The Ruffin Theater is a 1930s Art Deco theater, now converted into a community theater where patrons enjoy premier entertainment in West Tennessee. Originally built at the turn of the century as the Palace Theater, the structure was bought by William F. Ruffin in 1927 and renovated in 1934. In January 1936, the Palace Theater was destroyed by fire. Ruffin vowed to rebuild within the year and true to his word, he reopened the grand theater, which, was the most modern theater of its time, on July 27, 1936. He changed the theater's ame to the Ruffin Theater, a name he said worthy of the expense and love that went into its resurrection. It has undergone several renovations through the years, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#92000248) in 1992. Some of those facelifts modified it from its humble beginnings as a ‘Moving Picture House’ to a full-fledged 640-seat theater with a large stage. Elvis Presley is said to have played here on March 16, 1955.

With a freshly redesigned lighting system and a new state-of-the-art 32 channel sound system, the Historic Ruffin Theater can accommodate anything from a major stage production to a large concert.

Community theater is a big part of the Historic Ruffin Theater, with many talented individuals participating in recent productions like: Pillow Talk, Little Women, A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and many others. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the frequent auditions for plays by watching our website and the local media. The Ruffin Theater hosts many musical events from all genres, including a symphony program, and many variety shows of all kinds. The Historic Ruffin Theater also plays host to many yearly events like US 51 Country's Texaco Country Showdown and the Miss Tipton County Scholarship Pageants.