Guided
walking tours of historic downtown Franklin
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 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.
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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.
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 Ghosts
of Franklin
Tennessee's Most Haunted Town
by
Margie Thessin, Franklin on Foot's co-founder and -owner. Margie
literally wrote the book on ghosts in Franklin! 168
pp., 50 photos, trade paperback, Internet special: just $14.95 (Regular
price: $19.95) Click here
to purchase. |
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