Featured
Tupelo's Tribute to the King Endures
He may have found a new place to dwell, but Elvis Presley’s presence in his hometown of Tupelo is felt in more places than ever.
Elvis Presley Boulevard runs through town, and Presley Heights is a neighborhood of homes and businesses. People relax at Presley Lake, and Tupelo sports teams call themselves the Hound Dogs. A local flower business advertises that “nothing says love me tender” like its bouquets.
“Over the years the people of Tupelo have become more and more... Read More »
Tupelo History, Music and Arts Attractions
Tupelo may be best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, but did you know Tupelo also offers a wide variety of cultural experiences to visitors? Tupelo features a distinctive blend of interesting historical sites, museums, cultural centers, and musical and theatrical venues that everyone can enjoy. Hop in the car and discover some of the interesting attractions around the Tupelo area.
Tupelo's Civil War Battlefields
See where Confederate forces led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest scored a... Read More »
Theater, Art and History Education for Kids in Tupelo
Arts and education thrive in Tupelo, thanks to cooperation between local arts organizations, schools and the community.
GumTree Museum
For more than 25 years, the GumTree Museum of Art has reached out with programs that make art accessible to people of all ages.
“We try to have many different opportunities to bring the community in and learn about the exhibits we have, and teach a little art history as well,” says Kit Stafford, GumTree’s executive director.
One of the museum... Read More »
Lyric Theatre Stays Vibrant in Tupelo
For nearly 100 years, people have been entertained inside the historic Lyric Theatre.
The downtown landmark hosted live theatrical productions from 1912 to the early 1930s, and then it was converted into a movie house during the Depression. The Lyric stayed that way for 50 years until 1984, when the Tupelo Community Theatre purchased the historic building for $100,000.
“It took every penny we had, but we made a good purchase in ’84 because the theater building today is supposedly worth more... Read More »
Tupelo's Manly Enough for Elvis
Before the crowds, before Graceland, before there was a King, there was Tupelo, MS. The city celebrates the music legend's early years at Elvis Presley's Birthplace. Presley was born in this manly town on Jan. 8, 1935, in a two-room home that his father built. Each year, more than 80,000 people visit the home, and we're sure Dad would love to be one of them. You know there has to be some machismo here if it produced a star who thousands of women screamed about.
Manly Things to Do:
•... Read More »
Tupelo Automobile Museum Displays More Than 150 Cars
Classic car fanatics could scarcely find a better home base than Tupelo, MS, where the Tupelo Automobile Museum features 120,000 square feet of automobile displays and open viewing restoration bays.
More than 150 antique, classic and collectible automobiles are displayed chronologically at the museum, illustrating the progress of more than 100 years of automobile design and engineering.
The collection, valued at over $6 million, includes an 1886 Benz, representing the birth of the... Read More »
Downtown Tupelo Rocks With Guitar Sculpture Project
There's no mistaking Tupelo's rich musical history on Main Street.
Its rock 'n' roll roots are larger than life these days, thanks to a series of 30, 6-foot-tall, colorfully painted guitar sculptures lining the streets.
Thomas Street Elementary School art teacher Kit Stafford dreamed up the public art project, which was implemented with the help of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association and lots of young artists.
Students from every public school in Tupelo participated in designing and... Read More »
Tupelo Music Scene Makes Cultural and Economic Impact
Tupelo's rich music scene is a critical part of its cultural identity as well as a major lure for tourism dollars.
Elvis' Legacy
Elvis Presley is an iconic name in Tupelo, and for good reason. This city will always be known as the rock ‘n’ roll king’s hometown. Even the small house where he was born in 1935 has been transformed into a museum in his honor. Tupelo is also home to an annual Tupelo Elvis Festival.
“The city understandably has a deep appreciation for Elvis... Read More »
Tupelo Hosts Many Festivals
You can hop into a classic car and attend the Blue Suede Cruise during the first weekend of May, then make a pig of yourself at the Tupelo Pig Roast on the second weekend of May.
Those are just two of many festival options that Tupelo offers its residents – and visitors – on an annual basis.
Tupelo Elvis Festival One of the more well-known events is the Tupelo Elvis Festival that takes place during the first weekend of June.
“More than 10,000 people attend this hometown... Read More »
Elvis Presley Homesite Preserves His Tupelo History
Before the adoring crowds, before the swaying hips, before Graceland, before there was a King, there was Tupelo.
Elvis Presley was born in this northeast Mississippi city on Jan. 8, 1935, in a two-room home that his father built for $180. Each year, more than 80,000 people visit the home, which Elvis once remarked could fit inside his living room at Graceland.
The house nearly passed into obscurity in the 1950s when the land came up for sale. But Elvis happened to be stopping through in 1956 to... Read More »
GumTree Museum of Art Promotes Visual Arts, Holds Annual Festival
The GumTree Museum of Art has been decorated by the works of Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mississippi masters and Tupelo schoolchildren.
The museum, located in a Beaux Arts-style building listed on the National Historic Register in downtown Tupelo, is free of charge to the general public.
The Gumtree was established as a non-profit corporation on 1982. Since 1985, the museum has served as an educational institution for the visual arts, offering quality exhibitions, work shops,... Read More »
Tupelo National Battlefield Marks Mississippi's Last Civil War Battle
Learn about Tupelo’s role in the Civil War at Tupelo National Battlefield, a one-acre preservation of the original battlefield where the final war conflict in Mississippi occurred on July 14,1864.
While development has overtaken most of the original battlefield, the preserved area is where, over the course of two days, the Union army fought to regain ground lost earlier at the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads. It was here that Stephen D. Lee and Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest led... Read More »
Explore Civil War History at Brice's Crossroads
Brice’s Crossroads National Battlefield, located off the Natchez Trace Parkway, commemorates the June 1864 Civil War battle where Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest was victorious over the Union cavalry.
The visitor’s center offers a historical trip back to the Civil War era with its detailed exhibits, informative films and period artwork. The “Forrest’s Finest Hour” display narrates the story behind the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, including a... Read More »
Tupelo Automobile Museum in Tupelo, MS
Tupelo Automobile Museum
Stroll through the Tupelo Automobile Museum and you'll literally walk a timeline that spans more than 120 years. This 120,000-square-foot showroom features more than 100 antique, classic and collectible cars, all chronologically displayed to illustrate the progress of automobile design and engineering. The collection is valued at more than $6 million and includes vehicles once owned by celebrities including Elvis Presley. Visitors can also peek in on ongoing... Read More »
