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Stepping onto Main Street in downtown Franklin, Tenn., I half expect a camera crew to pop out and announce we’ve disrupted the filming of a Hallmark holiday movie. The meticulously preserved historic buildings, with their enchanting boutique storefronts, seem almost too curated to be real.
If you’re looking for a pre-holiday getaway where you can’t help but be swept up in the holiday spirit, consider this your cue to head to Franklin, less than a 30-minute drive from Nashville.
Magical Main Street
Yuletide charm comes to life along Franklin’s 16-block downtown historic district. It’s the sort of spot where you can imagine the Hallmark heroine running into the nerdy boy from high school who she secretly had a thing for, and low and behold, two decades later, he’s a hottie.
Downtown shops are housed in two and three-storey heritage buildings and boast elaborate window displays that look like they’ve been professionally decorated by Martha Stewart. Come Christmas time, carollers stand on street corners, while the rest of the year, musicians and other entertainers take those spots. Yep, Franklin doles out the kind of small-town magic that makes you want to quit your job and open a bakery.
Best to start at one end of Main Street and work your way down. To tap into the Hallmark vibes, start at Landmark Booksellers, housed inside an Antebellum Greek Revival building two centuries old. It’s so charming that it inspired the novel The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury. And you guessed it, it was adapted into a Hallmark Channel movie.
Swing by Savory Spice Shop and prepare to go wild over their handcrafted seasonings and extracts. Their spiced vanilla bean sugar is basically Christmas in a jar. Browse White’s Mercantile – owned by Holly Williams (yes, of that Hank Williams musical dynasty) – for perfect gifts that make you look like the most thoughtful person ever.
Need to defrost those shopping muscles? Duck into Grays on Main or O’ Be Joyful for a festive cocktail to fortify yourself. Or, nip into the Art Deco-inspired Franklin Theatre to rest your feet and catch a live performance or a classic holiday movie.
Pro tip: Visit the Visitors Centre for the holy grail of holiday welcomes: complimentary cookie samples (plus maps and advice from locals in the know).
The Factory at Franklin
Start your experience at local coffee roasters Honest Coffee, then inhale a luxe donut at the original location of Five Daughters Bakery before it became the donut of the south. Then, you’ll wander through a maze of local artisans, including jewellers and a custom hat maker.
Local art permeates the property, and if visiting on the first Friday of the month, it’s worth joining the Franklin Art Crawl. It’s worth knowing that you can browse the entire venue with a cocktail in hand. Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus.
Live music and performances
When it comes to live music, the real question is, where don’t you find it here? Franklin’s live music scene rivals what you’d find in larger cities. Maybe that’s because of the sheer number of music legends and songwriters living nearby.
Street performers pop up like musical whack-a-moles, and dedicated music venues like the FirstBank Amphitheatre, Franklin Theatre and Fox and Locke are dotted throughout the community. Live music can also be found at restaurants downtown like Gray’s on Main, Puckett’s and 1799 Kitchen & Cocktails.
For nostalgia, kick it old school at Kimbros Pickin Parlor. A few blocks from downtown, this residential house morphs into an epic house party, with all ages converging on the living room dance floor.
Whiskey tasting
Saddle up to the whiskey trail along Main Street at Stable Reserve – a former livery stable that’s traded horseshoes for cocktail glasses. Down the street at 1799 inside The Harpeth hotel, you can attempt to sample over 110 small-batch and single-barrel spirits from around the world.
Being based in Franklin means you’re within a two-hour drive of over half the distilleries on the statewide whiskey trail. A 20-minute drive away lands you at Leiper’s Fork Distillery, where you can take a tour and tastings inside a historic tasting room. A 20-minute drive in the other direction will deliver you to Company Distilling, where gin and craft beer are also made —inside a former grain storage facility.
Sweet treats
If you’ve also fantasized about opening a bakery in a Hallmark town, you’ll want to do your research. Across from the Visitor’s Center, Whitney’s Cookies offers ultra-thick, chewy cookies with perfect bottoms. Whitney is none other than Whitney Miller, who won the first season of MasterChef.
Seconds away lies Triple Crown Bakery, where everyone who walks through the doors is confronted with an edible rainbow of dreamy creations that look too good to eat. While you can take your individual-sized cake, tart, soufflé or giant scone to-go, you might want to linger. There’s a cozy side room where you can enjoy treats at marble-topped pedestal tables before the fireplace.
For a full-on afternoon tea experience, make reservations at Fork of the South, a dirty soda bar inside The Factory at Franklin. Its Southern Tea Room serves all the classics in a refined rustic space.
Where to stay
With its library lobby and turndown services, including house-made cookies, this elegant property feels almost as if you’re staying in a Southerner’s home. Rates start at $325/night.
All that might be missing from this spectacular holiday destination is a dusting of snow. Still, pack your ugly Christmas sweater, bring your holiday spirit, and get ready to fall head over jingle bells in love with Franklin.
Getting around
- Air Canada offers direct year-round service to Nashville from Toronto, while WestJet offers seasonal service from Calgary.
- Pick up a rental car from Nashville International Airport for the 30-minute drive to Franklin.
- If you’d like greater insight into Franklin’s gorgeous homes and historic sites, take a guided tour with Pedego Electric Bike Tours or rent your own to explore the town at your leisure.