Cancel

Open app

Search

Services - Carnton

Venue rental

Carnton Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Carnton

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Al B.

Great place to learn about US history. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was great at telling the story of the house and history connecting to it. You could tell she truly enjoyed what she was doing and was great at engaging our group! Tour is $20 which I felt was a little high.

Slave quarters and garden
Ellen B.

The tour of the manor house give you an insight of life during the civil war was like as the confederate army took over the manor house as a field hospital. It brings up so many emotions. The hatred of chattel slavery, the wealth accumulated buy families who owned plantations. A wife and mother who had already lost 3 of her children and who's husband had sent all the slaves south to other properties and was elsewhere himself being confronted by a Confederate commander who commandeered her house as a hospital. The screams of men in pain, most of who were battle weary already in a war that was dragging on. The guide sugar coated nothing. So if you have a weak stomach you might want to pass on going upstairs. Thank you. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. So this Hoosier appreciated the candid telling of the story here.

Vic C.

Carnton Plantation served as one of the largest hospitals during the bloodiest battle in Tennessee's history, during the Battle of Franklin in 1864 (during the Civil War). The Battle of Franklin is know to be one of General John Bell Hood's (a Confederate general) catastrophic defeat in Tennessee. This antebellum mansion was owned originally by former mayor of Tennessee, Randal McGavock. His son, John McGavock, inherited the home and the grounds when he passed away. On November 30, 1864, John McGavock, his wife and family's lives forever changed. Soldiers knocked on John McGavock's door and said their home will be used as a hospital to house and care for wounded soldiers (they were ordered to do this and not given a choice). The battle itself took place a few miles away, at the Carter House, that lasted close to 5 hours. Most of the battle took place during night fall, in the dark. With about 9500 soldiers dead, 7000 of which were Confederate troops. At the end of this battle, four Confederate generals (Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams and Otho F. Strahl) were taken to the Carnton home, laying side by side on the back porch, in which they ended up dying. There are blood stains on the floor boards throughout the house, as a reminder of this bloody battle. The Carnton mansion is 2 stories with about 22 rooms. There are white columns with a front porch on both the first and second floor. There is a porch and verandah on the back side of the house. According to the docent led tour, most of the furniture in the home is original from 1820- 1860. In 1866, John and Carrie McGavock designated 2 acres of their land, next to their family cemetery, as a burial place for ~1500 Confederate soldiers that were killed. They maintained the cemetery until they had passed away. The cemetery is actually well laid out and organized by state where the soldiers are from and buried accordingly. Our docent told us that they are still forever trying to identify those that have been buried, as not all of the soldiers have been. But she did say that there have been many family members that are appreciative that they had discovered that their loved ones were buried here. Carnton Plantation was owned by the McGavock family until 1911, when Susie Lee McGavock had sold it. Susie Lee McGavock was the widow of Winder McGavock (one of John and Carrie McGavock's sons). Eventually in 1977, the home and 10 acres of land was donated to the Carnton Association. The association restored the home (even with the restoration, the blood stains still remained on the floor boards) and had been providing guided tours for the public ever since. To tour the home, it cost $18 per person. But if you wish to walk the grounds and visit the cemetery, that is free. But the tour does better enhance your knowledge of the Battle of Franklin. I would also highly recommend doing both the Carter House Tour and Carnton Plantation together, as you save a little bit of money. But if you do plan to do that (which you can purchase these discounted package at either site), you want to make sure you arrive early for the first place you visit so that there is enough time to visit the other. There is also a discounted package to also visit the home at Rippa Villa (but I believe this place is about an hour away). Please note that tickets do not expire on the same day so you could always tour this home on another day. At the visitor center, there is a small museum in which you can read some of the boards to learn about the battle. You can also purchase souvenirs (and the discount ticket packages that I had mentioned earlier). There are also clean restrooms right outside the visitor center (there are no restrooms available at the mansion so you are encouraged by the staff to use the restroom prior to taking the tour). I do want to mention that although the Lotz Home, which is across the street from the Carter Home, is not part of the package deal, it also played an essential role during the Battle of Franklin and is available for a tour. The Lotz home served as another hospital for the wounded. Albert Lotz, a German immigrant, and his family fled across the street to the Carter House during the battle. The 2 families took shelter in the basement during the battle.

Spent a wonderful afternoon at Carnton. The home is beautiful and the grounds stunning. The tour guide was friendly and informative. I enjoyed learning a bit of TN civil war history while on vacation here. The museum and gift store are clean and well stocked. The restrooms were as well. Unfortunately, the water fountains do not work, so that's a strike against them. Also, the gardens were not as glamorous as we'd been led to believe, but maybe that was the time of year. I think the ghost stories that are found online should also be part of the walking tour, but others may disagree.

Julie T.

Well worth visiting and learning about the history of this place. The docent was kind enough to provide a private tour as I couldn't wait until the next scheduled tour.

Jeremy L.

KUDOS and thanks to Chelsea and Walker for providing quality supreme guest service! Chelsea providing me a military discount on the tour. She was super friendly and mighty courteous. Ms. Sherry provided a thorough tour of the Carnton House. She had a nice storytelling voice which covered the history of the place during the Civil War. I highly recommend all to experience tour and walk the hallowed grounds...The cemetery is definitely worth the walk and pay your respects....

Pamphlet
Paulette C.

AMANDA-historian extraordinaire! She has tons of other titles. You HAVE to get her to give you your tour. It's not about the facts, it's about sharing the human aspect of The Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. She actually goes home and studies, daily, all the events and people from this battle. When your tour is done, go to the Carter house. Both are a must!

Danielle G.

Amazingly sad, yet a real part of Civil War history. The docent and staff working at the museum are quite knowledgeable about that time in civil war history of the south, and I was blown away at the physical evidence of the tragedy and mayhem that happened on the grounds. Surreal to learn about. Definitely recommend if you're into history and want to look at how ignorance and hate almost divided the country.

Dani C.

The Carnton Plantation This 1826 Antebellum mansion became the largest temporary field hospital during the Battle of Franklin, and its wood floors still show blood stains from the more than 300 soldiers brought in that day. After the Battle of Franklin on Carnton's back porch, 4 Confederate generals' bodies were laid out (Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams, and Otho F. Strahl). Following the battle, the people of Franklin were tasked with burying the dead. Over the next 18 months, the markers rotted and the writing disappeared. Many of the Union soldiers were re-interred in 1865 at the Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The McGavocks wanted to do something more formal. In 1866, they set aside 2 acres of their land for a cemetery. The citizens of Franklin raised the funds that would be needed for the intense process of exhuming and reburying the soldiers. A man named George Cuppett led a team that moved the 1,481 soldiers. One civilian was buried in the cemetery as well. This was George's brother Marcellus, who had died during the process of reburials. The graveyard is called the McGavock Confederate Cemetery and remains the United States largest privately owned military cemetery.

Smoke house in Franklin
Linda C.

This Civil War Tour was amazing, very much enjoyed the genealogy researcher and her stories of the people in Franklin and Carnton!!

Alexis B.

So, I've had visiting Carnton on my Nashville bucket list for a while. This past weekend, my friend and I decided to check it off. What's good? There's no self-guided tour option, but the 60-minute guided tour was really interesting. This is more than just an old house. Carnton was used as a hospital during the Battle of Franklin during the Civil War (the tour guide will be sure to point out all the bloodstains around the house from those days). The tour guide also made a point to discuss slavery and the slaves that were owned by the family until the end of the war - something that many Civil War era properties often skip. What's not so good? $18 is steep. The tour is an hour, but $18 is about the highest I've paid for a house that you're in and out of in an hour. But what really kind of bugged me is that they don't have set tour times. We showed up around 12:30, and they said they weren't doing a tour until 1:45, since that was when a Gray Line bus tour was due to be there. We didn't want to hang out in the shop that long, so we decided to go do something else and come back - so we asked when the next tour would be. They said they weren't sure, that they don't have set tour times, but just start a tour when people were there for one. (They did say their last tour is always at 4:00.) However, this makes it hard to plan a visit to Carnton. You could definitely wait around a while. The tour was interesting. I recommend it to anyone that wants to fit a little bit of history into a day trip to Franklin.

Lindsay D.

So glad we decide to stop here and do the tour. California guy from Downey tour guide was so informative you would think he was a history professor. The history that lies in Carnton and on the grounds was something to see first hand. Walk the grounds and garden and don't forget to pay your respect at the cemetery of the family and the confederate soldiers.

Carton Plantation
Heather W.

Attended my first summer concert series at the Carton Plantation in Franklin. The setting was absolutely perfect for a summertime experience with wonderful music, outstanding food, and scenic views. The cover band Johnny Cash now was lively and fun. It was so enjoyable to listen to some of my favorite songs. If you attend an event I would pack a picnic and relax before the music (doors opened 2 hours prior to the show) I brought a Coleman chair with a built in cooler. I'm glad I remembered to bring the Altar bug spray. The show was great for the price- $12 Bathroom was clean and well stocked (so nice not having to use a port a potty) I will definitely be back to do the historic tour.

Beautiful historical home.

See all

11 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 4 of 4

Ask the Community - Carnton

Review Highlights - Carnton

The passion he has for the history of the Civil War and The Battle of Franklin especially were so impressive.

Mentioned in 36 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Verify this business for free

People searched for Landmarks & Historical Buildings 155 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

Verify this business

McConnell House - TheMcConnell House- Fancy Pants Wedding Photography

McConnell House

(7 reviews)

Now that my ears have stopped ringing I'd like to get down to writing a review of this really great…read morevenue and the pre-Valentine event we attended. This well-preserved historic setting is a "gracious host" for such special events. Yet I must say at the outset that an otherwise beautiful evening of skillfully prepared food paired with exceptionally fine wines was tarnished somewhat by the actual venue itself. The stark, undecorated bare brick walls served to act as reverberating amplifiers of the happy, albeit slightly raucous crowd of 64 diners. For me, the din of diners' conversations, punctuated by squeals and cackles of laughter simply stifled any polite conversation save for that with the dinner guest on my immediate right. (I was at the end of a table so there was no one on my immediate left.) And to converse with the normally delightful friend seated across from me, I had to either lean well into the middle of the table or shout, neither option conducive to pleasant communication. The noise was simply, bluntly, brutally unpleasant. But enough of the negative. Awful acoustics aside, dinner was absolutely delightful, de-lovely, delicious. We were invited to sip a bit and mingle a while for an hour before dinner was served. During that time we enjoyed a light, barely effervescent Sofia Sparkling Blanc de Blanc while deftly nibbling on dutifully delicate Honey Lavender Goat Cheese Tartlets topped with Paddlefish Caviar. The caviar added just a hint of flavor and texture to the mini slightly tart tartlets. First Course: Herb Crusted Sea Scallops, fork-tender but slightly over-blackened for my tastes. The accompanying Cauliflower Puree was über creamy and smooth, while the Toasted Pine Nuts, Currants, and Chile Oil provided lovely counterpoints in texture and taste. Noticeably absent was the "Shitake Bacon", but although I searched for it via my palate, it was nowhere to be found on this plate. The accompanying Sofia Chardonnay was (just as the Coppola vintners describe it) delicate, light, only slightly acidic (I personally didn't pick up on this) and a perfect accompaniment. Second Course: Seared Corvina on a bed of lovely, nutty, rust-colored Bhutanese Red Rice. The fish had a crisp sear but, depending on how thick your portion was, the fish came across as cooked too dry to slightly moist. (My dinner guests compared and contrasted their portions of this mild-flavored fish, the moist portions being the better.) Coconut Milk, citrusy-acidic Lime, pungent Ginger, and Cilantro combined to give this dish a nice finish. The paired Director's Cut Savignon Blanc was fine for this course. Third Course: Braised Beef Short Ribs and Morel Mushroom Sauce plus Apple and Fennel Salad proved the least favorite of the night. The beef was wonderfully tender and smoky, but didn't pack the punch the aroma suggested. The Morels - one of my all time favorite fungi - were slightly salty and could have been the main part of this course for my tastes. The crisp fennel and thinly sliced apple salad went well with a rather mysterious Lost Colony Red Blend. Again, this didn't have the body I would suggest for this heavy a course. Fourth Course: Vanilla Mascarpone Cream (yum-yum-yummy) and Almond Granola Tuile (slightly inconsistent because it was more mushy than crisp, perhaps since I was the last person served out of the 64) came with a "meh" Spiced Wine Poached Pear. Least favorite of the courses tonight, this was paired with a rare - usually served only at the winery - Late Harvest Semillion. If you get a chance to attend one of these dinners...grab it! It might not be perfect, but it made for a near perfect Valentine Dinner for us. (Just glad my taste buds aren't connected to my taste buds and thus not adversely affected by the cacophony.)

Beautiful Event Venue!…read more I have a chef crush on the owner Jason McConnell. He has three restaurants in addition to this event house and everything he cooks is fantastically delicious. Tonight the McConnell House hosted Food Truck Fight night. I'm a sucker for gourmet food coming out of a truck. There were several food trucks parked behind the house. The plan was to look at all the truck's menus and then choose carefully. It can be so difficult to choose just one so you may have to try food from several. Each truck has a number that you can text to vote for them. Just in case great food isn't enough for a great time there is also a dj playing party music. The only thing missing was our camping chairs. Since I discovered this event occurs every third Thursday of the month we will return with our chairs next month and plan to stay longer.

Wilson Family Farm

Wilson Family Farm

(5 reviews)

$

This entire experience was just awesome. First thing to note - they open at 10AM which is one of…read morethe earliest I could find. I wanted to go before the church crowd let out. You pull up and there is ample parking right outside the farm. We were greeted by one of the Wilson's children (added that nice family feel) where we purchased admission. $10- they take cash, card and Venmo. From there you have fresh kettle corn being cooked and bagged, and a nice size area to purchase pumpkins and other goodies. You can hop on the tractor and take a ride around some of the property or they also had a little 'train' for the kids - super cute. The corn maze is straight back from the entrance - it's huge and you can get lost - take note of the aerial photo at the entrance . When you come out, if you start to head back where you came, you'll see a wildflower path up ahead, was a nice stroll up through there, and wraps you back around to another pumpkin patch. That's where the 'action' takes place... cannon and slingshot action! Here you can pay for a slingshot or cannon experience; we did both. Slingshot was fun, mini pumpkins - $1 for 2 shots and you totally get that 'pull back far far far sitting on the ground experience' - loved it! The cannon - well- I loved the power in between my hands!! That sucker shot a NICE distance. This was $2/shot or $5 for 3. Well worth it!!! We didn't carry cash on us, so after grabbing a wagon/cart up front (there a few to use - or bring your own!) we grabbed a variety of pumpkins in the field - ghost, green, orange, etc... then we ended up paying for the cannon experience when we purchased the pumpkins. Things to note: Bathrooms on site, cards accepted, pumpkin patch, kettle corn, tractor rides, cannon and slingshot, corn maze, 'train' for the kids. I spotted some fire pits, might be able to use those as well, just ask! We spoke with Lynn (Mrs. Wilson) and learned all about the farm. She and her family really put their heart into this and you can tell. This farm has been in Mr. Wilson's family since the 1800s!! Cannot say enough good things about this Farm and how kind the entire Wilson family is. Bring the family, go with friends, fly solo - whatever, just do it!

Such a cute and small family farm! My kids loved it and it was not crowded. Loved learning about…read morethe history on the hay ride!

Southall Meadows

Southall Meadows

(5 reviews)

Southall Meadows ruined my wedding, made my bridal party cry right before the ceremony, and caused…read moreme to need therapy to recover from the trauma they caused me. PLEASE view the photos I've shared to see how horrible, penny-pinching this place is. Impressed by all the 5-star reviews? They make you sign a contract saying you'll only give them a 5-star. They claim to be "an open vendor venue." But in multiple areas, they penalize you hundreds for not using their preferred vendors. It was cheaper for me to pay their $800 penalty AND hire my own two bartenders to provide the same service than to use the ones Southall tries to force on you. Their preferred rental company was so expensive that I had to DIY my decor because I couldn't afford another $400 penalty. In the walkthrough, they say chairs are included. But "if you need them for the ceremony too," they charge an extra $350. They gave me a price sheet, then increased the DJ fee by $500 a week later. What could warrant a random 39% increase? If you or guests leave something at the venue by accident, they forbid you from coming back to get it. We left a whole table here and were so anxious they'd keep our $750 security deposit that we didn't even ask for it back. The contract says the Security Deposit will be refunded within 30 days of the event, but we didn't get it back until we emailed them multiple times past the 30 days. They make you pay for meals for THEIR staff. It's standard for other vendors, but I worked in the wedding industry for 3 years and never once saw the VENUE make the bride pay for multiple meals. I didn't rent their $500 optional tables. So they shoved all the furniture I didn't rent beside the barn and tried to hide them with the open barn door. This was so humiliating as ALL my guests walked past and had to see this carnage during my ceremony. Completely unacceptable. You can't arrive until 10 AM. In all the weddings I've worked, the bridal party could arrive at 7-8 AM. The late, strict start time made us so rushed and stressed. If you arrive before 10 AM, they charge you $150 for every 15 minutes you are early. The most catastrophic failure was that their DJ (DJ Pete) played the wrong song THREE times to start our ceremony. He panicked when he realized it was the wrong song and stopped it so my grandma and brother had to walk down in SILENCE, started the wrong song again so the parents had no choice but to walk down, then played the wrong song again for the bridal party. It was so chaotic that my sister was crying, the entire party was upset, and I had to physically get out of my own wedding lineup to show him what to play. I fought not to have a complete meltdown, but the anguish shows on my face in all the photos/videos that I spent $6k on. I blacked out from stress during the ceremony and don't remember the union with my sweet husband, which is by FAR the most hurtful part of all the ways Southall sabotaged my wedding. I can't look at our photos or talk about the wedding without crying, and I am in therapy to cope. I cried on my wedding night and honeymoon the next week. I asked Southall for DJ reimbursement and help with what I lost on photo/video- and they told me the DJ's unpreparedness was all my fault. Imagine hearing a song with your parents while they're in town for your wedding that brings you all to tears- so much that you want it in your wedding. So you send the change to the DJ the night prior & he agrees, but ultimately can't swap out one song. If an 8-year seasoned DJ can't accommodate ONE song change 13 hours before showtime, they have bigger problems. I've seen successful song changes 15 minutes before a ceremony. Yet- the venue used my one change to shift the blame off of them for butchering our wedding. Southall ruined the happiest day of my life and showed no remorse for what they did because brides are business transactions to them. Including an email from them for when they reply to this and try to paint me in a bad light and pin their failures on me instead of owning their mistakes.

My wife and I got married at Southall Meadows and it was the best experience ever! The staff was…read morewonderful and so hard working. Anytime we had any questions they were very easy to talk to. We were reassured anytime that we felt like we did not know what we were doing by Bri & Leah in the office as well as the awesome property manager Mike who took great care of everyone on wedding day. The grounds are just beautiful, with so many different options for ceremonies and have the ability to spread out between the land and the buildings. Our DJ experience was fantastic! It was the party we wanted from day one. Our signature drinks were amazing and their BYOB service is top notch. We even got a refunded for left over alcohol. Such a win. Southall Meadows really cared about our experience from the very beginning by pointing us in the direction of really good vendors that took care of everything to making sure we did not lift a finger on wedding day. It really is awesome to see a small business put on such a beautiful production and we could not be more excited to tell everyone about it! If I didn't know where to start with wedding this is exactly where I would go.

Carnton - landmarks - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...