Things to Do in Holly Springs, Mississippi
The best things to do in Holly Springs, Mississippi, are the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum, a walk through Hillcrest Cemetery and a tour of the town’s antebellum homes. Holly Springs is a city of 6,968 people and the seat of Marshall County, just south of the Tennessee line.
Settlers founded the town in 1836 on former Chickasaw land, and it grew rich on cotton. In December 1862, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn raided Grant’s supply depot here. Journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs in 1862.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum
The museum is in the Spires Bolling House on North Randolph Avenue, the home linked to Ida B. Wells’s early life. It collects African American history, art and family heirlooms. Its Ida B. Wells-Barnett Room holds her personal memorabilia and awards.
★ Good to know Tours are arranged by phone, so call ahead before you go.
Hillcrest Cemetery
William S. Randolph gave the land for this cemetery in 1837, and it’s been called the Little Arlington of the South. Elaborate headstones mark Confederate generals, unknown soldiers from Shiloh and several U.S. senators. Hiram Revels, the first African American U.S. senator, is among them.
★ Good to know The Holly Springs Tourism office can set up a self-guided or guided tour.
Antebellum home tours
Holly Springs has several historic districts and a long list of pre-Civil War houses. Montrose dates to about 1858, Burton Place to about 1840, and the pink Gothic Revival Magnolia Mansion to about 1852. Magnolia was the main filming location for the 1999 movie Cookie’s Fortune.
★ Good to know All the antebellum homes need 24 to 48 hours’ notice for a tour, so book through the tourism office ahead of time.
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
This Audubon center covers about 2,500 acres of woods, grassland and wetland. It has hiking trails, a boardwalk, a pollinator garden and a wildlife observation deck. Its Hummingbird Migration Celebration is one of the town’s best-known yearly events.
★ Good to know Check Audubon’s visit page first; the center has kept limited hours, with the buildings closed and the trails open on weekdays.
Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery
Kate Freeman Clark studied under William Merritt Chase in New York. The gallery on East College Avenue shows her collection of more than 1,200 paintings: landscapes, plein-air portraits and still lifes.
★ Good to know It’s open Tuesday through Friday, so it won’t work for a weekend-only trip.
Marshall County Historical Museum and Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum
The county museum on East College Avenue is proudly quirky, with Civil War items and a grandmother’s-attic mix of local finds. Across the street, the Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum tells the story of the 1878 epidemic that sickened 1,400 residents. It honors the people who stayed to nurse them.
★ Good to know The Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum is free, with donations requested.
Hill Country Blues marker and Rust College
Holly Springs is the heart of Hill Country blues, the driving, few-chord style made famous by R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker on East College Avenue tells the story. Rust College, founded in 1866 to serve freedmen, is also in town.
★ Good to know Burnside and Kimbrough also have their own Blues Trail markers in the Holly Springs area.
Also in town
The courthouse square holds the Holly Springs Depot and local shops, the city is known for Phillips Grocery burgers, Kirkwood Golf Course is in town, and Walter Place, where Julia Dent Grant stayed in 1862, is not open for regular tours.
Was Ida B. Wells born in Holly Springs?
Yes. Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs in 1862. The Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum on North Randolph Avenue preserves her story and belongings.
Can you tour the antebellum homes in Holly Springs?
Yes, by appointment. Homes such as Montrose, Burton Place and Magnolia Mansion need 24 to 48 hours’ notice. The annual Pilgrimage in April opens more of them.
What is Hill Country blues?
It’s the blues style of the hills around Holly Springs, built on few chord changes and a steady, driving groove. R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough brought it to wide audiences in the 1990s.
What towns pair well with Holly Springs?
Oxford is about 30 miles south on Highway 7; see things to do in Oxford. For more ideas, browse our small towns in Mississippi.
Where to find them
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum 220 N. Randolph Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Hillcrest Cemetery Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Montrose Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Strawberry Plains Audubon Center 285 Plains Rd., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery 300 E. College Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Marshall County Historical Museum 220 E. College Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum 305 E. College Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
- Rust College 150 Rust Ave., Holly Springs, MS 38635 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Holly Springs, see Marshall County Chamber of Commerce →
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Where to stay in Holly Springs
Keep exploring
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