Things to Do in Franklin, Tennessee This December:
A Hallmark Christmas Escape
Looking for a Christmas getaway straight out of a holiday movie? In Franklin, Tennessee, historic streets, twinkling lights, festive traditions, cozy cafés and local boutiques come together to make the season feel like magic.
Celebrating December in Franklin
It all begins with Franklin’s Christmas Tree Lighting on the Square, a downtown holiday tradition that welcomes the season with an evening of community celebration. From there, historic Main Street glows with lights, greenery, and red bows. Shops fill up with holiday finds, and cafés are just the spot to sip hot cocoa and warm up between stops. It’s the season that pulls everyone together, mixing longtime traditions with new memories in the making.
Top of the List:
Dickens of a Christmas turns downtown Franklin into Victorian-era London, complete with musicians, dancers, and characters straight out of Dickens’ stories. Out in Leiper’s Fork, the “Almost World-Famous” Christmas Parade rolls Clydesdales, vintage vehicles, farm animals, and plenty of small-town personality down Main Street.
Fair warning: You won’t see it all in one day.
Plan to stay a few nights. Catch a classic Christmas film or live show at the Franklin Theatre. Go holiday shopping and hop on the carousel at the Factory at Franklin. Take a drive into the countryside for wine and music in Arrington, or sip fresh eggnog at Hatcher Family Dairy. Warm up with a s’more by the fire pit near the art galleries in Leiper’s Fork. Bring the kids to brunch with Santa at the Harpeth Hotel downtown, or let them cozy up with alpacas at Coleman Valley Alpaca Farm. Or find a quiet corner and slow things down at Landmark Booksellers, the shop that inspired the award-winning Christmas novel The Bridge.
Come for the traditions. Stay for the moments in between.
And when the to-do list catches up with you, treat yourself to a spa treatment or a night at Southall Farm & Inn.
Browse These Experiences to Add to Your Itinerary
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