Your 48-Hour Christmas Itinerary in Franklin, Tennessee

Dickens of a Christmas is the centerpiece of Franklin's holiday season. Historic Main Street provides a perfect stage for an event which features many folks dressed as characters in Charles Dickens’ novels including the Ghost of Christmas Past, Ebenezer Scrooge and others from the classic A Christmas Carol. Combined with approximately 200 performers of all kinds playing accordions and singing Christmas carols, as well as vendors offering everything from handcrafted ornaments to warm cider, you will find all you need in downtown Franklin to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. A massive Christmas tree towers over the festivities and you won't venture far without seeing a live Christmas music performance like a minstrel quartet and violinists.

• Parking Info: Free all-day parking is available at the 2nd Avenue South and 4th Avenue South garages. For the festival, a "Park & Ride" shuttle typically runs from Harlinsdale Farm and Franklin High School for a small fee ($1 per person).
• Accessibility Options: Public transit shuttles are ADA-accessible. The downtown core is flat and paved, though very crowded during peak hours.
• Operation Hours: Generally the second weekend of December; Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM and Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM.
• Christmas Highlights: Victorian costumed characters (Scrooge, Marley), a whiskey lounge hosted by Leiper’s Fork Distillery, and 200+ street performers.  

While in town, be sure to catch one of the Christmas movies in Historic Franklin Theatre's lineup running through December. This iconic theater first opened in 1937, and after an extensive renovation orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, the Franklin Theatre of today remains as much a centerpiece of the historic downtown as it was in its pre-World War II heyday. Local tip: Concerts, regularly held in the evenings, can be a hot ticket due to the limited seating and intimate setting of the theater. Look well ahead of your arrival to town for tickets to ensure yourself a seat. 

• Parking Info: Less than a 5-minute walk from both the 2nd and 4th Avenue free public garages.
• Accessibility Options: Fully ADA compliant with an elevator to the balcony level, accessible restrooms, and designated seating areas.
• Operation Hours: Box office hours vary; movies and concerts typically run late afternoon through evening.
• Christmas Highlights: A 1937 Art Deco masterpiece that screens holiday classics (like It’s a Wonderful Life) and hosts intimate Christmas concerts.

The Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade is a must-experience this holiday season. Held in the charmingly rustic village of Leiper's Fork, the Christmas Parade an eccentric Christmas parade that is bursting with holiday kitsch. Everything from vintage trucks and potbelly pigs to cowboys and old farm equipment are fair game as floats here. 

• Parking Info: Ample parking is provided in a large grass field as you enter the village; local volunteers direct traffic. Note: There is only one main road in/out, so arrive at least a couple hours early to avoid gridlock.
• Accessibility Options: The parade route is along a flat two-lane road, but parking is in a grassy field which may be difficult for some wheelchairs if the ground is soft.
• Operation Hours: Typically held the second Saturday in December at 2 PM.
• Christmas Highlights: Famous for being "wacky" and "kitschy"—expect farm equipment, potbelly pigs, vintage trucks, and "snow" machines.  

Any visit to Historic Franklin begins in its preserved downtown, and any trip downtown begins at Frothy Monkey. Originally a 12South Nashville staple, Frothy Monkey opened its downtown Franklin location and quickly became a local favorite. With a menu that will satisfy and seasonal coffee blends that are roasted in Nashville, it’s easy to see why. For so many living in and visiting Franklin, Frothy Monkey is the first-stop fuel up spot for work or play.

• Parking Info: Limited street parking; use the 4th Avenue South garage for the easiest access (3-minute walk).
• Accessibility Options: Ground-level entry with accessible indoor and outdoor seating.
• Operation Hours: Daily 7 AM – 8 PM (9 PM on Fri/Sat).
• Special Highlights: Housed in a charming historic cottage; try their seasonal holiday lattes and locally roasted coffee.

For brunch (served daily until 2:30 p.m.), lunch and dinner, pop into Culaccino Italian Restaurant and Bar for made-from-scratch pastas, an extensive wine menu and delicious desserts. You can't go wrong with their woodfired pizzas and craft cocktails as well. Local ingredients are sourced from nearby farms in Murfreesboro, Leiper's Fork and McEwen, Tennessee.

• Parking Info: Located near the 4th Avenue garage. Street parking is also available on 4th Ave N.
• Accessibility Options: Fully accessible modern facility with wide aisles and an accessible patio.
• Operation Hours: Lunch/Dinner Daily (11 AM – 9/10 PM); Brunch served until 2:30 PM.
• Special Highlights: Features scratch-made pastas and an outdoor patio with a large fire pit, perfect for a chilly December evening.

If you're looking for a cozy place to grab dinner, visit Red Pony Restaurant for flavorful dishes like shrimp and grits, smoked bison short rib and grilled salmon. Start off your meal with a bang by ordering the succulent grilled lamb chops, pork belly Brussels sprouts and the stuffed poblano pepper.

• Parking Info: Conveniently located near the 4th Avenue South free public parking garage (about a 2-minute walk). Street parking is also available and free after 5 PM and on weekends.
• Accessibility Options: The first floor and main bar area are ground-level and fully accessible. Note: There is no elevator to the second-floor dining room or cocktail lounge; guests with mobility concerns should specifically request first-floor seating when making reservations.
• Operation Hours: Dinner is served Mon–Thu 5 PM – 9 PM and Fri–Sat 5 PM – 10 PM. The bar opens at 4 PM (Mon–Sat). Closed on Sundays.
• Local Tip: The restaurant typically closes for a few days during Christmas week (often Dec 23–27), so check their holiday calendar before visiting.

Anyone who has strolled Main Street in Franklin will recognize Gray's on Main’s iconic neon sign. Formerly the Gray Drug Co., a pharmacy that operated in this building for nearly 100 years, in 2013 it became an instant staple on Franklin’s restaurant and mixology-cocktail scene. The menu features regionally-sourced Southern cuisine, and the cocktail menu pays homage to brandy, the dominant refined Southern spirit of the late 1800s. 

• Parking Info: Centrally located on Main Street; best served by the 2nd Avenue garage.
• Accessibility Options: The first floor (bar and dining) is fully accessible. There is an elevator to reach the upper-level "Society" lounge and stage.
• Operation Hours: Tues–Sat 11 AM – 10 PM; Sunday Brunch 10 AM – 3 PM.
• Special Highlights: Set in a 19th-century pharmacy building; the original "Gray Drug Co." neon sign is a Franklin landmark.

Anyone who’s traveled the Tennessee Whiskey Trail through Middle Tennessee knows that Leiper’s Fork Distillery is a crown jewel in the state’s whiskey heritage. This family-owned, small batch distillery offers an extensive tour and tasting, teaching you how to “chew” whiskey in their tasting room. You'll get the distinct feeling that this distillery is part of something much older than the barrel aged spirits in the bottle. Maybe it’s because the namesake of their Hunter’s Select rode with Andrew Jackson to fight the British in the Battle of New Orleans. Or, maybe it’s because their signature bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is aging as we speak, and in a few years will undergo the Lincoln County process, that most distinct and defining step in making a true Tennessee whiskey.

• Parking Info: Large free gravel lot located directly in front of the distillery.
• Accessibility Options: The retail and tasting room (in a 1829 log cabin) is ground-level and accessible.
• Operation Hours: Wed–Sat 9:30 AM – 5 PM; Sun 11:30 AM – 5 PM (Closed Mon/Tues).
• Special Highlights: A pre-Prohibition style distillery. They offer a unique "chewing whiskey" tutorial during their guided tours.

Any understanding of Franklin’s identity as a city and its place in American history begins on the Franklin battlefield. In late 1864, toward the end of the Civil War, this quaint Southern town became the scene for one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. At the Carter House, learn the harrowing story of the Carter family, whose home and farm became the battle’s grisly epicenter. At Carnton, an historic mansion with grounds that served as the Confederate right flank, learn about the wounded soldiers who were cared for inside the home’s walls with their blood permanently staining the wooden floors and see many of their final resting places in the cemetery on the grounds.

• Parking Info: Both sites have large, free onsite parking lots at their respective visitor centers.
• Accessibility Options: Visitor centers are fully accessible. The first floors of both historic homes are wheelchair accessible via ramps, but upper floors require stairs (photo guides are provided for those unable to climb).
• Operation Hours: Mon–Sat 9 AM – 5 PM; Sun 10 AM – 5 PM. (Closed Christmas Eve and Day).
• Special Highlights: At Carter House, you can see hundreds of Civil War bullet holes; Carnton features floors still stained with the blood of wounded soldiers from the 1864 battle.

Situated just two short blocks off Franklin’s Main Street and within walking distance of downtown, Kimbros Pickin’ Parlor is a historic-home-turned-music-venue that you will not want to miss. Attending a show here is more like an intimate house concert, like being a guest at a friend’s place who happens to know famous artists and musicians of the music industry. 

• Parking Info: Small onsite lot and street parking along South Margin Street.
• Accessibility Options: Ground-level entry. The venue is an old converted house, so the layout can be tight during popular shows.
• Operation Hours: Mon–Fri 4 PM – 1 AM; Sat–Sun 12 PM – 1 AM.
• Special Highlights: Voted one of the best "hidden gems" for live music; has an incredibly intimate, "house concert" feel.  

Franklin, Tennessee is a perfect Christmas getaway for you and your family and friends. Find even more holiday festivals, places to visit and more festive fun in Tennessee.