HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Three Walking Tours Through Downtown Franklin's Battle of Franklin History
Public Square, near the Confederate Monument (310 Main St), Franklin, TN 37064
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages for the Ghosts of Franklin Tour; 21+ for the Franklin Haunted Pub Crawl; 16+ for the What Waits in the Dark Tour
Cost
$$
The Ghosts of Franklin Tour (all ages) from $29.99, ages 6-11 $14.99, ages 5 and under free; the Franklin Haunted Pub Crawl (21+) and the What Waits in the Dark Tour (16+) both from $34.99. Pricing per Ghost City Tours' Franklin booking pages.
Access
Wheelchair OK
About 1 mile of paved downtown Franklin sidewalks around the Public Square for all three tours. The Franklin Haunted Pub Crawl is not wheelchair accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Battle of Franklin (November 30, 1864) · Downtown Franklin Historic District · Franklin Public Square
Ghost City Tours operates ghost walking tours in dozens of U.S. cities, with Franklin among its programs advertised as running since 2012. All three Franklin products meet on the Public Square, near the Confederate Monument, and cover roughly 1 mile of downtown sidewalks.
The company's site frames its Franklin program around the Battle of Franklin, fought on November 30, 1864, describing it as one of the Civil War's bloodiest single-day engagements, with the operator's own page citing nearly 10,000 combined casualties in about five hours. The all-ages Ghosts of Franklin Tour presents this history at a family-appropriate level; the 16+ What Waits in the Dark Tour covers the same battle in more graphic detail, including the field-hospital conditions at three of the town's preserved historic house museums — the Carter House, Carnton Mansion, and the Lotz House — plus the former Franklin Courthouse.
The Franklin Haunted Pub Crawl pairs the same Civil War-era history with visits to three to four of downtown Franklin's historic taverns.
Sources
The What Waits in the Dark Tour is built around three preserved Franklin house museums that served as field hospitals during and after the battle. The operator's page describes the Carter House, where Confederate Captain Tod Carter was mortally wounded and carried home to die, as bearing more than a thousand documented bullet holes. Carnton Mansion is described by the operator as having served as a Confederate field hospital, with blood staining still visible on its floors. The Lotz House, across the street from the Carter House, is described in the operator's marketing as sitting at the center of the fighting. The tour also stops at the former Franklin Courthouse, which the operator's page connects to public executions and a Civil War-era hospital ward.
The family-friendly Ghosts of Franklin Tour and the Franklin Haunted Pub Crawl draw on the same Battle of Franklin material at a lighter register, without the courthouse stop.
All of this is the tour operator's own marketing and narrative material built on the documented history of the battle; it is included here as a description of what the tours cover, not as an endorsement of any specific paranormal claim.
A 90-minute, all-ages walking tour through downtown Franklin's Public Square, tracing the town's Civil War history and the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin. The tour meets on the Public Square, near the Confederate Monument. Tickets are $29.99 for guests 12 and up, $14.99 for ages 6-11, and free for children 5 and under. Runs nightly at 8 PM.
A 2-hour, 21-and-up crawl through three to four of downtown Franklin's historic taverns, pairing Civil War-era history with a drink at each stop. The tour meets on the Public Square, near the Confederate Monument. Tickets are $34.99 per person; drinks are purchased separately. Runs nightly at 7 PM. Not wheelchair accessible.
A 90-minute adults-only walking tour covering the more graphic historical detail of the Battle of Franklin, including the field hospitals at the Carter House, Carnton Mansion, and the Lotz House, plus the Franklin Courthouse. The tour meets on the Public Square, near the Confederate Monument. Tickets are $34.99 per person, minimum age 16. Runs nightly at 9 PM.
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Featured stop on the What Waits in the Dark Tour.
Stop on the What Waits in the Dark Tour.
Stop on the What Waits in the Dark Tour.
Stop on the What Waits in the Dark Tour.
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