Tupelo, Mississippi is a quaint city nestled in the northern part of the state, best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. While Tupelo is small in size, covering only about 26 square miles, it more than makes up for it with its abundance of parks and green spaces. From neighborhood parks ideal for families to larger parks perfect for sports and events, Tupelo offers something for everyone when it comes to outdoor recreation.
In this article, we will highlight 12 fantastic parks found in Tupelo that should not be missed on your next visit. We’ll provide an overview of each park, describing their size, amenities, location and what makes them special. Whether you’re a local looking to explore different parks or a visitor hoping to enjoy the outdoors during your time here, you’ll discover that Tupelo’s parks have a lot to offer.
1.Ballard Park
Overview: Ballard Park is a small neighborhood park covering just 3 acres. Located on McCullough Boulevard, it’s in a residential area of Tupelo. Ballard Park is touted as one of the best parks for young families.
Amenities: Ballard Park’s amenities include a playground, walking trail, picnic tables and open green space. The playground has standard equipment like slides, swings and climbing structures catered towards younger children. Several picnic tables are set up around the playground, perfect for birthday parties and family gatherings. The park also has an open grass field and a short paved walking trail that circles the perimeter.
What Makes It Special: Ballard Park stands out for its intimate, neighborhood feel. The small playground and grassy field are ideal for parents watching young kids. Located away from major streets, the park provides a safe place for kids to play. It’s a popular spot for playdates, picnics and informal gatherings thanks to its family-friendly qualities.
2.Veterans Park
Overview: Veterans Park is a 140 acre park featuring sports fields and facilities. It hosts many of Tupelo’s popular seasonal sporting events. The park is located on Lake View Road on the east side of town.
Amenities: Veterans Park is home to 8 baseball/softball fields, 7 soccer fields, 2 football fields, batting cages, Children’s playground and a 3-mile paved walking trail that wraps around the perimeter.
The impressive number of well-maintained fields makes Veterans Park the premiere sports complex in Tupelo for local leagues and tournaments. Supporting amenities include restrooms, concession stands and shaded bleachers.
What Makes It Special: As one of the largest parks in Tupelo focused solely on sports, Veterans Park attracts thousands of athletes along with their friends and families each year.
Its spacious layout and quality fields can conveniently support multiple sporting events at once, both recreational and competitive. Veterans Park has played host to several regional and statewide tournaments over the years.
3.Fairpark District Park
Overview: Fairpark District Park encompasses 82 acres and is located on Carnation Street on the west side of Tupelo. It contains the largest playground structure in the city along with a duck pond, walking trails and open green space.
Amenities: The central feature of Fairpark District Park is an extra large playground designed for older kids and teens. It has monkey bars, extra high slides and climbing structures. Other amenities are a 1-mile paved walking trail around a duck pond, several picnic pavilions that can be reserved, grills, a disk golf course, horseshoe pits and a fenced-in dog park.
What Makes It Special: The huge modern playground really defines Fairpark Park, making it a favorite for older kids who have outgrown standard play equipment. Families appreciate having the picnic pavilions when hosting large groups, while others enjoy walking or jogging on the trail around the peaceful duck pond. The variety of amenities allows people to lounge, play sports and enjoy the outdoors.
4.Avalon Park
Overview: Avalon Park is a compact 1-acre park found downtown on Madison Street. It contains a nicely decorated garden area along with a small performance stage used for community concerts and events.
Amenities: Avalon Park’s main amenities include creatively designed garden spaces with flowers, rocks, sculptures and decor items that lend an artistic flair. It also has a small open-sided performance stage with lighting and electric outlets to accommodate shows and music; and several park benches positioned throughout for taking in the sights.
What Makes It Special: As the most uniquely decorated green space in Tupelo, Avalon Park attracts locals and visitors who appreciate the vibrant garden decor and rotating public art pieces on display. The concerts hosted here also foster a sense of community for families and couples of all ages to enjoy an evening out.
5.Crosstown Dog Park
Overview: As suggested by its name, the Crosstown Dog Park located on Crosstown Road is the only public off-leash area for dogs in Tupelo. The fenced-in park covers 1.3 acres and is divided into sections for small or large dogs.
Amenities: Crosstown Dog Park provides a safe enclosed environment where dogs can exercise and socialize freely without their leashes. Available amenities include waste bag stations, shade trees, benches for owners and a central water station for dogs. The small dog section has basic agility equipment like tunnels, hurdles and balance beams.
What Makes It Special: Having an off-leash dog park within the city is an important asset for Tupelo’s community of dog owners. The Crosstown location is centrally located and provides plenty of running room even for high energy dogs. It’s also a great place for pet owners to bond while watching their pups play together.
6.Aspen Wilderness Park
Overview: For a peaceful natural setting, Aspen Wilderness Park can’t be beat. Encompassing over 4 acres adjacent to Tombigbee River, it lies at the end of Lloyd Circle on the west side of Tupelo. Aspen Park contains walking trails passing through woodland, open fields and ponds within its tranquil environment.
Amenities: Three nature trails of varying length wind through Aspen Wilderness Park. The short Woodland Trail makes a loop under the shade of tall hardwood trees. The Pond Trail circles two small ponds inhabited by ducks and turtles. Finally, the Field Trail crosses through wildflower meadows and a boardwalk over marshy areas. Other amenities include fishing access from the bank of Tombigbee River and scattered picnic tables for taking a break.
What Makes It Special: For city residents, Aspen Park provides a rare chance to enjoy rural nature without leaving town. The network of trails showcases diverse wildlife and habitats across a relatively small area. It’s popular for birdwatchers hoping to spot herons, woodpeckers and other species attracted to the aquatic features and forests.
7.Johnnie Coleman Sports Complex
Overview: Johnnie Coleman Sports Complex is a 60 acre sports park operated by the city of Tupelo, located about 2 miles north of downtown. It contains several ball fields, football fields, tennis courts, playgrounds and other public sport facilities.
Amenities: Johnnie Coleman contains 5 baseball/softball fields, 3 football fields, 2 fenced football practice areas, 12 tennis courts and 2 playground structures. Supporting amenities include batting cages, a concession stand, scoreboards, bleacher seating and restrooms. A network of walking trails and a 1 mile jogging track surround the perimeter.
What Makes It Special: Having numerous multi-sport fields and courts in one location makes Johnnie Coleman a popular site for local athletic leagues, tournaments and regional competitions. It can host events for several different sports at once. The jogging trail and playgrounds also give community members open space for casual recreation and exercise.
8.Ballard Park West
Overview: Ballard Park West is named for its proximity 2 miles west of Ballard Park, near the intersection of CR 600 and Thornton Drive. Although similarly named, Ballard West is significantly larger at 65 acres and has more amenities. Wooded nature trails follow the outskirts of the open park which has sports fields at its core.
Amenities: 8 baseball/softball fields of mixed sizes and a large open field for football or soccer make up the central hub of Ballard Park West. Other features include playground equipment for both younger and older children, restrooms, shaded picnic tables, grills and three paved walking trails ranging from .5 to 1 mile in length.
What Makes It Special: The variety of high quality sports fields attract seasonal leagues and sports camps, while families enjoy the playgrounds and walking trails through the peaceful bordering forests. Ballard West balances sports infrastructure with opportunities to appreciate nature.
9.Town Creek Park
Overview: Town Creek Park is a narrow 20 acre greenway starting at Gloster Street downtown following its namesake waterway to Main Street farther northeast. Walking trails run the entire 2.5 mile length, allowing visitors to admire views of the creek and forest.
Amenities: Paved walking trails are the main focus spanning over 2.5 miles through Town Creek Park. Comfortable foot bridges assist navigation over the creek in several spots. Other features include benches and swinging benches along the trails for resting while enjoying creek views, waste stations and decorative railroad ties retaining walls. Interpretive signs describe the history of the area.
What Makes It Special: As the only park construted within Town Creek itself, it provides an intimate experience and deeper connection with this historic lifeline of Tupelo. Visitors can reflect on how this modest waterway contributed to periods of industrialization, electrification and cultural growth within the city while strolling past its banks.
10.Edinburgh Park
Overview: Edinburgh Park located off Edinburgh Drive is a popular 40 acre community park in east Tupelo managed by the Tupelo Parks & Recreation Department. It contains a good balance of open space, playgrounds, ball fields, walking trails and disc golf across gently sloping terrain.
Amenities: Sports and games reign at Edinburgh Park with 2 baseball fields, batting cages, a basketball court and 18-hole disc golf course. A large playground includes slides, swings, forts and bridges. Picnic shelters are available to reserve for get-togethers. Supporting infrastructure consists of restrooms, water fountains, benches and waste receptacles conveniently located throughout the grounds.
What Makes It Special: Edinburgh Park succeeds at offering something for all ages. Kids are drawn to the creative playground structures while athletes utilize the ball fields. Families play disc golf on weekends and friends play pickup basketball after work. The shelters also make Edinburgh a popular spot for hosting birthday parties and gatherings.
11.Pierce Lake State Park
Overview: Pierce Lake State Park occupies over 100 acres centered around its namesake 20-acre lake near the Tenn-Tom Waterway about 10 miles southwest of Tupelo. Park features include hiking and biking trails, boating access to Pierce Lake itself along with wooded campgrounds and picnic spots surrounding the reservoir.
Amenities: Pierce Lake has a public boat launch with nearby trailer parking providing access for motorized boating and fishing. Paddle craft like kayaks and canoes are also permitted. 7 miles of natural surface trails open to both hiking and mountain biking wind through the forests and shoreline. For overnight guests, the park operates 53 RV campsites with electric hookups and a comfort station. Picnic tables scattered lakeside give an alternative to grilling at camp.
What Makes It Special: Pierce Lake State Park packs in a variety of four-season outdoor fun within a short distance from Tupelo. Campers relish the large private sites and peaceful atmosphere after dark. Day visitors enjoy boating excursions to run their motors or spot wildlife floating silently in paddle craft, while seasoned cyclists and anglers frequently visit to enjoy their own passions.
Conclusion
Tupelo has done an admirable job maintaining such a diverse collection of parks for a smaller city. Families with kids can choose fun playgrounds in friendly neighborhood green spaces or larger community parks hosting an array of summer sporting events.
Nature lovers have options too, from relaxed walking trails along riparian corridors to lakefront camping with access to boating opportunities just outside city limits. And dog owners even have their own special off-leash play space to let their pets roam free.
The 12 parks highlighted in this article provide a sampling of the types of outdoor spaces and recreational amenities available around Tupelo. We focused on some of the largest and most popular parks, although dozens of smaller green spaces exist between neighborhoods all across town. Hopefully this overview gives a solid introduction to what the city offers.
The abundance of quality parks and facilities provided by the city enriches community life and ensures there are plenty of ways for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. For visitors staying awhile or those proud to call Tupelo home, make a point to visit some of these quintessential local parks soon to appreciate the natural beauty surrounding the city.