Battle of Franklin Anniversary, Nov. 30: The Walk-Up Hours End at Dark

Where will you be at 4:33 p.m. on Monday, November 30? That's when the sun sets over Franklin on the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Franklin. This year that time matters more than usual. The evening programs at Carter House and Carnton now require a ticket bought ahead of time. Most of the ways to stand on the battlefield without an evening ticket have to fit into the short stretch of daylight that's left.

For years, the anniversary evening was open to anyone who showed up. The 2026 schedule doesn't work that way.

The 2025 column comes from Visit Franklin's listing for last year's anniversary. It described the free 5-to-7 p.m. tours as "very special for both those that live in the area, and visitors from afar," with regular tours at Carter House, Carnton and Rippa Villa from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. The 2026 column comes from the Battle of Franklin Trust's commemoration page.

The evening now runs on reservations

The Battle of Franklin Trust says this year's anniversary tours "will focus on the events of those evenings and the experiences of the soldiers and the families in the very moments when they were happening." Each tour lasts 60 minutes, costs $30 per person, holds up to 20 people per group, and must be bought online in advance. Tickets are sold for each site and each time slot separately, at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. at Carter House and Carnton on November 30, and at Rippa Villa on November 29. The Trust's booking calendar lists the Carter House anniversary tours on 11/30/2026 from 7 to 8 p.m. and from 8 to 9 p.m.

The Trust adds two rules that affect household plans. Children under 6 can't attend, "due to the sober nature of this experience." And it asks visitors not to buy tickets for both Carnton and Carter House, because there won't be time to travel between them. That means one evening tour per person on the 30th. If you want two sites, the closest option is Rippa Villa on the 29th and either Carter House or Carnton on the 30th.

The Trust hasn't said publicly why the format changed. In practice, a resident who used to walk over after dinner now needs to pick a site, a time slot and a ticket before the day arrives.

Daylight is the budget

Without an evening ticket, the anniversary is a daytime event, and the daylight on November 30 is short. The end of the afternoon runs on four times.

• 4 p.m. The last regular guided tour of the day starts at Carter House.
• 4:30 p.m. The Lotz House has long marked this as the time the battle began.
• 4:33 p.m. Sunset in Franklin.
• Dark. The City of Franklin's parks page lists public park hours as dawn until dark, with after-dark use handled through a special-event permit.

The hour the anniversary commemorates comes shortly before the city's battlefield parks close for the night. Anyone who wants to be standing on the ground at the time the fighting began should already be there by midafternoon, not still heading out after work.

The paid daytime options work on the same clock. Carter House is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The 60-minute classic house tour costs $22 for adults and $14 for ages 6 to 15, starts about every 30 to 40 minutes, and can be bought on site or online. The Trust says walk-ins are welcome. Its booking system also lists a Battlefield Tour at Carter House at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you want both houses in one day, the combination ticket is listed at $28, is sold online only, and includes one classic tour at Carter House and one at Carnton. You check in at the gift shop at each site to get your tour times. One Trust page shows $27 through October 31 and another shows $28, so confirm the price when you buy.

Five city battlefield parks, open until dark

The City of Franklin's historic parks cover a large part of the 1864 battlefield, and a phone audio tour links them. Dial 615-216-1597 and enter the stop number shown on each audio-tour sign. Most stops are also available in Spanish.

• Winstead Hill Park, 4023 Columbia Ave. 61 acres, with a parking area, a restroom, a Civil War monument, and a three-quarter-mile walking trail. The city notes that it closes from dark until dawn.
• Carter Hill Park, at the Assault on the Cotton Gin site, 1259 Columbia Ave. A one-acre park with interpretive signs and no restrooms.
• Eastern Flank Battlefield Park, 1368 Eastern Flank Circle. 110 acres with public restrooms and walking trails with historical markers. The city describes it as still in development, with restoration work such as native-grass meadows, tree planting, stream restoration and removal of invasive plants.
• Collins Farm, 418 Lewisburg Pike. Parking, vehicle access and amenities are limited, but visitors can walk around the property.
• Fort Granger. 14.5 acres with surviving Civil War trenches, a walking trail and views over Franklin. You can reach it by the uphill trail from Pinkerton Park or from a parking area off Eddy Lane.

Winstead Hill and Fort Granger have the views, and they're also the stops where losing the light matters most. Winstead Hill sits at the south end of Columbia Avenue, and Fort Granger is at the top of a climb. Carter Hill, at one acre, is the quickest stop to fit in near the end of the afternoon.

A Monday afternoon, worked backward from sunset

Here is one way to plan November 30 around the 4:33 p.m. sunset. It uses only the hours and addresses above:

1. Late morning or midday. Book the 11 a.m. Battlefield Tour at Carter House, or take an early classic tour at Carter House or Carnton. The 2 p.m. Battlefield Tour runs until 3:30 p.m., which leaves too little light for step 2.
2. By about 3 p.m. Drive south to Winstead Hill, walk the three-quarter-mile trail and look north toward town while there's still plenty of light.
3. Around 4 p.m. Head back up Columbia Avenue to the Cotton Gin site at 1259 Columbia Ave, where the interpretive signs are within a few steps of the sidewalk.
4. 4:30 p.m. Stand on Columbia Avenue at the hour the Lotz House marks as the start of the battle. The house is at 1111 Columbia Ave.
5. 7 or 8 p.m. If you have an anniversary ticket, go to your one site, either Carter House or Carnton.

Because the 30th is a Monday, this is also a plan for a weekday. A Sunday afternoon in 2025 was easier to clear than a Monday in 2026, so it helps to block the time on your calendar early.

The public tradition on Columbia Avenue that hasn't set its 2026 times

The free evening tours at the Trust's houses have ended, but the Lotz House has its own tradition that's open to the public. In 2025 it held a walking battlefield tour in the morning, which sold out, and an Illumination Ceremony on its front lawn at 4:30 p.m. A crowd joined in with luminaries, a violin performance by Cody Engdahl, and a vocal tribute by reenactor Bill Radcliff, as the Williamson Herald reported. Executive Director Thomas Y. Cartwright told the Herald:

"We have commemorated the anniversary of the Battle Franklin since we opened the Lotz House in 2008. It started with a handful of history enthusiasts working to keep the story alive."

The Lotz House website describes the November 30 luminaries as a yearly observance, but it hasn't posted 2026 dates, times or reservation details. Last year, the plans appeared in an October 13, 2025 announcement on FranklinIs. Reservations for the morning walking tour were taken by phone at 615-790-7190. Treat the 4:30 p.m. luminary as a tradition until the house confirms it for this year. The walking tour sold out last year, so call once the 2026 schedule is posted.

Why the Carter House grounds look different this year

The Tennessee Historical Commission scheduled the groundbreaking for the Herbert Harper Visitor Center for March 28, 2025. According to the Tennessean's October 14, 2026 roundup of Franklin projects, the expansion costs $8.5 million, with $6.5 million approved by state legislators and $2 million from the Tennessee Historical Commission Board. The new building replaces a visitor center that has served the site since the early 1980s and is named for Herbert Harper, the commission's former executive director and a Franklin resident. The Trust's page still describes the Harper Center as under construction, and the Tennessean reports that no completion date has been announced.

Carter House itself, the 1830 farmhouse at 125 W Fowlkes Street, keeps its regular daily tour schedule through November. The state's groundbreaking notice used 1140 Columbia Avenue for the visitor center site, so check which address your ticket lists before you go.

Part of living in Franklin is knowing which days call for a little planning, and this year November 30 is one of them. If you're thinking about how your own home fits the way you use this town, from a walkable afternoon on Columbia Avenue to a quieter street farther out, Susan Salazar is happy to talk it through with you. Start with a free home valuation whenever the timing is right.