Have you ever heard of Holly Springs, Mississippi? No? Neither had I until recently. Thankfully, Twitter is a great place for travel inspiration. Holly Springs Tourism & Recreation Bureau saw that we were passing close by on our #HendersonsBBQTour; and convinced us that we just had to come for a visit. This city turned out to be such a revelation – uplifting, interesting, and heartwarming. Holly Springs is roughly half way between Memphis and Tupelo, and an easy stop on your way between the two. Here are some of the highlights of our adventures in the city of Holly Springs MS.
Disclaimer: We were invited by the Tourism Bureau, however this visit was not compensated, and all opinions are my own.
What makes Holly Springs special
We didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, but needless to say, Holly Springs really surprised and inspired us. After a few unsettling experiences earlier in the trip we were feeling deflated. We weren’t prepared for some of the racism and bigotry we encountered along the way, so were feeling a little prickly about small town America. But luckily, Holly Springs restored our faith in humanity. The people we met were welcoming, passionate, inclusive, and kind. There was a sense of progress here, and a sense of community. No matter what the social, racial, or political issues are, progress and kindness are key. Holly Springs, Mississippi, has both.
Things to do in Holly Springs
Have coffee at Coffee in Holly
I find it really hard to get decent coffee in the USA. There are plenty of places that make great coffee, but these can be hard to find among the dross on offer. Much to our delight, the owners of Coffee in Holly coffee shop are coffee experts. A haven for great coffee, music and art; this multi-purpose space is more than just a café, it is a community space. The peppermint chocolate iced coffees are to die for. We were lucky enough to visit while blues musician Jessie Cotton Stone was playing (he was in town for a blues festival). It was an exceptional afternoon of music, coffee and talking to the lovely locals!
Visit an Antebellum Home
The Holly Springs MS Garden Club hosts the annual tour of historic homes in spring every year. But if you miss this ‘pilgrimage’ as they call it, don’t worry, you can still visit many historic homes and museums. We had the pleasure of visiting Burton Place, a private residence that offers tours by appointment only.
One of the few antebellum homes to have retained the slave quarters, it is a fascinating glimpse into the past. Burton Place is part of the Behind the Big House project; which looks to research and deliver the slave narrative that is often left out of these historic homes.
Enjoy the shops on the town square
There are some lovely shops on the main square, as well as some great historic buildings. Head over to Booker Hardware to see some amazing vintage tool exhibits in the windows, meet the super friendly owners, and pet the store dog! Explore the antiques and collectibles at Trashy Women (my favourite store name ever!). And don’t miss a visit to the vintage pharmacy, Tyson Drug Co.
Find the historic plaques
It was interesting to walk around the city centre to find the historic plaques. Holly Springs is the birthplace of Hill Country Blues – made famous in the 1990s by R.L. Burnside and David “Junior” Kimbrough. The city was also a Union Army depot during the American Civil War. This small city sure packs a punch for its size, in terms of history and leveraging that for the benefit of visitors.
Visiting Mississippi? Why not visit the amazing blues town of Clarksdale!
Hotels in Holly Springs MS
There are a number of B&Bs in Holly Springs, along with motels near the highway. For an elegant B&B experience, try the Wynne House Inn near the square. For a decent budget option off the highway, try the Quality Inn Holly Springs.
Places to eat in Holly Springs
We were hoping to eat at Marshall’s Steakhouse on our visit, but sadly it was closed on the day we were there. Lucky for us, the Southern Eatery right on the square was open for lunch and we partook of their delicious lunch buffet and salad bar. I couldn’t resist the southern fried chicken and cornbread, and the banana pudding for dessert – yum.
Be inspired by the City of Holly Springs MS
We ended up staying in Holly Springs for about 4 hours longer than we had planned, as we were enjoying it so much. Everyone we met was inquisitive, friendly, and welcoming. We were welcomed into private homes, stopped in the street for chats, and served up a huge serving of that famous Southern hospitality. I think Holly Springs was definitely the panacea we needed. Honestly, if you’re in the Memphis / Tupelo area, get yourself to Holly Springs for a day or two and enjoy this inspiring little city.
Finding inspirational places that are off the beaten track is one of my goals when planning an itinerary – get in touch!
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhoneX.
What a lovely welcome to Holly Springs. While I have never been to mS, there is something to be said about southern hospitality. It’s wonderful to read how welcomed you were. Had no idea holly springs was the birthplace of hill country blues – good to know. Great article and thanks for putting holly springs on my radar!
Holly Springs seems like a beautiful little town, and the gateway to Holly Springs National Forest! We met a German couple who were making a music themed road trip across the south while we were in Jekyll Island Georgia. I know the went to Muscle Shoals up the road, but it seems like Holly Springs and the birthplace of Country Blues shouldn’t be missed on such a trip.
that city looks like a walk back in time, such beautiful architecture. And i am so glad to hear you were met with kindness at every turn there…there is truly no place for racism or division in any country or any city.
Thank you for coming to our little town and giving us a chance to welcome you!
Thank you for your fabulous little town – we loved it!
This city has so much history and culture to learn and explore! what a great place to visit! xo – Kam
Ah that’s so sad to hear you experiences racism and bigotry earlier on your trip, I was quite nervous about this when we visited as I went with my Indian/Kenyan mate, but we managed to get lucky in the small towns all over the south I think. Also got to agree on finding a good cup of coffee haha harder than finding gold in the USA so good work on spotting a good cafe
Never heard of the place, but would have to say that i love the whole idea of the Bottomless Cup coffee shop, not just because of the coffee. How lovely that it hosted the arts fair when you were there, and that you can enjoy your coffee with some music in the background.
Being a history buff, I’d definitely check out those historic plaques as well.
All in all, seems that it wasn’t such a bad idea to go off your rout and visit holly springs, right! 🙂
What a sweet town. Love the vintage shops and that plate of fried chicken. I so enjoy exploring off the beaten path places and the south has such character. Thanks for putting Holly springs on the map.
I wasn’t aware of Holly Springs before. It seems there are so many things to do there, and you have managed to keep the reader engaged by listing out all the interesting places. Whether it’s Having coffee at bottomless cup, or visiting the Antebellum Home, or shopping at town square, or eating at marshall’s steakhouse, holly springs has everything covered. This makes up a great week long vacation there.
I so get your uneasiness in the beginning! my first trip to the us was to the deep south, among others mississippi. i was really shocked by the racism and segregation i encountered there; and people were shocked that i as a white person went to black neighborhoods and was interested in the civil rights movement. that was quite an experience….
Yep, it was certainly eye-opening! But I was overall hopeful, especially after visiting places like Holly Springs!
I’m glad you ended up enjoying it in holly springs, it’s somewhere i’m not too familiar with but it’s a region i’d like to see more of so i’ll add it to my list.
Thanks Jason! If you’re ever in the area, definitely stop by – it’s such a peach of a town!
So nice to hear you had a wonderful time. Holly Springs truly is a gem….
Our local Historian Phillip does Holloween tours in October. A must do adventure.
Thanks Stacey – great tip! Halloween tours sound awesome!
So glad you were welcomed by Holly City. It looks like a charming place to visit. Must have been interesting to visit an antebellum home and also see the slave quarters. Sobering, too, maybe.
Thanks for visiting our little town, you know that Shepard Smith (Fox News) anchor and Cassi Davis ( Tyler Perry’s House of Payne are from Holly Springs. Also check out the music of RL Burnside and JR Kimbrough.