Spring Shopping in Downtown Tunica Blooms!

By Travel Tunica on Wednesday April 28, 2010

dining, downtown-tunica, gift-shops, mothers-day, shopping

You might have been to Tunica’s Outlet Mall, the Casino Factory Shoppes, or found a small gift at one of Tunica’s nine casino gift shops, but you have not explored Tunica without taking a trip “down south” 10 minutes on Highway 61 to Downtown Tunica.  We took the Travel Tunica team to Downtown Tunica for a day of shopping and eating on Main Street.

Our first stop was at 1251 Place, one of the trendiest stores on Main Street.  There, we first looked at the beautiful Peter’s Pottery, baby clothing and gifts, specialty foods, china and decorating items.  When walking to the back towards the women’s clothing and jewelry, we met with Pat Earnhart and Rob Earnhart to talk to them about the latest trends for the spring and summer seasons, since this is the best time of year to update your wardrobe.

“We are carrying mostly knit dresses because they are easy to wear and look good with every body type, accentuating the right areas,” Rob Earnhart said.  “Our wide selection of hand-made jewelry, brushed metallics and colored stones brighten even a simple dress.  Wearing black and white is also very in style this season.”

After trying on a few of the dresses and making purchases, we headed next door to Ann-Tiques.  If you didn’t inherit your grandmother’s treasures, this is a store where you can find one-of-a-kind gifts and incredible prices on antiques from the antique-lady herself, Ann Papasan.

Just a few doors down, be sure to stop by the Tunica Florist.  At first glance, this is a store primarily focused on the flowers of the day, but from every shopper, ranging from decorating gurus looking to add a dried spray to accent a room to SEC fans needing trays and BBQ supplies for the next tail-gate, this is a newer store in Downtown Tunica that keeps shoppers coming back.

Finally, we needed to find a shop to buy presents for family and friends, since that’s what many tourists like to find when on vacation.  Our last shopping stop was at The Levee Shack, located inside the Tunica Pharmacy.  When you walk in, turn left to explore one of the most unique gift shops in the area.  On the walls, you’ll see large hand-made crosses and oil paintings.  In the glass display cases, you’ll find children’s toys, kitchen ware, and bracelets.  On shelves, you can buy the most wonderfully scented candles you’ll find anywhere, and try on the latest styles of Yellowbox shoes with matching purses.

“The fact that The Levee Shack gifts are inexpensive, original, and Mississippi-influenced is worth the drive to Downtown Tunica’s Main Street,” Audrey Frances-Glover, the manager of the Levee Shack, said.

After a morning of shopping, we needed to refuel, so we walked down the street to the Café Marie, one of the most historic buildings on Main Street.  Enjoying lunch with us, Tunica Main Street’s Director and Asst. Director showed us their favorite choices on the new menu and introduced us to the new chef, Walt Norwood.  My favorites of all of the menu items we tried were the she-crab soup (a must-try), the shrimp stuffed avocado, asian noodle salad, and the crème brule to finish.  The she-crab soup was so good I wanted to lick the bowl….next time…

Our last stop was the most important stop—for our second dessert. It was like stepping back in time when we walked into Miss Tootie’s Main Street Diner.  Set up like a 1950’s ice cream shop, Miss Tootie is most famous for her hand-dipped fudge- covered crème strawberries that are a good combination of crunchy chocolate, smooth crème filling, and juicy and sweet strawberries.  I liked the strawberries so much that I bought a dozen to take home with me.  Miss Tootie is also famous for her fluffy petit fores, homemade cakes, and other desserts.  Of course, we had to try all of the above, and we brought a vanilla wafer cake back to everyone in our office. You can also get lunch ranging from hamburgers to fried chicken at Miss Tootie’s.

It was a very eventful day exploring Downtown Tunica.  For all of the pictures from our entire excursion in Downtown Tunica, go to our Facebook album, and when you take the trip “down South 10 minutes” let us know about your experience.

How to get to Downtown Tunica’s Main Street:

Take Highway 61 South 10 miles (10 minutes).  Continue through the Town of Tunica.  Take a right on River Road at the Blue & White Restaurant.  Go straight until the road Ts.  This is Main Street where all of the shopping and specialty stores and restaurants are located.  For a printable map, click HERE.

Other interesting tourist places to see when in Downtown Tunica:

Veteran’s Park

Blue & White Restaurant

Complete list of all Downtown Tunica restaurants and shops