Guided walking tours of historic downtown Franklin

• History tours

• Civil War tours  

• Ghost tours  

• Ghosts of the Battlefield at the Lotz House Museum 

• Children's tours and activities

• Crime Tours 

• Grave Matters cemetery tour

• Scout programs

• School and home-school programs

• Step-on guide service

• Can't make it to us? We'll come to you with any of our programs. Call for details.

Just minutes south of Nashville, Franklin  is often cited as one of the most beautiful downtowns in the South.  Southern Living Reader's Choice Awards named Franklin #5 Best Small Town in the South for 2009. The National Trust for Historic Preservation honored Franklin as one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2009. For years visitors have come for the charm, often unaware of the rich past that lies just beneath the town's quaint Victorian surface.

More recently, however, visitors have been attracted by Franklin's important and sometimes gruesome history, a  history that is spotlighted in the Civil War novel The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. The book, a 2005 New York Times  bestseller, centers on Carrie McGavock, the mistress of Carnton Plantation before, during and after the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin.

No better way to explore and understand a place...

Our daily Classic Franklin guided walking tour of our historic downtown is the perfect way to peek behind Franklin's charming exterior at the people and events that have shaped this delightful town. 

Our enthusiastic, knowledgeable guides will make your visit to historic Franklin an unforgettable experience, and, for fans of The Widow of the South, introduce you to more of the town that provided the setting and some of the real people who provided the  inspiration for many of the characters in the novel.  

The Widow of the South Tour gives visitors a discount when the downtown Franklin walking tour is taken in conjunction with a tour of Historic Carnton Plantation. 

What they won't mention at the 

Chamber of Commerce!

The  Franklin of today is noted for its wholesomeness and gentility, but sordid tales of rape, murder, abortion, prostitution, bootlegging, murder for hire and more lie in the town's not-too-distant past. In addition, Confederate soldiers, steel magnolias, eccentric doyennes, suicidal businessmen and scandalous women all used to call Franklin home. 

After dark (and sometimes before, too) all of these long departed Franklinites have been known to make appearances in the buildings in downtown Franklin. Sometimes they don't show themselves, but their presence is felt nonetheless. For more information on our very popular ghost tours, click here.

Sallie Carter, pictured here, is one of the socialites rumored to haunt downtown Franklin. Described by a Union soldier as "one of the famous beauties of Middle Tennessee," Sallie surprised everyone with her daring and bravery during the Civil War.

Your hunt for Franklin souvenirs is over!

Franklin on Foot's merchandise is now located at The Shoppes on Main, 413 Main Street. We offer a wide array of Franklin themed  t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and hoodies. We also carry magnets, lapel pins, mugs, books and postcards.  

Click here for more photos of our goodies.

I Spy Downtown Franklin 

I Spy is a fun hands-on and self-guided activity for ages 5-12. 

Children will count objects and find dates, make a brass rubbing and look for details on buildings around the Square and on Main Street. 

The I Spy booklet has 20 activity-filled pages; cost: $7.50 (includes sharpened pencil), and $8.95 (also includes souvenir embroidered patch). I Spy is great for children's birthday parties and scout activities. Parents, you'll enjoy it too! Purchase at The Shoppes on Main.   

Ghosts of Franklin 

Tennessee's Most Haunted Town

by Margie Thessin, one of the founders of Franklin on Foot. She literally "wrote the book" on ghosts in Franklin. 

168 pp., 50 photos, trade paperback, $19.95. Click here to purchase, or locally at The Shoppes on Main, Landmark Booksellers, Lotz House, Coffee Beanery in the Maples, Carnton Plantation, Puckett's Restaurant and Borders Cool Springs.

 Call 615-400-3808 for information and reservations. 

For virtual tour of Franklin, click here. 

Click here to sign up for our E-Newsletter, powered by     Find us on