Franklin College is a small liberal arts college with a compact, walkable campus about ten minutes' walk south of the courthouse square. Founded in 1834, it predates the town's period of greatest growth and gives Franklin a quiet academic character that larger cities rarely achieve.
The campus is pleasant to walk through even if you have no academic business there. The historic buildings around the main quad reflect late 19th and early 20th century collegiate architecture, and the college's public spaces are generally open to visitors.