For most travelers, Tupelo often begins with one name: Elvis Presley. But while the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll may have put this northeast Mississippi city on the map, he’s only one chapter of the story.
Set along the Natchez Trace Parkway about 90 minutes from Memphis, Tupelo has quietly become one of the South’s most rewarding long-weekend destinations—not to mention, a favorite weekend getaway for my husband and me. Music history and a lively restaurant scene are what first brought us to Tupelo, but the walkable downtown, colorful public art, scenic outdoor spaces and locally owned businesses have brought us back numerous times over the years.
This post was created in partnership with Visit Tupelo. All thoughts are our own.
So whether you’re road-tripping the Natchez Trace or planning a dedicated getaway, here’s how to spend the perfect weekend in Tupelo, including the best things to do, places to eat and experiences worth making time for.
Planning a Trip to Tupelo
How long: 2–3 nights
Getting there: About 90 minutes from Memphis and directly along the Natchez Trace Parkway
Best for: Music, food, history, road trips, couples’ weekends
Best time: Spring and fall; summer for festivals/events; January for Elvis’ birthday celebration
Getting around: Downtown is walkable, but you’ll want a car for the Elvis sites, the Natchez Trace and the parks.
Where to stay in Tupelo, Mississippi
For a stay close to the action, Hotel Tupelo is a boutique hotel in downtown Tupelo that puts you within easy reach of restaurants, shops and live music. If you’d rather have more room to spread out, Holiday Inn & Suites Tupelo North is a convenient option with spacious rooms and suites, plus easy access to downtown and the rest of the city by car.
Day 1: Explore Downtown Tupelo
Start your visit where old and new Tupelo naturally intersect: downtown. Historic brick storefronts house everything from century-old retailers to contemporary boutiques, while murals and neon installations add plenty of opportunities for selfies.
Be sure to download the It’s Electric: Neon Lights Trail, which showcases vibrant public art throughout downtown after dark.
Shop in Downtown Tupelo
For men’s clothing, start at MLM Clothiers, one of Mississippi’s oldest menswear stores, before browsing women’s fashion and locally inspired gifts at Bolt, whose rock-and-roll aesthetic feels perfectly at home in Elvis’ hometown. Don’t miss Reed’s, a Tupelo institution since 1905, or Reed’s GumTree Bookstore just around the corner, where shelves of books complement the wide range of home decor, gifts and children’s items.
Downtown is also the city’s creative hub. Spend time browsing contemporary Southern artists at the Caron Gallery, then walk a few blocks to GumTree Museum of Art, which has showcased regional artists for more than four decades.
Need a caffeine break? Make the short drive to Lost + Found Coffee Co., the specialty roastery that helped elevate Tupelo’s coffee culture. Order a cereal milk latte or pour-over with one of the café’s pastries before continuing your day.
Visit Queen’s Reward Meadery
Before dinner, make a final stop at Queen’s Reward Meadery, Mississippi’s first and only meadery. Founded by Jeri Carter, the female-owned business produces award-winning small-batch meads using 100 percent Mississippi honey. Guided tasting flights introduce newcomers to honey wine, while behind-the-scenes tours explain the production process.
Lawn games, shaded outdoor seating, board games and a full calendar of trivia nights, food trucks and community events have transformed the meadery into one of Tupelo’s favorite gathering places. Don’t miss the new mead-and-cheese pairings or colorful mead slushie flights, and consider ordering a charcuterie board to round out your tasting.
Dine in Downtown Tupelo
As the evening rolls around, grab dinner at the Stables Downtown Grill, where blackened catfish nachos, Southern classics and music create one of downtown’s casual dining atmospheres. If you visit on a balmy evening, the Stables’ alley patio is one of the best places to dine outdoors in Tupelo.
Day 2: Follow Elvis’ Footsteps in Tupelo
No first visit to Tupelo is complete without exploring the places that shaped Elvis Presley long before Graceland. But before you get your Elvis on, you must first stop for breakfast at Talbot House Bakery & Cafe, known for its house-made pastries, biscuits and enormous chocolate chip cookies. The bakery provides transitional job skills training for women in early recovery from substance use disorder, with all proceeds supporting Talbot House Sober Living for Women, a local nonprofit.
Begin at the Elvis Presley Birthplace, where the modest two-room shotgun house built by Vernon Presley introduces visitors to Elvis’ childhood during the Great Depression. Don’t rush through the campus. The museum, Assembly of God church where Elvis discovered gospel music, memorial gardens, Becoming sculpture and peaceful Reflections area together paint a remarkably personal portrait of the boy before he became a global icon.
When lunchtime rolls around, head straight to Johnnie’s Drive-In. The cash-only diner has served Tupelo since 1945, and Elvis himself was a regular. Order a doughburger and ask to sit in the famous Elvis booth for one of the city’s most authentic connections to its musical legacy.
After lunch, spend the afternoon finishing Elvis’ Tupelo Driving Tour. The route also passes the original Reed’s Department Store, where Gladys worked as a seamstress, along with the former Tupelo Garment Company, Elvis’ schools and the historic Shake Rag neighborhood, whose blues and gospel traditions would later influence his groundbreaking sound.
One stop stands above the rest: Tupelo Hardware Company, where an 11-year-old Elvis arrived hoping for a bicycle but left with a $7.75 guitar after his mother, Gladys, refused to buy him the rifle he wanted. Plans are underway to preserve the historic building as an interpretive attraction, with Tupelo’s future visitors center planned for the adjoining space.
Read my complete guide to following Elvis Presley’s footsteps in Tupelo.
Have dinner at Forklift
For dinner, Forklift serves an elevated take on Southern cuisine with creative cocktails, seasonal menus and one of the city’s best fine-dining restaurants. On a warm evening, the patio tables are the place to be.
See a show at Blue Canoe
Save room in your evening for Blue Canoe, where Southern comfort food, Cajun influences, craft beer and live music make it one of Tupelo’s best late-night stops. Its intimate Cathead Stage has hosted artists like Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, St. Paul and The Broken Bones and The Revivalists before they moved on to much larger venues.
Day 3: More Things to Do in Tupelo
With Tupelo’s biggest music attractions and downtown highlights under your belt, spend your final day exploring the city’s history, outdoor spaces and easy access to the Natchez Trace Parkway. You won’t be able to fit everything into one morning or afternoon, so choose a few stops based on your interests.
Drive the Natchez Trace Parkway
Tupelo sits directly along the Natchez Trace Parkway, the 444-mile scenic route connecting Natchez, Mississippi, with Nashville, Tennessee. Start at the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center at milepost 266, where exhibits trace the evolution of this historic travel corridor and park rangers can recommend nearby trails, historic sites and scenic stops based on how much time you have.
Visit the Chickasaw Village Site
Just south of the visitor center, the Chickasaw Village Site offers a deeper look at the Chickasaw people and their enduring connection to their ancestral homeland in North Mississippi. A short interpretive trail winds through the former village site, with exhibits exploring Chickasaw life, culture and the landscape that sustained communities here for generations.
Tupelo will add another major cultural attraction in 2027 with the opening of the Chickasaw Heritage Center, which will explore more Chickasaw history, culture and the Nation’s enduring connection to its Homeland in North Mississippi.
Spend time at Tombigbee State Park
For a longer outdoor excursion, head to Tombigbee State Park, just a short drive from downtown Tupelo. The park surrounds Lake Lee, with plenty of opportunities for hiking, fishing, paddling and disc golf, as well as cabins and campsites for travelers who want to stay overnight.
Explore Tupelo’s city parks
You don’t have to leave the city to get outdoors. Ballard Park has walking trails, playgrounds, a skate park and an 18-hole disc golf course, while nearby Veterans Park offers additional recreation space. If pickleball is more your speed, Dot Cooper Kelly Park has 12 public courts.
Learn more about Tupelo’s history
Housed in a restored dairy barn at Ballard Park, the Oren Dunn City Museum traces Tupelo’s history through exhibits on the people, industries and events that shaped the city. Its location makes it an easy addition if you’re already spending time at the park, plus the caboose and other relics make for great photo opps.
Grab a sweet treat at Crave Tupelo
If your final day falls on a Sunday, save dessert for Crave Tupelo, a downtown dessert bar known for over-the-top sweets. It’s also one of Tupelo’s best coffee shops during the week, but Sunday is a little different here. Crave doesn’t open until the evening on Sundays, making it an easy final stop after a day exploring the Natchez Trace, Tupelo’s parks or local shops. Check the current hours before you go, then cap off your weekend with one of its decadent desserts.
Go shopping in Tupelo
If you’d rather spend your final few hours shopping, head to Midtown to browse locally owned boutiques and specialty stores. For a larger concentration of shops, the Barnes Crossing district is Tupelo’s major retail hub, with a mix of national retailers, restaurants and local businesses.
Whether you spend your last day hiking along the Natchez Trace, learning more about the area’s Chickasaw history or simply exploring another corner of the city, it’s worth leaving some flexibility in your Tupelo itinerary. There’s far more here than most first-time visitors expect to fit into a single weekend.
Why Tupelo Deserves a Weekend
It’s easy to assume Tupelo is simply a stop between Memphis and the Natchez Trace Parkway. Spend a weekend here, though, and you’ll discover a destination with far more depth than just its famous hometown hero.
Come for Elvis, sure. But stay for the creative energy, the walkable downtown, the unexpected restaurant scene, the live music, the outdoor adventures and the businesses that gives Tupelo its personality.
FAQ About Tupelo
What is Tupelo, Mississippi known for?
Tupelo, Mississippi is best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, but its story extends well beyond the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The city sits along the Natchez Trace Parkway and is also known for its live music, Southern food, public art and Chickasaw history. Downtown Tupelo adds locally owned shops, restaurants and galleries to the mix, making the city worth more than a quick stop at the Elvis Presley Birthplace.
Is Tupelo, Mississippi worth visiting?
Yes, Tupelo is well worth visiting, particularly if you’re interested in music, Southern food, history or the outdoors. While Elvis Presley is the city’s most famous connection, you can easily fill two or three days exploring downtown, driving the Natchez Trace Parkway, listening to live music, visiting local restaurants, and spending time in Tupelo’s parks and museums.
How many days do you need in Tupelo?
Two full days will give you enough time to see Tupelo’s major attractions, but three days is ideal if you want to explore the Natchez Trace Parkway, spend time outdoors and enjoy the city without rushing. If you’re visiting from Memphis, you can also see several of Tupelo’s Elvis attractions on a day trip.
What are the best things to do in Tupelo besides Elvis attractions?
There are plenty of things to do in Tupelo beyond its Elvis attractions. Spend time exploring walkable downtown Tupelo, where locally owned shops, restaurants, murals, neon installations and galleries like The Caron Gallery showcase the city’s creative side. Stop by Queen’s Reward Meadery for a tasting of meads made with Mississippi honey, then experience Tupelo’s food and live music scenes at local favorites like Forklift and Blue Canoe.
For outdoor adventures, drive a stretch of the Natchez Trace Parkway, visit the Chickasaw Village Site or head to Tombigbee State Park for hiking, paddling, fishing and disc golf. Closer to downtown, Ballard Park and Veterans Park offer walking trails and recreation, making it easy to mix Tupelo’s music, art, food and history with time outdoors.
Can you visit Tupelo on a day trip from Memphis?
Yes! Tupelo is about a 90-minute drive from Memphis, making it an easy day trip and the perfect add-on to a trip to Graceland. Elvis fans can visit the Elvis Presley Birthplace, see the church where he was introduced to gospel music, stop by Tupelo Hardware Company where he got his first guitar and grab lunch at Johnnie’s Drive-In, one of his childhood hangouts. If you have extra time, take a short drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway before heading back to Memphis.
What is the best time of year to visit Tupelo?
There’s really no bad time to visit Tupelo, though spring and fall are particularly beautiful if you plan to spend time outdoors. Spring brings wildflowers along the Natchez Trace Parkway, while fall means colorful foliage and comfortable temperatures for hiking, exploring downtown and spending time on restaurant patios.
Summer can be hot and humid, but it’s also one of the most exciting times for Elvis fans thanks to the annual Tupelo Elvis Festival every June. Elvis fans should also consider visiting in January, when Tupelo celebrates Elvis’ birthday with special events at the Elvis Presley Birthplace and around town.
