Do you have weekend plans? The Christmas Tours would be a treat to attend!

One weekend offers five tours, 40 stops
The Tennessean

If you love holiday decorations, historic homes and peeking into others' lives, the weekend of Dec. 6-7 in Williamson County is tailor-made for you. There are no less than four holiday home tours scheduled next weekend.
And for those who want even more, a big home tour is set in Maury County on Dec. 6.
Anyone with the stamina to take in all five of these tours will see 40 homes, churches and other historic sites, all done up for Christmas.
Tour-goers also will be contributing to charities and causes with their purchase of tickets. So plan to get out your county map, fill up the Thermos and enjoy all the work others have done to get ready for the holidays.
CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES
DEC. 7 IN FAIRVIEW
After an absence of several years, the Friends of Fairview Library are again sponsoring a Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 7.
There are five homes on the tour, each one decorated to the hilt for Christmas.
Slipped Disk Farm on CCC Road is owned by Anne Knauff. The 1½-story bungalow built in 2002 replaced a home that was destroyed by fire. It features spacious rooms with large windows that offer views of the farm and forest of the Lakewood Club. Other spots on the property that will be open to tour-goers are the pavilion, the guest cabin and the potting shed, where visitors will enjoy warm drinks and treats. The living room of the main house will feature a mini-forest of Christmas trees.
June Churchman's Grammar Road home will feature her collection of Nativity scenes placed in different rooms, as well as an extensive collection of traditional red and green Christmas decorations.
Tim and Molly Abner's split-level house on King Road will be filled with Christmas trees of different themes, including a "redbird tree" in the kitchen and a tree decorated with dog ornaments in honor of the 60 (or more) pets the Abners have rescued and either found or given homes.
Kevin and Cydney Osborn's three-story Cape Cod, also on King Road, will feature country Christmas decorations and natural items such as pinecones and grapevines. "Every room will be decorated for Christmas," including the bathrooms, Cydney Osborn said.
A true Christmas aficionado, Osborn plays Christmas carols every morning of the year. "It gets me going," she said. Visitors will count seven Christmas trees in her house; "even the bedrooms have trees," she said. The master bedroom also features an entire Christmas Village scene.
Eddie and Bettye Hyche's home on Deer Ridge Road reflects Bettye's love for antiques, with every room featuring several fine pieces and accessories. The house, recently enlarged with a new sunroom, will be decorated in red and white for the tour. On display will be a collection of Santas and snowmen.
IF YOU GO
Tickets can be purchased at the Fairview Library, 2240 Fairview Blvd., for $10 per person or $15 per family. The hours of the tour are 1-4 p.m. Call 615-799-0235 or 615-799-0267.
CARTER HOUSE CANDLELIGHT TOUR
DEC. 6-7 IN FRANKLIN
The 36th annual Carter House Christmas Candlelight Tour is Dec. 6-7 and will feature 10 stops.
In addition to the historic Carter House, the tour will feature the magnificent Jasmine Grove antebellum mansion on Myles Manor Court, the Lotz House at 1111 Columbia Ave. and Scarlett Scales at 212 S. Margin St., which is the only shotgun-style house left in Franklin.
Also on the tour is the totally renovated Tudor cottage at 121 Myles Manor Court, which is for sale. Ed and Camille Underwood, who also own and live at Jasmine Grove, own the cottage.
Ed Underwood said the renovation basically doubled the square footage of the cottage, which was built in 1930.
"We tore off the roof and replaced it," Underwood added. "The front and the side facades are about the only things left of the old house. Everything else is pretty much new."
The home has 4,467 square feet, four bedrooms, four bathrooms and is listed for $975,000. The houses on Myles Manor Court constitute Franklin's first subdivision, according to Underwood.
The neighborhood formed in the early 1930s after the owner of Jasmine Grove sold off a portion of the plantation's property with the hope that a neighborhood of houses would block the view between the mansion and The Factory, Underwood said.
Nonresidential properties on the tour include the Franklin Flower and Gift Gallery at 1152 Columbia Ave., St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 510 W. Main St. (Saturday evening only), the Hiram No. 7 Masonic Lodge at 115 Second Ave. S., the Franklin Antique Mall at Second Avenue and South Margin, and J.J. Ashley's Interiors at 125 S. Margin.
IF YOU GO
Advance tickets are $18 and can be purchased at Carter House, Green Bank, Magic Memories, The Factory and The Heritage Foundation. Tickets are $20 on the tour days and can be purchased at the Carter House, 1140 Columbia Ave. The tour's hours are 5-9 p.m. and is dedicated to those serving in the U.S. military and Thomas Y. Cartwright.
HISTORIC HOLIDAY HOME TOUR
DEC. 7 IN COLLEGE GROVE
The College Grove Historic Holiday Home Tour, set for Dec. 7, is sponsored by the College Grove Lions Club and the Friends of the Library.
Seven properties of historic distinction will be open this year.
The McPeak Home at 6672 Arno-College Grove Road was one of the earliest houses built in College Grove, according to owner Frankie McPeak. "It was built in either 1798 or 1799," she said, noting that the property was part of a Revolutionary War land grant.
The house was originally constructed as a log cabin, but today its exterior is white clapboard. McPeak has been renovating the interior lately, with a kitchen makeover and the creation of a new sewing room.
The Ogilvie Place, 8889 Horton Highway, also was originally a log cabin, built circa 1796 by William and Mary Ogilvie. The farm has been cited as one of Tennessee's oldest properties in continuous family ownership. Bob and Libby Ogilvie Battle now call it home; Bob writes a weekly column for Williamson A.M.
Bella Allisona, 8991 Horton Highway, is also known historically as the James Wilhoite House or the Reed Corlette House. An Italianate residence owned by Mark and Jill Howard, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Allisona Heights Farm at 8931 Horton Highway was built by James Allison in the early 1800s. It served as a meeting place for Confederate political gatherings during the Civil War years.
The house is now owned by Jay and Jackie Morell, who have been painstakingly restoring it for years.
Howard and Marjorie Claire Pitts' home at 8954 Horton Highway was built in the 1850s by Sam Wilhoite and was later purchased by W.C. Lanier. Marjorie's family acquired the house in a neglected state in 1969, restored it and has cared for it ever since.
Two nonresidences are on the College Grove tour as well: The Artsitorium on Horton Highway and College Grove United Methodist Church. Built in the late 1800s, the church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
IF YOU GO
Tickets to the College Grove tour are $10 and can be purchased at the College Grove Community Library and local businesses.
WESTHAVEN HOLIDAY HOME TOUR
DEC. 7 IN FRANKLIN
The third annual Westhaven Holiday Home Tour begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 and runs through Dec. 7.
Visitors will see six Westhaven residences, each professionally decorated for the holiday season by a different interior designer.
Franklin Marketplace is decorating the home at 1576 Championship Blvd. with a "going green" theme, while ReCreations is doing 1580 Championship Blvd. as a "traditional Tudor with a twist."
"They are using a good chunk of my stuff and embellishing on that," said Julie Robideau, homeowner of the Tudor house. Her Christmas decorations include a collection of nutcrackers. Pianist Claire Cope will perform at the Robideau house Sunday afternoon.
Rooms Revived is decorating 700 Abbott Place as a "chocolate and berry lover's dream," while Bella Vita Designs will be decorating 109 Morning Mist Lane with "Hollywood glamour with Southern charm."
Harmony Home is decorating 101 Morning Mist Lane to illustrate "the reason for the season," and Lauralee Interiors will showcase 303 Morning Mist Lane with a "looking for Santa" theme.
Carolers from New Hope Academy will perform Friday night and luminarias will decorate the neighborhood Saturday night. Drinks and food will be available from The Frisky Berry.
IF YOU GO
Advance tickets are $12 available at http://www.westhavenfoundation.org/ and $15 on the days of the tour at the Westhaven Residents Club. Tour hours are 6-9 p.m. Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Dec. 6 and 1-5 p.m. Dec. 7. The Westhaven subdivision is on Highway 96 in Franklin.
Proceeds from the event benefit Second Harvest Food Bank's Backpack program for children and the Montessori School of Franklin.
MAJESTIC MAURY COUNTY HOME TOUR
DEC. 6 IN SPRING HILL
The Majestic Maury County Home Tour is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 6. It features 12 stops, including historic sites as well as newly built homes. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 on the day of the event, with reduced rates for seniors and groups of 10 or more people.
IF YOU GO
Tickets may be purchased at Rippavilla Plantation in Spring Hill; phone orders are being filled by Sullivan's Flowers and Gifts in Columbia at 931-388-3035.