Turn Back Time With a Stay at a Charming Retro Hotel & a Meal at This Vintage Diner in Mississippi

Love all things of the Elvis era? Slide on down to the Magnolia State for this retro trip to Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of The King himself. You will thank us very much when you take our tips on where to stay and eat!

Hotel Tupelo, located in downtown Tupelo’s Fairpark District, opened in February 2022. While the city’s only boutique hotel is in a new building, it doesn’t skip a beat on delivering nostalgia in every modern detail. While you will obviously see Elvis-themed books and décor in the King’s Suite, one of two among the property’s 79 rooms, you’ll find his likeness and nods throughout the hotel.

Hotel Tupelo 2.0

The original Hotel Tupelo, built in 1917, stood a few blocks west of the new one. For many decades, it thrived as a popular place for rail travelers, social gatherings, community banquets, and conferences. Ultimately it was demolished in the early 1970s.

The new Hotel Tupelo combines Southern hospitality with a sophisticated take on mid-century design, with just the right amount of kitschy fun here and there for good measure. You will discover bold décor, lots of local art, and many made-in-Mississippi products throughout your stay.

Plan a dinner or weekend brunch visit to the hotel’s beautiful modern coastal restaurant and bar, Jobos. The menu includes a range of options from surf and turf to tacos to butter burgers. At the helm is Mitch McCamey, the mind behind other Tupelo favorites like Neon Pig, Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen and King Kitchen.

Do the Doughburgers at Johnnie's Drive In

What’s for lunch, then? No trip to Tupelo is complete for me without a stop by Johnnie’s Drive In, the city’s oldest restaurant. The vintage diner opened in 1945 and has been serving generations, including EP back in the day.

Not only did Elvis visit frequently as a kid, but he returned as an adult. There are photos to prove it hanging above the booth where he sat, which you can scoot right in to enjoy your meal.

If you happen to visit during the annual Tupelo Elvis Festival in early June, you might get all shook up to see several dozen doppelgangers at Johnnie's.

As you may have guessed by the name, Johnnie's Drive In also offers friendly carhop service, too.

While the menu has many diner options you’d expect, from chicken fingers and hot dogs to ribeye steak and barbecue, the thing you must try at Johnnie’s is a doughburger.

These sandwiches have patties of meat mixed with flour. They became popular in the South during the Great Depression, when people resourcefully found ways to feed more folks by adding fillers to meat. At that time, they commonly cost about five cents, a "slug," earning them the nickname "slugburgers."

While some find them an acquired taste, I love the doughburgers at Johnnie’s. You will also find regular, all-meat burgers and cheeseburgers on the menu.

Save some space for the funnel cake fries, a scoop of ice cream, or a cool, creamy milkshake. Find the full menu on the Johnnie’s Drive In Facebook page in photo galleries.

Plan Your Retro Trip to Tupelo

To book your stay, visit the Hotel Tupelo website and keep up with the hotel’s latest happenings on the Hotel Tupelo Facebook page.

You will want a souvenir for an experience like this! Be sure to snap plenty of pics, then transfer your favorites to a retro custom reel viewer from Uncommon Goods.

Have you had the good fortune of staying at Hotel Tupelo or enjoying a doughburger at Johnnie's Drive-In? We'd love to hear all about your retro trip to Tupelo!