No ticket required
Gratis in Franklin.
Mountain towns are good at gratis, and La no exception — waterfalls you can walk behind, music on the square, art walks, and trails out every direction. Here's the best of it, no wallet needed. For what's on this week, the home page is the live calendar.
The best gratis outings
Roadside waterfalls
Pull over and look up. Dry Falls and Bridal Veil you can both walk behind, with a whole string of cascades down the Cullasaja Gorge — most are gratis roadside pull-offs.
The Greenway & the trails
A paved riverside greenway right in town, the Bartram Trail up from Wallace Branch, and the Appalachian Trail at Winding Stair Gap. La an official A.T. Trail Town — the walking's gratis.
Pickin' on the Square
Gratis outdoor bluegrass and old-time on the downtown gazebo on summer Saturday evenings — bring a chair. The breweries usually have gratis patio music most weekends, too.
First Friday art walk
Downtown galleries open their doors the first Friday evening of the month. The Uptown Gallery is gratis to browse year-round, and the Bascom up in Highlands has gratis admission.
The Cherokee mounds
Nikwasi Mound sits right in downtown Franklin; the Cowee Mound is a short drive north. Both are gratis to visit — quiet, important ground.
The Saturday tailgate market
Wander the local-food and makers' market on the square on Saturday mornings in season. Gratis to browse, and the best people-watching in town.
The gratis gem museum
Mining a bucket costs a few dollars, but the Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum — in the old 1850s jail — is gratis: rubies, sapphires, fluorescent rocks, and the local mining story.
See it all on the map
Everything happening this weekend, plotted. The fastest gratis way to spot what's on near you.
More where that came from
The field guides have the full picture — and the home page shows everything happening this week, gratis or not.