Downtown Franklin has a secret.
Hidden behind fences and shrubs, a colorful county of flowers, ground cover and other plants are in full bloom.
Though the brilliant displays are normally shielded from the public, for one weekend, the community is invited to explore the natural beauty of these gardens.
Franklin Heritage will again host its Secret Garden Walk, as participating properties have opened up their backyards to show off their outdoor landscapes. Locations will be kept under wraps until the days of the tour, and on Saturday and Sunday, people can pick up maps and wander from house to house at their leisure.
Each location will offer something different, including some with artists or musicians showing off their skills.
Organizers see it as not only a chance to recognize homeowners who have worked hard to turn their yards into works of art, but to possibly inspire others to let their own outdoor spaces bloom.
“A lot of the fun is seeing how you can improve a neighborhood,” said Rob Shilts, executive director of Franklin Heritage. “It’s interesting to see how people have added gardens. It adds so much color and animation to those houses. Some are smaller gardens, some are large gardens. But it makes the neighborhood look better, smell better, all of that.”
This will be the second Secret Garden Walk, after the tour was introduced in 2021. Creating the event was a matter of necessity, Shilts said. Franklin Heritage had planned to do one of their regular historic home tours, but with COVID-19 still raging, planners felt it was too risky to ask people to open up their homes to foot traffic.
“I know during COVID, neighbors didn’t want to be cooped up outside, so they were in their yards, starting to plant beds and gardens,” Shilts said. “It got people out, you could wave to each other, talk to each other from a distance.”
So instead, they focused on open-air spaces around historic homes to tour.
“We were trying to be creative, looking for any way we could to make money during that time,” Shilts said. “People could walk around freely, feel comfortable, and if they wanted to wear a mask, they could.”
The Secret Garden Walk was a hit, so Franklin Heritage decided to bring it back again, rotating every other year between the garden tours and historic home tours.
In putting together the tour, organizers focused on making it mostly walkable, so people could meander from location to location at their leisure, said events coordinator Jaime Shilts.
The tour includes 15 houses, with all but two in walking distance from each other. The two outliers are a short drive away, though still nearby, Jaime Shilts said.
“We tried to approach people who had neat backyards, and who had plants that would still look good in July,” she said. “This year was a little more of a challenge to get homes that were all together, but everybody who has been asked is happy about it. People are usually pretty flattered to be asked to take part in something like this.”
What makes the event unique is that only Franklin Heritage organizers, and the homeowners themselves, know which gardens are on the tour.
On the day of the walk, people will start at the Historic Artcraft Theatre to get directions.
“We will have a map, so upon checking in, they get a wristband. You’ll have instructions, and then each house will have a sign out front,” said Nicole Frye, events staff member for the Franklin Heritage.
The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for the general public, or $10 for Franklin Heritage members. Passes are good for both days of the tour.
IF YOU GO
Secret Garden Walk
What: A tour of some of the most lush and colorful gardens in downtown Franklin. The locations of the participating homes in the tour will remain secret until the day of the event.
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 8 and 1-5 p.m. July 9
Where: Downtown Franklin. Maps and information will be provided at the Historic Artcraft Theatre, 57 N. Main St.
Who: Franklin Heritage Inc., a local preservation group
Cost: $15; $10 for Franklin Heritage members. Tickets are good for both days, and the event is rain-or-shine.
Information: historicartcrafttheatre.org/secretgarden2023
