
It’s finally here, the last month of the year! December days bring us holiday parties, festive decor, Christmas trees covered in ornaments,lighted Menorahs, the most amazing food, and the chance to enjoy all of it with our family and friends. Be sure to visit Main Street in Downtown this month to see all of the spectacular decorations and holiday window displays. Both the Town of Franklin and the Main Street Merchants have worked tirelessly to create an atmosphere with holiday spirit you can feel with every step you take along the sidewalk. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season.
And for those still trying to find that perfect venue or catering for your Holidays gatherings, Gracious Plates On Main welcomes you to one of our tables, or in fact to as many tables as you need, in order to bring your co-workers, friends or family together in one place to celebrate or give thanks and enjoy each others’ company. Contact us for custom Catering and Event Hosting at (828) 369-2690.
Local Highlight Shop Local This Holiday Season
Downtown Franklin
“Shop Local” is a fairly common term these days, but we hear it so much that we don’t often stop to think about what it truly means anymore. It means different things to different people, but some of the definitions are deeper than others. Shop Local means a family that’s lived in our town for generations gets to continue to live in the home their great grandparents built. Shop Local means that even though Franklin is growing, we can keep the small town feel that’s created by our network of small businesses. Shop Local means receiving the best customer service you can get, hands-down. And this Holiday season, Shop Local means you’re helping local business owners provide Christmas gifts for their own families while you get the perfect gifts for yours, too. So this December, as you purchase decorations, gifts, food, and other holiday essentials, consider visiting the small businesses first and Shop Local whenever you can!
Weekly Wine Tasting
Gracious Plates on Main
December 6 & December 13 ~ 5:30-7:30pm
Every Wednesday, Gracious Plates On Main welcomes a guest Sommelier from a different wine distributor and offers a guided wine tasting at individual tables throughout dinner service. Joining Wine Club and attending the tastings are both free.
Historic Ghost Tours
Lost In Time Apothecary & Bootique on Main Street
December (various dates)
Lost In Time Tours of Franklin offers exciting and historically-based ghost tours throughout the downtown area nearly every day of the week. The tours range from the streets of downtown to haunted homes, graveyards, and even a brewery! Check out their schedule and make your reservation early.
Karaoke
Rathskeller Coffee Bar & Pub
Tuesday Evenings
Rathskeller Coffee Bar & Pub hosts Karaoke with DJ Don every Tuesday evening. They offer a full espresso bar, an array of craft beers, and fresh baked goods.
Yarn & Fiber Classes
Silver Threads and Golden Needles
December (various dates)
Silver Threads & Golden Needles is a friendly and fiber obsessed yarn shop located in the Historic Downtown shopping area of Franklin, North Carolina. Whether you are a local or taking a vacation in the Smoky Mountains, we are your one stop destination for all things yarn and fiber!
Holiday Wreath Decoration Class
Winding Stair Farm & Nursery
December 2 ~ 10:30am
Decorate a Fraser Fir Wreath! You’ll start with a stunning, pre-made 20″ Fraser Fir wreath (finished size of 32-36″). From here, you can get creative with a host of natural adornments and fauna and wrap it all up by making your own decorative bow. Bring any special accouterments to make this truly yours! Our team will provide guidance and inspiration along your wreath-designing journey. Join us for a bit of Holiday Fun (cookies and hot chocolate included!). Limited spaces available.
Winter Wonderland
Main Street - Downtown Franklin
December 2 ~ 5:00-8:00pm
Join with the Town of Franklin as we ring in the holidays with Winter Wonderland. There will be horse and carriage rides, photo ops with Santa, and more. Our Downtown Merchants will be open late with great gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list! And Gracious Plates On Main will be serving dinner and cocktails both inside the restaurant and outside on the patio until 9:00pm.
You'll find there's no holiday quite like a mountain holiday in Franklin, NC, so bring the family and enjoy all the music, lights, fun and holiday cheer of Winter Wonderland in Historic Franklin, North Carolina. Winter Wonderland is held rain or shine but subject to snow.
Sara Evans Christmas Tour
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
December 2 ~ 7:00pm
Multi-platinum entertainer SARA EVANS is at the top of her game. As the fifth most-played female artist at country radio in nearly the last two decades — her five No. 1 singles include “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket, “A Real Fine Place To Start,” “Born to Fly,” and “A Little Bit Stronger,” which spent 2 weeks in the top spot and was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. Sara’s “stunning, country voice” (Rolling Stone) has earned her the prestigious Academy of Country Music Top Female vocalist accolade as well as numerous American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Association, CMT and Grammy Awards nominations. In addition, the CMA awarded Video of the Year honors for her hit chart-topping single, “Born to Fly” from her landmark double-platinum album of the same name. Evans’ discography also includes the platinum-selling studio albums Real Fine Place and Restless as well as the gold-certified projects Stronger and No Place That Far.
Book Club
A Novel Escape
December 5 ~ 6:30pm
On the first Tuesday of every month, A Novel Escape hosts Book Club. It’s a fun group that delves into a variety of different genres, with each month’s book selected by popular vote. And to make it even better, each month’s chosen book is 15% at the bookstore!
The Collingsworth Family - A True Family Christmas
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
December 7 ~ 7:30pm
From the very first upsweep of the familiar Christmas tune, “The Spirit of the Season” (from POLAR EXPRESS), to the final, triumphant line “Fall On Your Knees, O Hear the Angel Voices”, A TRUE FAMILY CHRISTMAS is just that …… true to the traditions, warmth, and the memories that make the celebration of Christmas near and dear to our hearts. The close vocal harmonies coupled with lush, breath-taking orchestrations will transport the audience thru the swirling, sparkling magic of snow, carols, sleigh bells, and the warmth of family arriving at long last back HOME FOR CHRISTMAS …… then, straight to the manger, the Christ Child, and the entire purpose for celebrating. So, gather your favorite friends and family, cuddle up warm and cozy, and let this musical journey usher you into the spirit of Christmas, as if you were enjoying all the festivities of the season for the very first time – A TRUE FAMILY CHRISTMAS!
Create A Wreath From Scratch Class
Winding Stair Farm & Nursery
December 9 ~ 10:30am
Create a wreath from scratch! Get super hands-on starting your wreath with some naturally, locally foraged vines and woody branches. We’ll show you how to bundle and intertwine the materials to create a circle, which will form a base to then begin adding further foliage and adornments!
Our team will help you get started and continue to provide guidance throughout the process. Join us for a bit of Holiday Fun (cookies and hot chocolate included!). If you have any of your own decorations or ornaments you’d like to incorporate, we encourage you to bring them along to further customize your holiday decorations. Limited spaces available.
Dailey &Vincent: The Christmas Tour ‘23
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
December 9 ~ 7:30pm
Grand Ole Opry Members, five-time GRAMMY Award winners individually, three-time Grammy Award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award winners and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (and their world-class band) offer a unique and modernized spin on ‘American music’ – “the best of country, bluegrass and gospel this side of heaven” (USA Today) – the duo has played across the globe, taking the stage at iconic venues including the Ryman Auditorium and Carnegie Hall.
Now on Season 5 of their nationally broadcast television series, The Dailey & Vincent Show on the Circle Network (and previously RFD TV), Dailey & Vincent bring their music to a national audience on a weekly basis. After a decade spent performing together and with over 1,000 airings of their PBS special Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert, their concoction of fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American music gold.
The duo has also created their own festival brand called Dailey & Vincent’s American Made Music Festivals where they bring artists such as Martina McBride, Josh Turner, Shenandoah, Del McCoury, The Isaacs, Ricky Skaggs, and other famed country, bluegrass, and gospel artists throughout the Southeast. Their most recent live CD, “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks.
Dailey & Vincent’s first-ever Christmas album, “Dailey & Vincent: The Sounds of Christmas” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Holiday Chart, landing right behind Michael Bublé and Pentatonix as the only country, bluegrass and gospel act in the Top Ten.
Wine Club Tasting
Gracious Plates on Main
December 14 ~ 5:30-7:30pm
Each month, Gracious Plates On Main offers a "Wine Pack" of 3 exclusive bottles at a reduced rate for our Wine Club members, as well as a tasting of next month's wine pack led by their Sommelier! Joining Wine Club and attending the monthly tastings are both free.
Christmas On Ice
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
December 14 ~ 7:00pm
The sights and sounds of the season and so much more are celebrated in a Christmas Spectacular On Ice. Combining story telling, music, dancing, a troupe of skilled actors and athletes, this live ice skating event is sure to delight and excite audience members of every age. The magic of Christmas leaps from the stage in a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.
Holiday Concert
Macon Middle School
December 19 ~ 6:00pm
Please join us for our second performance of the year including the premier of the MMS Jazz Band!
Christmas Eve (Eve) Worship & Celebration - FREE EVENT
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts
December 23 ~ 7:00pm
Celebrate the Season with this annual Community Christmas Eve (Eve) gathering. Enjoy hymns, traditional Christmas songs, worship and inspiration as we honor the true meaning of Christmas.
Presented by various local Churches, Ministries and Worship Teams. Doors will open one hour prior to the service. This is a free event.
New Year’s Eve Ruby Drop
Main Street - Downtown Franklin
December 31
Details will be coming very soon as Franklin counts down to the New Year with the Annual Ruby Drop! Just as soon as we have the information, we will update you and share the information on our Facebook page.