Mississippi

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National Sites

  • Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
  • Gulf Island National Seashore (FL, MS)
  • Natchez National Historical Park
  • Natchez Trace Parkway (also Alabama, Tennessee)
  • Natchez Trace National Trail (also Alabama, Tennessee)
  • Shiloh Military Park (TN, MS)
  • Tupelo National Battlefield
  • Vicksburg National Military Park (also Louisiana)

Northern Mississippi

Tupelo Metro Area

Tupelo

  • ★ Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum [Historical] – Tour the humble home where the King of Rock was born.
  • Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo [Natural/Quirky] – Safari-style park with bison, zebras, and exotic animals.
  • Tupelo Veterans Museum [Historical] – Displays of military artifacts from multiple wars.
  • King Chicken Fillin’ Station: Gas-station-themed restaurant with standout fried chicken and rich mac & cheese.
  • ★ Johnnie’s Drive In: Classic diner with the Elvis booth and nostalgic milkshakes.
  • Tupelo Hardware Co.: Where Elvis got his first guitar — stand on the “X” marking rock & roll history.
  • Mural Tour: Explore downtown’s colorful murals celebrating local culture and Elvis.
  • Elvis’ Banana Boat: Chocolate-stuffed coal-roasted banana dessert at Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen.
  • Connie’s Bread Pudding: Award-winning blueberry donut bread pudding from Blue Canoe.
  • Butterbeans Breakfast: Southern-style breakfast with biscuits, meat, and homey charm.
  • Natchez Trace Visitor Center: Learn about this ancient trail and plan scenic hikes or drives.
  • Civil War Battlefields: Visit Tupelo and Brices Cross Roads for quiet reflection and history.

Pontotoc

  • Trace State Park [Natural] – Wooded park with trails, boating, and camping.

Oxford Metro Area

Oxford

  • Rowan Oak [Historical] – William Faulkner’s preserved home with original furnishings.
  • University of Mississippi Museum [Historical] – Art, artifacts, and Southern folk exhibits.
  • Bailey’s Woods Trail [Natural] – Scenic path from Rowan Oak to campus.

Corinth Metro Area

Corinth

  • Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center [Historical] – Exhibits on the Siege of Corinth.
  • Verandah-Curlee House [Historical] – Historic home visited by Confederate generals.
  • Corinth Coke Museum [Quirky] – Memorabilia and displays from a historic Coca-Cola bottling site.

Iuka

  • J.P. Coleman State Park [Natural] – Lake, boating, and river views near the Tennessee border.
  • Mineral Springs Park [Natural] – Park with a natural spring and walking paths.

Central Mississippi

Jackson Metro Area

Jackson

  • Mississippi Museum of Natural Science [Natural/Historical] – Aquariums, trails, and fossils.
  • Mississippi Civil Rights Museum [Historical] – Powerful displays on the civil rights movement.
  • Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum [Historical/Quirky] – Miniature town, trains, and farm life.
  • LeFleur’s Bluff State Park [Natural] – Urban park with a lake, trails, and playgrounds.
  • Eudora Welty House [Historical] – Preserved literary landmark and gardens.
  • The Big Apple Inn [Quirky] – Famous for pig ear sandwiches and civil rights history.
  • Smith Robertson Museum [Historical] – Museum of African American history in a former school.

Clinton

  • Natchez Trace Visitors Center [Historical/Natural] – Start point for exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway.
  • Quisenberry Library Mural [Quirky] – Bright and whimsical public art.

Ridgeland

  • Ross Barnett Reservoir [Natural] – Fishing, boating, and scenic views.
  • Natchez Trace Multi-Use Trail [Natural] – Popular for cycling and walking.
  • Freedom Ridge Park [Natural] – Large recreation area with sports fields and walking paths.

Meridian Metro Area

Meridian

  • MSU Riley Center [Historical] – Restored opera house and performing arts center.
  • Dentzel Carousel [Historical/Quirky] – 19th-century carousel in working condition.
  • Jimmie Rodgers Museum [Historical] – Memorabilia from the “Father of Country Music.”
  • Bonita Lakes Park [Natural] – Trails, lakes, and scenic overlooks.
  • Highland Park [Natural/Quirky] – Home of the historic carousel and mini-train rides.
  • Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) [Historical/Quirky] – Interactive cultural exhibits.

Southern Mississippi

Gulfport-Biloxi Metro Area

Biloxi

  • Biloxi Lighthouse [Historical] – Iconic 1848 lighthouse, survived numerous hurricanes.
  • Jefferson Davis Home – Beauvoir [Historical] – Last home of the Confederate President.
  • Ship Island Excursions [Natural] – Ferry ride to barrier island with historic fort.
  • Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum [Historical] – Artifacts and exhibits on Gulf life.
  • Hurricane Katrina Memorial [Historical/Quirky] – Tribute to storm victims with a striking design.
  • Biloxi Shrimping Trip [Quirky] – Educational boat tour showing how shrimp are caught.

Gulfport

  • Institute for Marine Mammal Studies [Natural/Quirky] – Sea life rehabilitation center with dolphin shows.
  • Gulf Islands Waterpark [Quirky] – Popular family water attraction.
  • Jones Park and Harbor [Natural] – Boardwalks, marina, and views.
  • World’s Largest Rocking Chair (Gulfport Welcome Center) [Quirky] – Roadside photo op.

Ocean Springs

  • Gulf Islands National Seashore – Davis Bayou [Natural] – Trails, kayaking, and wildlife.
  • Walter Anderson Museum of Art [Historical/Quirky] – Celebrates the life and works of a visionary artist.
  • Shearwater Pottery [Historical/Quirky] – Studio producing traditional and quirky ceramics.
  • Charnley-Norwood House [Historical] – Frank Lloyd Wright–designed beach cottage.

Hattiesburg Metro Area

Hattiesburg

  • Longleaf Trace Trail [Natural] – 44-mile trail for biking, hiking, and skating.
  • African American Military History Museum [Historical] – Honors Black service members.
  • Hattiesburg Zoo [Natural/Quirky] – Features sloths, giraffes, and a splash pad.
  • Pocket Museum [Quirky] – Mississippi’s tiniest museum, hidden in an alley.
  • All-American Rose Garden [Natural] – Garden with over 800 rose bushes on USM campus.
  • Mississippi Armed Forces Museum (at Camp Shelby) [Historical] – Military history museum on a base.

Natchez Metro Area

Natchez

  • Longwood [Historical] – Unique octagonal mansion left unfinished due to the Civil War.
  • Stanton Hall [Historical] – Opulent antebellum mansion with Corinthian columns.
  • Natchez National Historical Park [Historical] – Multiple sites telling the story of Natchez history.
  • Natchez City Cemetery [Historical/Quirky] – Final resting place with unusual monuments and folk legends.
  • Bluff Park Overlook [Natural] – Dramatic views of the Mississippi River.
  • Grand Village of the Natchez Indians [Historical] – Ancient mounds, museum, and reconstructed dwellings.

McComb Metro Area

McComb

  • McComb Railroad Museum [Historical] – Model trains, history exhibits, and memorabilia.
  • Percy Quin State Park [Natural] – Lake, cabins, disc golf, and forest trails.
  • Quinn Site Mounds [Historical] – Native American earthworks near Lake Tangipahoa.

North Delta Region

Clarksdale

  • Delta Blues Museum [Historical] – Celebrates blues legends like Muddy Waters and B.B. King.
  • Ground Zero Blues Club [Quirky] – Co-owned by Morgan Freeman, featuring live blues music.
  • The Crossroads [Quirky] – Iconic site where legend says Robert Johnson sold his soul.
  • Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art [Quirky] – Art gallery and music shop with folk flair.
  • Hopson Plantation Commissary [Historical/Quirky] – Blues landmark and old plantation structure.

Cleveland

  • GRAMMY Museum Mississippi [Historical/Quirky] – Interactive music exhibits and Mississippi music history.
  • Delta State University Sculpture Garden [Natural/Quirky] – Outdoor sculptures and creative installations.
  • Martin & Sue King Railroad Museum [Historical] – Model train layouts and local railway history.

Rosedale

  • Great River Road State Park [Natural] – Overlooks the Mississippi River with picnic and viewing areas.

Indianola

  • B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center [Historical] – Honors the life and legacy of blues legend B.B. King.
  • Club Ebony [Historical/Quirky] – Historic juke joint that hosted blues greats for generations.

Greenwood

  • Museum of the Mississippi Delta [Historical] – Art, archaeology, and regional history exhibits.
  • Tallahatchie Flats [Historical/Quirky] – Restored sharecropper cabins offering overnight stays.
  • Viking Cooking School [Quirky] – Hands-on cooking classes from the high-end appliance brand.

Drew

  • Dockery Farms [Historical] – Birthplace of the blues, former cotton plantation linked to Charlie Patton.

Mound Bayou

  • T.R.M. Howard Foundation & Museum [Historical] – Honors a civil rights pioneer in one of the oldest all-Black towns in America.

Marks

  • Marks Mule Train Interpretive Center [Historical] – Commemorates the starting point of MLK’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.

South Delta Region

Greenville

  • 1927 Flood Museum [Historical] – Documents the devastating Mississippi River flood with photos and stories.
  • E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center [Historical/Quirky] – Art exhibits in a restored schoolhouse.
  • Hebrew Union Temple [Historical] – One of the oldest synagogues in the state.
  • Washington County Courthouse [Historical] – Striking 1890 courthouse with clock tower.
  • Winterville Mounds [Historical] – Pre-Columbian ceremonial mounds and museum.

Leland

  • Jim Henson Exhibit at the Birthplace of Kermit the Frog [Quirky] – Tribute to the Muppets creator.
  • Highway 61 Blues Museum [Historical/Quirky] – Celebrates the Delta’s musical legacy.
  • Rainbow Connection Bridge [Quirky] – Painted pedestrian bridge honoring Kermit and Henson.

Indianola

  • B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center [Historical] – Life and legacy of the blues legend.

Yazoo City Area

Yazoo City

  • Glenwood Cemetery [Historical/Quirky] – Burial site of the “Witch of Yazoo”; local folklore hotspot.
  • Triangle Cultural Center [Historical] – Former school turned into an arts and culture venue.
  • Yazoo City Mural Trail [Quirky] – Colorful murals highlighting local history and characters.

Other North Delta & River Towns

Tunica

  • Tunica RiverPark & Museum [Natural/Historical] – River ecology exhibits and observation deck over the Mississippi.

Friars Point

  • Friars Point Museum [Historical] – Civil War-era building with Delta history exhibits.

Rolling Fork

  • Teddy Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge [Natural] – Preserves wetlands and cypress swamps.
  • Great Bear Mural [Quirky] – Outdoor mural commemorating Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt.

Obscura

  • The Mississippi River Basin Model, Jackson, Mississippi
  • Birthplace of Kermit the Frog, Leland, Mississippi
  • Elvis Presley Birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi
  • Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island, Gulfport, Mississippi
  • Mammy’s Cupboard, Natchez, Mississippi
  • Mississippi Petrified Forest, Flora, Mississippi
  • Longwood, Natchez, Mississippi – A grandiose octagonal home crowned by a large dome
  • Grave of Douglas the Confederate Camel, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Mississippi
  • The Emerald Mound, Natchez, Mississippi – The second-largest ceremonial mound in the United States is an artificial hill that is loosely shaped like a pentagon.
  • The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library, Biloxi, Mississippi
  • U.S.S. Cairo, Vicksburg, Mississippi
  • Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, Vicksburg, Mississippi

References

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