By Amelia Rose Smith

It’s...almost...the most wonderful time of year! Time to sip hot chocolate, watch Hallmark movies, shop local and make plans to see beautiful lights throughout Williamson County. Not sure how to do that? We have you covered. Here are four options to tour our areas for the holidays. 

 

This December, you can enjoy Christmas-themed Franklin Driving Tours with guide Chuck Baril, a Franklin local.

 

The Christmas Lights of Franklin Tour will take guests through downtown Franklin to see the iconic Christmas tree in the Public Square, festive downtown Franklin window displays, historic homes dressed in lights and one of Franklin’s most decorated neighborhoods, Westhaven! The tour ends with a drive through FrankTown’s Festival of Lights, with over 200 displays synchronized to Christmas classics guests can listen to on the radio along the mile-and-a-half-long route. This tour is $150/hour. Pricing includes FrankTown tickets.

 

A Merry Little Downtown Franklin Christmas Shopping Tour will take guests to downtown retailers for Christmas shopping and is entirely customizable. This tour is $100. Lunch or dinner at Gray’s on Main is optional.

 

Guests will ride in a six-passenger Chrysler Pacifica van (fully insured). All tours are for up to six people with a two-hour minimum. Visit franklindrivingtours.com for more information.

 

The new, vintage-looking trolley hop-on, hop-off tour will allow guests to experience Franklin and Leiper’s Fork at their own pace. The Franklin Hop will take guests on an entertaining ninety-minute loop, with expert guides pointing out over fifty points of interest and sharing stories of Franklin and Leiper’s Fork along the way. It will make five stops where guests can get off and explore, then get back on when the trolley returns ninety minutes later. Stops along Franklin Hop’s route include the Visitor Center in downtown Franklin, The Factory at Franklin, Carnton, Carter & Lotz Houses, and the village of Leiper’s Fork. The trolley will run from 10am–6pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and Sundays from noon–6pm.

Tickets for the Franklin Hop experience are available at the Visitor Center in downtown Franklin and online through franklinhop.com. Adults can ride the trolley for $39, children aged 4-11 for $29, and children three and under are free. Tickets are valid for an entire day, so guests can hop on or off as they like throughout the day with their ticket. Visit

graylinetn.com for more information

This tour is sure to become a family’s new Christmas tradition. Walk  through Franklin’s festive history with guide, Alicia. You’ll hear heartwarming stories ranging from the simple customs of the first Frankliners to the most recent holiday movies shot here. Prizes and surprises throughout the night, and you never know who you might see along the way.

 

This 90-minute tour will be held on Saturday, December 17^th, at 7pm.

Adult   $35

Teen    $30

Child   $20

 

Contact Alicia King Marshall at franklinwalking@gmail.com

or 615.604.7171.

 

The Franklin Holiday Lights Tour allows guests to sit back, relax and take in the beautiful lights in and around the Franklin area via a classic Hello Trolley! During the Franklin Holiday Lights Tour, guests can expect to see some great lights and holiday displays while listening to classic tunes. They have even been known to have some surprise Elves and even Santa hop on board before!

 

The Franklin Holiday Lights Tour is ninety minutes and begins at the Factory at Franklin. It includes Historic Downtown Franklin, a few great local neighborhoods and a drive through the FrankTown Festival of Lights.

Hello Trolleys are fully enclosed and climate-controlled. Public Tours run December 3–23 on select weekdays in December at 6:15pm and 8:15pm, and on weekends at 5:30pm and 7:30pm for $30 per seat. Individual and private tour tickets can be purchased at hellotrolley.com or by calling 615.522.8007.