Built in 1826 by former Nashville Mayor Randal McGavock, this historic home weathered the bloody Battle of Franklin and served as its largest Confederate field hospital after the fighting ended. The floors of the home are still stained with the blood of soldiers who received aid there.

Visitor Experience Tip: Take a guided tour of the home and learn how the Battle of Franklin affected the McGavock family and inspired the bestselling novel The Widow of the South. Be sure and explore the grounds and outbuildings of this 1,420-acre property while you’re there. Want to dive a little deeper? Book one of Carnton’s specialized tours ahead of your visit, which cover topics ranging from slavery to a look at the Civil War from a theological perspective.

Adjacent to both the Carter House and Carnton, this 110-acre city park has been preserved as an important part of the Battle of Franklin, specifically as the location of the Eastern Flank of Confederate troops during the battle. Today, the city of Franklin is working to restore the land to what it would have looked like during the time the battle took place.

Visitor Experience Tip: Follow the park’s paved path and read interpretive signage about the land’s history or head to the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, where nearly 1,500 soldiers from the Battle of Franklin are buried, thanks to land donated for their burial by Carnton’s McGavock family.

Carter House is another historic home at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin. During the battle, the Carter and Lotz families as well as a number of enslaved people took refuge in the basement while the fighting raged overhead. Unbeknownst to the family, son Tod Carter, serving as an aide to a Confederate general, was wounded not far from his family home and was brought there during the battle. He died a few days later.

Visitor Experience Tip: Today, you can take a guided tour of the home, offered daily every 30-40 minutes, or reserve spots on a specialized tour covering subjects like the Battle of Franklin and an extended look at the Carter House’s many secrets.

This preserved earthworks Civil War fort behind Pinkerton Park was built by the Federal Army in the spring of 1863.

Visitor Experience Tip: Take the walking trail at Fort Granger to read interpretive signs about the trenches and their significance during the war; the trail ends at an overlook of the town and the Harpeth River.

In the 1940s, Ruth and Ephraim Gaylor listed their home in the Natchez Street Historic District as a Green Book House. Green Book establishments were listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book as safe places for Black travelers to eat, drink, shop, and stay while they were out of town. The Gaylors added on to their home a bedroom with its own entrance and provided meals and lodging for visitors from across the country. Few of these Green Book sites still stand today, but fortunately, the Gaylor home has endured. It’s now owned by the Shorter Chapel AME Church, which is working in partnership with Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Historic Preservation to preserve the home and share its history with others.

Visitor Experience Tip: Need a spot to sit down and re-caffeinate? You're blocks away from The Fainting Goat. Grab a coffee before heading back out to explore more Williamson County history.

This popular bookstore has an illustrious history as the oldest intact commercial building in Williamson County. The walls of Landmark Booksellers have held guests, including Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett. Built between 1806 and 1808, the structure is believed to be the earliest example of the Greek Revival style in Middle Tennessee. It has been used by many businesses over the years and served as a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers after the Battle of Franklin.

Visitor Experience Tip: Landmark Booksellers is a small, independent bookstore with a southern sense of charm and hospitality that you can still shop in today. Stop by to meet Joel and Carol, its beloved owners.

Built in 1858 by German immigrant and master craftsman Johann Albert Lotz, this lovely four-columned home was built in the Greek Revival style. It served as a showcase for Lotz’s woodworking abilities and includes three carved fireplaces and a solid black walnut handrail on the curved staircase at the front of the home. Lotz was opposed to slavery and built the house himself at a time when slave labor was responsible for most of the area’s finer homes.

Visitor Experience Tip: Lotz House is now open to the public for guided tours, giving visitors the opportunity to hear how the young Lotz family survived during the Battle of Franklin and to see rare and unusual items from the home’s extensive collection of furniture and period artifacts.

The buildings along downtown Franklin’s Main Street contain all of its history as a town in just a few short blocks! Nearly every building on the street has a fascinating backstory. Many still have their original hardwood floors and tin ceilings, to the delight of shoppers and diners. Most of the buildings were erected during Victorian times with a sprinkling of 1920s Art Deco, but some of the structures date back to the early 1800s. Don’t miss St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which was built in 1834 and has eight stained-glass windows created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and the Gothic Revival Franklin Cumberland Presbyterian Church, built in 1876 and designed by the man who eventually built Ryman Auditorium.

Visitor Experience Tip: Allow plenty of time to shop, browse art galleries, and get a bite to eat! You'll want to explore every boutique. Take a home a piece of Franklin from our Visitor Center on 4th & Main!

While the Battle of Franklin gets many visitors’ attention when they’re in town, it’s important to note that Franklin’s history includes much more than a Civil War battle. More than half of Franklin’s population before the Civil War was African American, and their struggles to survive and thrive here both before and after the Civil War deserve to be told. In an effort to do just that, Franklin area pastors and community leaders have rallied support and funds over the last few years to erect several historical markers and a statue around the public square acknowledging the events of the past, honoring the U.S. Colored Troops and the nearly 300 Black men in Williamson County who joined them, and serving as an education to residents and visitors alike about what’s become known here as “The Fuller Story.”

Visitor Experience Tip: Please note there are paid, guided walking tours of downtown Franklin that tell “The Fuller Story” through Franklin on Foot and Franklin Walking Tours.

This three-story Gothic Revival-style building was the tallest in Tennessee when it was constructed back in 1826. It’s been the headquarters of Hiram Lodge ever since, making the Masonic Hall the oldest continually operating Masonic Lodge building in the country. In 1827, Tennessee’s first Episcopal Church was conceived here by James H. Otey, who later became the first Episcopal bishop in Tennessee. Later that year, Alexander Campbell preached at the Hall, marking the official beginning of the Church of Christ. President Andrew Jackson used the Masonic Hall in 1830 for talks with the Chickasaw delegation to negotiate the purchase of their land, marking the first time a president had ever participated in treaty talks. On August 31, 1830, Chickasaw leaders signed the Treaty of Franklin inside the Hall, ceding their land east of the Mississippi River to the United States. The treaty set Jackson’s Indian Removal plan in motion, forcing at least 60,000 American Indians from their homes in the east to what’s now Oklahoma. During the Civil War, local women gathered in one of the Hall’s large rooms to sew Confederate uniforms for friends and family members. Later, the Hall was used as an office and barracks for Union troops. After the bloody Battle of Franklin in 1864, the building was used as a temporary field hospital for wounded Union soldiers.

Visitor Experience Tip: The Masonic Hall is currently unable to accommodate visitors inside, but you can admire from the sidewalk.

Built by former enslaved person Harvey McLemore, McLemore House was owned by the McLemore family from 1880 until 1997. After its construction, it became a centerpiece of Franklin’s Hard Bargain neighborhood, where Black middle-class families built homes for themselves and flourished.

Visitor Experience Tip: The home is now the McLemore House African American Museum and is periodically open for tours covering the family’s journey from slavery to freedom to the struggle for civil rights and equality under the law.

Whether you hop on this 444-mile national scenic byway here in Williamson County for an hour or a day (It runs all the way from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi!), you’ll encounter plenty of scenic stops along the Natchez Trace Parkway, as well as wildlife like deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, and much more.

Visitor Experience Tip: Points of interest nearby include the famous Natchez Trace Bridge at Milepost 438, Timberland Park at Milepost 437.2, which is the perfect place for a hike, and Leiper’s Fork at Milepost 428, a quaint historic village filled with charming boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. Keep going down the road to find waterfalls, historic structures, and portions of the original Natchez Trace you can walk or drive along—a route once used by roaming buffalo, native Americans, and pioneers.

This gorgeous park has been preserved as the spot where the Battle of Thompson’s Station took place on March 5, 1863. Today, it’s a lovely place for a walk through Williamson County’s pastoral countryside and includes one of the best hilltop overlooks you’ll find in the state. A plaque at Preservation Park tells the story of the five-hour battle that was fought here, which ended in defeat for the Union Army.

Visitor Experience Tip: After enjoying the great outdoors, you're around the corner from Circa, housed in a former general store building rich with history, and Company Distilling. Enjoy a tasty new American cuisine or sample local whiskeys.

This Greek Revival-style home was built in the mid-1850s by Nat Cheairs. The Cheairs family was one of the wealthiest in the region at the time and relied on large numbers of enslaved people to farm their vast acreage. During the Civil War, the Battle of Spring Hill took place on the Rippa Villa property on November 29, 1864, a precursor to the bloody Battle of Franklin that would take place the next day. Today, 98 acres of the Cheairs property have been preserved along with the house, which was restored in the 1980s. In addition, 84 acres north of the property have been preserved by the American Battlefield Trust.

Visitor Experience Tip: Daily guided tours of the home are offered during which visitors can explore the grounds and outbuildings as well. A variety of specialized tours on topics ranging from slavery to the battlefield itself are offered throughout the week and must be booked in advance.

Built in 1929, The Factory at Franklin includes 11 Depression-era factory buildings that have undergone renovations to become one of Tennessee’s most unique shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. Originally a stove works and then a bedding manufacturing plant, the new and improved Factory has a thoughtful design that pays homage to its historic past.

Visitor Experience Tip: A staff historian gives tours of The Factory twice a month between May and October, which you can book ahead of time on The Factory’s website.

The Moore-Morris History & Culture Center of Williamson County uses modern technology to tell the area’s story, offering an immersive experience and rotating exhibits. It includes a 4D version of White’s Tavern that uses projections, live photographs, sounds, and scents to make you feel like you’ve traveled back in time. In other rooms, paintings come to life and tell their stories. And you’ll learn about much more than Civil War stories here—the museum’s exhibits cover Franklin’s history as far back as 15,000 years ago!

Visitor Experience Tip: Almost directly across the street, you'll see The Coffee House at Second & Bridge. This is a great spot to fuel up before your exhibit adventures. They have coffees, teas, sandwiches, soups, and more!

Today, The Park at Harlinsdale Farm is a popular spot for walks or a picnic (not to mention Franklin’s annual Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival!), but it once was the most significant farm in the nation for Tennessee Walking Horses, including its prize stallion, Midnight Sun. This 200-acre park now includes trails, a dog park, a catch-and-release fishing pond, and an equestrian trail, as well as the Hayes House, a Victorian-era farmhouse that once was the Harlinsdale Farm homestead. Built in 1899 by flour magnate Joshua Bates Lillie, the property was later bought in the 1930s by Wirt Harlin, who used the land to breed and train horses. He hired his nephew, Harlin Hayes, to be the farm’s manager and live in the Hayes House. Hayes would go on to become one of Midnight Sun’s key trainers.

Visitor Experience Tip: Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival takes place here each September. If you're a music fan, this is the perfect time of year to visit!

Williamson County Museum & Archives in the heart of downtown Franklin features a permanent collection of artifacts and exhibits devoted to Williamson County’s fascinating history.

Visitor Experience Tip: If you have kids, pick up one of the museum’s activity books at the front desk before you start exploring and embark on a scavenger hunt with clues leading to answers within the exhibits.

A 0.75-mile public trail at Winstead Hill Park, located just south of downtown Franklin, will take you to the top of Winstead Hill, where Confederate General John Bell Hood surveyed the 20,000 Union troops heading toward Nashville and determined to fight them, marking the beginning of the Battle of Franklin.

Visitor Experience Tip: The overlook includes a large military map and memorials to the Confederate generals who died in the battle.