Holly Springs Is A Small Town In Mississippi That Offers Plenty Of Peace And Quiet
By Celina Colby|Published April 26, 2021
×
Celina Colby
Author
Celina Colby is a Boston-based writer and native New Englander who has been covering travel, arts, food, and culture nationally for ten years. When she's not on deadline you can often find her reading, sewing, and searching for the perfect empanada.
Adventure travel can be thrilling, but sometimes it’s nice to get away for a more relaxed vacation. In Holly Springs, Mississippi, you can find the calm and stillness that’s often missing from contemporary life.
Holly Springs was founded in 1836 and still boasts many historical landmarks dating back to the Civil War. Though it was a bustling trade center at the turn of the twentieth century, the town retains some of the quiet charm that comes from a simpler time.
One of the historic properties in Holly Springs is Walter Place, an estate built in 1806 by pro-Union Harvey Washington Walter, the President of the Mississippi Central Railroad. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife even lived there for part of the Civil War.
Now you can tour the peaceful property and lounge in the sun beside the gently gurgling river.
Advertisement
Airliewood is another unique Holly Springs site. The Gothic Revival style architecture stands out in a town full of plantation-style homes. Historical house tours can provide context for this unusual style choice and classical music concerts are often performed on the lawn.
If you'd prefer to get away from the town center altogether, head for the Holly Springs National Forest, a spot so suited for calm introspection it would make Henry David Thoreau jealous. The forest features a number of walking and hiking trails and campsites.
To find just the right souvenir from your trip head to Lost River Mercantile. Located in (surprise) a historic building that opened as a church in 1848, it's now a treasure trove of unique and vintage items.
End your trip at the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center, a nature preserve in the back of the historic Davis House. The preserve is known for its hummingbirds and the elegant creatures can often be spotted flitting among flowers on site.