5 Nicest Small Towns To Visit Near Memphis

The Memphis area sits at the edge of the Mississippi Delta and offers small towns within two hours of the city. Bolivar and Holly Springs hold Civil War history at their centers. Brownsville pairs blues heritage with the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge. Corinth marks the railroad crossing that made the Confederacy strategically important during the war. Hernando sits on the Mississippi Blues Trail with markers honoring early Memphis blues musicians. These five towns offer a broader view of the region beyond the city itself.

Brownsville, TN

Headed out of Memphis on Interstate 40 will eventually get you to Brownsville after about an hour of traveling, a place that affectionately refers to itself as Soul Town. This is partly due to the ever-growing Memorial Day weekend festival celebrating blues music with the region's best talent, known as Exit 56 Blues Fest. Music museums are part of the culture here, which is one of the reasons Brownsville attracts so many tourists every year, many of whom visit the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center, which does much to honor blues legend Sleepy John Estes.

Similarly, Brownsville is home to the only Tina Turner Museum in the world, housed in a single-room schoolhouse (Flagg Grove School) designated for African Americans during her childhood. The town isn't only about the blues, though. Coming to Brownsville means access to the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, where guests can spot hundreds of species of animals enjoying their natural habitats and stopping over for seasonal migrations. The refuge has hiking trails, fishing spots, and more to explore.

Bolivar, TN

Towns like Bolivar are great for helping travelers better understand the state's historical significance in its small towns, with this one sitting about an hour from Memphis. Bolivar has three districts on the National Register, but most of the action takes place in the Court Square district, with the 1868 Hardeman County Courthouse right in the middle. The historic walking tour of Court Square includes one of the first Civil War memorials on the courthouse's south lawn and access to the Little Courthouse Museum, one of the few log courthouses left in the country.

The square is also part of the culture and community here, beyond its historical significance, as this is where a weekly concert series, Music on the Square, takes place May through October every Friday night. The genres are varied, though the performers at this free event often lean into country, bluegrass, and southern rock. To take a break from the history and heritage, visitors can use Bolivar as a base to reach the nearby Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, which spans 11,000 acres. By walking the hiking trails, setting out on a boat in the waterways, or moving through the wetlands, visitors can get up close and personal with Tennessee wildlife in a quieter natural setting.

Holly Springs, MS

About an hour southeast of Memphis, Holly Springs is one of the best places to explore Mississippi's deep Civil War history. During the war, more than 60 skirmishes occurred in and around the area, including a major Confederate effort in December 1862 that stalled the Union advance toward Vicksburg. Walter Place, a historic home where Julia Grant and General Ulysses S. Grant's son, Jesse, stayed in 1862, remains a popular destination for history buffs to see firsthand.

The whole community still feels very much from another time, with numerous antebellum homes beyond Walter Place, more than 60 in all. Holly Springs hosts the Garden Club Pilgrimage, an event that spotlights the community's historical structures every year, bringing thousands here to explore the history, though many of these properties can be toured year-round. To fully dive into the town's history, be sure to stop by the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum, which honors the renowned civil rights activist and journalist who was born here in Holly Springs.

Corinth, MS

Because the region was so influential during the American Civil War, Corinth remains one of the clearest examples of a longer day trip from Memphis. This was a point where two of the Confederacy's longest railroads crossed, making Corinth strategically important in the Civil War. For the railroad portion of this history, you can learn much more about how it influenced the growth and evolution of Corinth at the Crossroads Museum.

As for the valuable positioning these crossings provided during the conflicts, the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center chronicles the bloody history. Corinth is also a connecting point for the Shiloh National Military Park, around 20 miles away, an important stop for Civil War buffs, as this was the site of one of the bloodiest battles, with casualties totaling 23,746 soldiers. When ready to take a break from the dark days in American history, it's still possible to enjoy a bit of nostalgia in the form of ice cream sodas or even a slugburger from Borroum's Drug Store & Soda Fountain that's been here since 1865.

Hernando, MS

What would become the Memphis blues scene was shaped by several Hernando-area musicians who helped establish Memphis as a major blues center, including Jim Jackson, Robert Wilkins, Dan Sane, Gus Cannon, and George 'Mojo' Buford. Hernando is a stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail, with one of the major markers honoring some of these musicians. Hernando is also where jug band legend Gus Cannon is buried at Greenview Memorial Gardens, a stop for reverent fans of the evolution of the region's jug band and blues sounds.

Inside town, the action tends to center on Courthouse Square, a spot with a lot of historic character, featuring murals and many shops and restaurants. The Docket, a new restaurant that opened in March of 2026, is already a fan favorite for its smoked burgers and weekend brunch. To get a true snapshot of all of the historical significance of Hernando, spanning the blues, the Civil War, and the modern iterations, the DeSoto County Museum can give guests a true look at the community with immersive exhibits and artifacts.

Memphis Day Trips Across Tennessee And Mississippi

Memphis is well-positioned to let visitors experience multiple states by heading in different directions. Some of the best places to explore when out of the city include Corinth, Mississippi, with its historic landmarks and access to one of the most revered Civil War battle sites, and the equally historically significant Hernando, which shaped so many of the country's prominent blues musicians. These five towns offer a broader view of the region beyond Memphis, with sights worth seeing firsthand.