Town square tour.jpg

Franklin's town square will be part of just about any downtown walking tour.

 File photo by John McBryde

It’s a weekend for walking, flying or simply sitting and enjoying some entertainment.

No matter your preference, Franklin has some options. There’s a couple of relatively new walking tours that take you through various locations and points of interest downtown. At the Franklin Recreation Complex off Hillsboro Road, amateurs and pros alike will be flying all sorts of kites. And at Battle Ground Academy, the Upper School drama department will be presenting three hilarious performances of The Government Inspector.

Williamson County Kite Festival

Where: Franklin Recreation Complex

When: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Kites of all shapes, sizes and flying levels will fill the skies at the Franklin Recreation Complex as Williamson County Parks and Recreation partners with Chicago Kite Company for the second annual kite festival. Bring your own kite, or look over the flying options that can be purchased through the Chicago Kite Company. Professionals will be on hand to perform kite-flying stunts, and there will be activities for children and eats from food trucks. The Franklin Recreation Complex is located at 1120 Hillsboro Road. 

BGA fall play

Where: BGA’s Center for Arts & Entrepreneurship

When: Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Described as “ridiculously funny” by the drama director for Battle Ground Academy’s Upper School, the play The Government Inspector by Nikoli Goglo will have three performances beginning Thursday night. It features a cast of 27 students who have “some of the best comic timing I have seen in student actors,” Jenny Wallace said. The theater seats up to 550 guests, but the fall play performances will be restricted to approximately 210 to allow for social distancing. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Walking Franklin 

Where: Downtown Franklin

When: Times vary

If these boots (or shoes or sandals) are made for walking, then Franklin has a couple of different options depending on your preference and how much time you have. Franklin Walking Tours, which was founded in early May by Alicia King Marshall, offers guided tours throughout the downtown district and shows off both Franklin’s charm and history as well as its grim and ghostly side. For those who want to go at their own pace and enjoy moments of spiritual reflection, there is the Franklin Prayer Walking Tour. This tour originated about a year ago by Laura Beth Peters through Franklin Prayer House.