TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - One couple from Missouri we caught up with enjoyed a day at the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum.
The music fans stopped here along their way to another destination.
Thomas Christianson said, "We knew that this was on the way and we saw the signs, so we definitely made a special stop here."
The couple says they would definitely love to see more of what Elvis' hometown and state have to offer tourists like themselves.
Christianson said, "I'm very interested in history, so any other types of attractions would certainly be of interest to us."
Those visitors and many others will get to see more of what this area has to offer with the opening of a new center in Downtown Tupelo at the Renasant Center for IDEAs.
The location on Main Street includes informational displays from the 30-county "Hills" region, that aims to offer tourists a variety of places to visit while in this part of the state.
Mississippi Development Authority's Director of Tourism Mary Beth Wilkerson said, "It's actually somewhat of a visitor's center where they can come in and get information about other areas in the region. They can extend their stay in this region and learn about things they may not have known about in our culture and heritage in the north portion of our state."
From Elvis to Tammy and the Civil War to civil rights, a glimpse of this area is found at the center.
And the hope is to wet the appetite and reel in tourists.
Kent Bain of the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance said, "One of our key objectives is to have them go out into the region and see the communities and the places where these stories unfolded."
And that in turn, officials say, will generate more tourism dollars for this area in what's already a multi-billion dollar industry in the state.
