The F.Q. Story Historic Neighborhood was named after the prestigious land-owner of the area in the 1900's - Francis Quarles Story. The district boundary runs from McDowell Rd. south to Roosevelt St. and from Seventh Ave. west to Grand Ave. The Neighborhood consists of 602 homes that were constructed from the late 1920s through the late 1940s. A variety of architectural styles are featured, including Spanish Colonial Revival, English Tudor, Craftsman bungalows and Transitional Ranch.
Our goal is to have ten homes featured. Sometimes, there are less.
Park on any of the neighborhood streets. Be aware some streets closer to the fair grounds are marked for permit parking.
To view the interior of the homes on tour, you must purchase a ticket. However, you're free to roam the sidewalks and vendor areas without a ticket. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the tour or online starting Cyber Monday (the first Monday after Thanksgiving) 2024. Click here for ticket info.
Once you purchase your ticket, you’ll be given a small booklet. Use your booklet to enter each of the homes on tour. A host will greet you, marking that you’ve entered the home. Then you can walk through the house at your leisure.
The Story Holiday Home Tour typically attracts a few thousand attendees over the course of the two days.
Even though every home on tour is numbered, you don’t have to visit the homes in any certain order. If there is a line at one home, you can always go to the next one and then come back to the home you skipped. Ollie the Trolley can also help get you around to see the homes.
The homeowners of the F.Q. Story neighborhood want to share the beauty, integrity and distinctiveness of their architectural heritage by opening their homes for you.
There will be a variety of food vendors on Sunday, everything from hot dogs, to tamales & Indian fry bread. The bakers of the neighborhood also make many, many sweet surprises that are sold at the cookie house.
There is jewelry, antiques, clothing, outdoor decorations and much, much more available.
On Saturday night, the entire tour route will be lined with beautiful luminarias.
Vendors will be located in a closed off section of the street hosting the tour. The Holiday Street Market will offer food and gift vendors on Saturday from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM only. Saturday evening from 5:00 PM until closing, there will be holiday music, food trucks and beverages available.
Yes, we have several public restrooms for your convenience
Even though all the homes are within a few blocks, on Sunday we do have a trolley that will be stopping at the homes on tour (with the exception of the homes that are on the 900 block which will only be open for foot traffic).
Although most homeowners do not have a problem with picture taking, we would suggest that before you start taking any pictures that you check with the homeowners.
Keep in mind that there will be many visitors on the day of the tour. If your pet is small and can be carried through the homes, that would be okay. Again we suggest discretion in this. You will see many visitors walking their pets on Sunday through the arts and crafts displays. Possibly have a friend stay with your pet while you are walking through the homes.
Children are welcome as long as they stay with their parents. We ask that they are supervised while touring the homes.
Remember that most homes in Story were built in the 1920’s and 1930’s, some on crawl spaces. Hallways are narrow and rooms are smaller than homes being built today. Most homes can be accessed only by steps. Wheelchairs would just not be able to maneuver in the homes.
Proceeds from the Home Tour, the only fundraiser of the year, go to continuing efforts to supporting historic integrity, hosting community events, publishing our newsletter, maintaining the website, integrating our efforts with other historic neighborhoods and helping spread the word about the vitality of life in a historic community. FQ Story also financially supports the students of Franklin Police and Fire High School through their food panty & uniform closet.
The Tour goes on rain or shine