Chickasaw Heritage Center brings history to life

Construction is underway on the $60 million project

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – It has been one year since groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the 160-acre site, and there has been a lot of progress since then.

The project will feature state-of-the-art exhibits, a theater, a cafeteria, an event space, a re-creation of a Chickasaw Village, a playground, and other attractions.

It is being built on land that was the heart of the Chickasaw Nation more than two centuries ago.

“The desire to have a center to tell the history and culture of the Chickasaw Center is decades in the making. I’m glad it is 2025 and we see something today,” said Brady Davis, CEO of the Chickasaw-Inkana Foundation.

With easy access to the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Center is expected to be a major tourist attraction and a huge boost for the area’s economy.

“Early estimates are saying, up to 100 thousand visitors a year, around 5 point six million dollars economic impact annually, and with 166 acres here, not only will we have the center but trails that connect with Natchez Trace Parkway,” Davis said.

Davis said the center will tell the story of the Chickasaws, from their perspective.

“When people think about first Americans, they think about the past and not many try and make the connection to vibrant cultures still going today Part of our exhibit will be the Chickasaw Center connecting people to past Chickasaw history ad culture and to who they are today,” he said.

So far, around $43 million has been raised for the project. The first phase is expected to open in November of 2026.

For more information on the center, go to our website at chickasawheritagecenter.com