, Community, and Coming Home
Ashley was born competitive. It carried her all the way to the University of Tennessee, where she became a Lady Vol softball player and made history as part of the team, scoring the first run ever in program history at the Women’s College World Series in 2005.
The discipline, resilience, and team first mindset forged in that environment never left her. The pressure of balancing academics, athletics, and performance at the highest level shaped how she approaches everything today: with commitment, urgency, and an all or nothing mentality.
It also shaped how she sees community.
“When I was in college, not many people knew Gallatin,” she reflects, “Now, after traveling many roads, I love sharing Gallatin and representing it well.”
That pride is the throughline in her work, especially in the way she welcomes others into the town she knows so intimately.
Gallatin Stays: Hospitality Rooted in Purpose
Ashley’s entry into short term rentals was not trend driven. It was personal and strategic. As a real estate agent and now broker and co-owner of LOCAL 615 alongside partner Josie Parsons, she and Matt understood early that, as business owners rather than traditional W-2 employees, they needed to invest intentionally in their family’s future.
That first investment opportunity came shortly after the pandemic through a long standing friendship. The timing was right, the vision was clear, and Gallatin Stays was born.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call our properties unique,” Ashley explains, “I’d call them affordable and economically focused.”
That focus proved prescient. Gallatin does not attract tourists looking for nightlife, it attracts people coming home. Families visiting for weddings, births, funerals, graduations, and reunions. Professionals working long term local contracts with TVA, Servpro, or META, people house hunting and people needing a place that feels steady during moments that matter.
Two of Ashley’s earliest short term rentals held particular meaning, properties her grandmother had rented for decades but never owned. Naming them Soles on Factory, a nod to the historic Genesco shoe factory, and Soles at Mema’s, Ashley quietly reclaimed a piece of family legacy.
“Ownership matters,” she says, “It became a personal mission.”
That same reverence for place would soon extend to one of Gallatin’s most significant historic homes.
Historic Stonewall: Preserving the Past, Hosting the Present
Managing Historic Stonewall is unlike any other hosting experience. At 5,600 square feet, the home sleeps 15 or more and stands as a preserved reflection of Sumner County’s past. Owned by the Sumner County Museum under Ryan Baker’s stewardship, nearly all proceeds from overnight stays are reinvested into its ongoing upkeep and preservation.
“This initiative is entirely about preservation,” Ashley explains.
While modern necessities occasionally require updates, the home remains as close as possible to its original state when acquired from the Garrett family. Grants and fundraising have fueled year over year improvements, allowing guests to experience history not as a museum exhibit, but as a livable space.
One of the first families to stay at Historic Stonewall arrived for Christmas. They have returned every year since.
That, Ashley believes, is the magic of hospitality done right.
“It’s quite a transition going from co-hosting an 800 square foot rental to managing a 5,600 square foot home,” she laughs, “But it’s worth it.”
Moonlight, Goats, and the Rhythm of Farm Life
At home, however, Ashley’s world quiets into a different rhythm.
Technically named Rock Bridge Farm, the property sits where an original rock bridge once defined the land. But Ashley’s Instagram handle, @moonlightfarmHER, tells the truer story. Farm chores completed after dark, in the moonlight, while balancing three kids and full time careers.
Her goats came first as a practical solution. After experimenting with a mini LaMancha, Ashley landed on Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, ideal for the farm’s steep hillside terrain and manageable enough to handle solo in emergencies. Their high butterfat milk, structural soundness, and undeniable charm sealed the deal.
During kidding season, Ashley occasionally sells milk for pet consumption and looks ahead to exploring cheese and soap making. The farm is also home to mature laying hens and two steadfast Great Pyrenees livestock guardians, Cotton and Opal.
Farm life offers balance, not rest, but purpose.
“My quiet moments come during chores and feeding animals,” she says, “And nothing beats hot coffee on the front porch any time of year.”
Family at the Center
Home, ultimately, is defined by family.
Ashley and Matt, both Gallatin originals and Gallatin High School graduates, met young, reconnected after ten years, and married in 2012. Together, they are raising Tucker, 12, Vidye, 11, and Mack, 4, surrounded by extended family and shared responsibility.
“I couldn’t imagine living away from our family,” Ashley says, “I wouldn’t be able to manage everything I do without my husband.”
Matt, now owner of ABC Septic Services, purchased the business from Ashley’s father a few years ago. A full circle moment that mirrors much of their life together. This year, they plan to build their forever home on his family farm just down the road, with hopes that their current property will pass to future homesteaders.
Ashley jokes that home is her happy place, even with spotty cell and WiFi service. She proudly chauffeurs life in her big black taxi cab Yukon, cheering on sports, welcoming goat kids, and watching her children choose outdoor creativity over screens. These are the moments that matter.
Rooted Real Estate, Real Belonging
In real estate, Ashley’s lifelong heart for Gallatin gives her an edge no algorithm can replicate.
“When clients describe what they want, I already know where to look,” she says, “Not from a dropdown menu, but from living here my entire life.”
That instinct fuels her passion for helping visitors become residents, and residents become neighbors. It also fuels the next chapter – the launch of LOCAL 615 Brokerage in December 2025, expanding into short and long term rental management and a distinctive staging offering for fellow agents.
Through it all, Gallatin remains the constant.
“We invest here because we know here,” Ashley says, “We build here because it’s home. And we raise our family here because we believe it’s the best place in the world.”
In a town defined by history, land, and loyalty, Ashley Cline Cook has quietly mastered the art of belonging and inviting others into it. Whether through a preserved historic home, a thoughtfully hosted stay, or a moonlit farm chore, she reminds us that home is not just where you live. It is where you are known.
“Home is not just a place, it is the feeling you create when people walk through the door together inside.”
“Whether hosting families or raising animals, creating home means offering care, continuity, and belonging during life’s meaningful moments for everyone.”