289 miles via US 45, AL 158, I-65, I-165 (northeast of Mobile), Alt US 90 and US 98 with a lunch and refueling stop in Meridian MS. Cumulative TS8 route miles: 2286. Cumulative car miles: 2624. Miles since the end of Hop 7: 307. The extra miles were due to some errands and a trip to the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
This was a pretty simple trip to navigate. The only problem came after lunch when we got a bit confused at how to get back on I-55. But we made it.
Our home in Tupelo was the Holiday Inn & Suites Tupelo North. This was, without question, the finest hotel we have encountered on the entire trip – both TN8 and TS8. Clean, attractive, comfortable with a pleasant staff and an outstanding bar and restaurant – what’s not to like? And it was one of the least expensive hotels we have encountered. Highly recommended.
We didn’t do much on our day in Tupelo – it was really just a day of rest before we pushed on to Mobile – but I had to run some errands and the birthplace of Elvis Presley was just a mile away so I decided to stop by. I didn’t buy a ticket for the tour but I did wander around a bit and took a couple of photos. Graceland is more interesting, no doubt, but for Elvis fans this has to be a must-see attraction.