Mississippi (MS)

Mississippi State Flag

 

"The Magnolia State" and "The Hospitality State"

Why visit Mississippi?

Low key travelers who desire antebellum homes, battle reenactments, beaches, birdwatching, blues music, boating, camping, casinos, fishing, golfing, history, sailing and scenery.

 

Mississippi Swamp. Photo Credit: Pixabay

At a Glance

• Capital: Jackson
• State Bird: Mockingbird
• State Dessert: None
• State Flower: Magnolia
• State Gemstone: None
• State Mammal: Red Rox & White Tailed Deer 
• State Rock: Petrified Wood 

Fun Facts

• On June 30, 2020 removed the Confederate Battle Flag and replaced it with a Magnolia Flag on September 2, 2020.
  
• Mississippi Gulf Coast, is the longest man made beach.
  
• Nearly 3000 species of vascular plants are attributed to the state.
  
• Has around 420 inherited species of birds.
• First store to sell boxed shoes (Vicksburg).
• Has the world's only Cactus Plantation (Edwards).
  
• Along "Singing River" (Pascagoula) some say you can hear songs. Said to be the Indian Tribe walking hand in hand in the river to their death against another Tribe.
  
• Prior to Hurricane Katrina (2005) was the second largest gambling state.
• Features 3 National Forests and 24 State Parks.
  

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: "Brandy" Rayana Norwood (Musician), Brett Favre (Athlete), Britney Spears (Musician), Elvis Presley (Musician), Faith Hill (Musician), Jerry Rice (Athlete), Jimmy Buffet (Musician), LeAnn Rimes (Musician) and Oprah Winfrey (TV Host), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Act of Valor (2012), Cadillac Records (2008), Mississippi Burning (1988) and O Brother Where Art Thou (2000), just to name a few.
• Reads Set in Mississippi: Delta Wedding (written by Eudora Welty), The Reivers (written by William Faulkner), and The Town (written by William Faulkner), just to name a few.

Longwood, Natchez, MS. Photo Credit: David Mark/Pixabay

Good to Know

• Due to migration bird watching is best in the autumn and spring.
• Liquor Laws vary across the state with dry counties. Alcohol normally is not sold on Sunday's.
  
• Retail Sales Tax Rate is 7%.
  
• Prone to poverty areas.

Subject to flooding (December-June), humidity, hurricanes, thunderstorms and mild winters.

• Best Time to Visit: March - May and September - November
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Month: July
• Peak Season: May - August

Mississippi State Capitol, High Street, Jackson, MS. Photo Credit: Pieter van de Sande/Unsplash 

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: Ammadelle, Anna Site, Arlington, Auburn, Beauvoir, Champion Hill Battlefield, Charles McLaran House, Commercial Bank & Banker's House, Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty Site, Dunleith, Emerald Mound Site, Eudora Welty House, Fort St. Pierre Site, Grand Village of the Natchez, Hester Site, Highland Park Dentzel Carousel, Holly Bluff Site, House on Ellicott's Hill, I. T. Montgomery House, Jaketown Site, Longwood, Lucius Q. C. Lamar House, Lyceum-The Circle Historic District, Medgar Evers House, Melrose, Mississippi Governor's Mansion, Mississippi State Capitol, Monmouth, Oakland Memorial Chapel, Old Mississippi State Capitol, Pemberton's Headquarters, Port Gibson Battle Site, Rocket Propulsion Test Complex, Rosalie, Siege & Battle of Corinth Sites, Stanton Hall, Warren County Courthouse, Waverley, William Faulkner House and Winterville Site.
• Museums: African American Military History Museum, Alice Moseley Folk Art & Antique Museum,  American Contract Bridge League Museum, B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center, Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, Biloxi Mardi Gras Museum, Catfish Museum, Delta Blues Museum,  International Museum of Muslim Cultures, Jimmie Rodgers Museum, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Lower Mississippi River Museum, Manship House Museum, Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, McComb Historic Railroad Museum, Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian Railroad Museum, Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum, Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Mississippi Museum of Art, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Oaks Museum, Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art, Old Capitol Museum, Old Court House Museum, Stephen D Lee Home & Museum, Tunica Museum, Tupelo Automobile Museum, University of Mississippi Museum, USS Cairo Museum, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Winterville Mounds & Museum and WROX Museum.
• Popular Attractions: Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg, Arkabutla Lake, Audubon Birding Trail, Bay St Louis, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Big Black River, Biloxi Lighthouse, Biloxi Beach, Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, Buccaneer State Park, De Soto National Forest, Dunleith, Elvis Presley Birthplace, Eudora Welty House & Garden, Fort Massachusetts, F.W. Williams Home, Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, Grand Gulf Military Park, Grenada, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, Harrah's Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg Zoo, Hillyer House, Historic Jefferson College, Hollywood Casino & Resort Gulf Coast, Hollywood Casino & Hotel Tunica, House on Ellicott's Hill, INFINITY Science Center, Institute of Southern Jewish Life Natchez, Institute of Southern Jewish Life Utica, IP Casino Resort Spa, Island View Casino Resort, John Ford Home, Landrum's Homestead & Village, LeFleur's Bluff State Park, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Magnolia Hall, Margaret's Grocery, McRaven House, Melrose, Merrehope, Mississippi Governor's Mansion, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Monmouth Plantation, Natchez National Historical Park, Natchez Trace, Pascagoula River, Paul B Johnson State Park, Pearl River, Pleasant Reed House, Rosalie Mississippi State Dar, Rosemont Plantation, Ross Barnett Reservoir, Rowan Oak, Sardis, Russell C Davis Planetarium, Sardis Lake, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, Shiloh National Military Park, Ship Island, Silver Slipper Casino Hotel, Stanton Hall, The Crosby Arboretum, The Jackson Zoological Park, Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo, Tupelo National Battlefield, Vicksburg National Military Park, Windsor Ruins and Yazoo River.
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Aberdeen, Biloxi, Arkabutla, Canton, Clarksdale, Cleveland, Columbus, Corinth, Crystal Springs, Flora, Greater Jackson, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Holly Springs, Jackson, Livingston, Natchez, New Albany, Noxubee County, Ocean Springs, Oxford, Port Gibson, Ridgeland, Southaven, Tunica, Tupelo and Vicksburg.
• Special Events: (January) Jackson Indie Music Week, Mardi Gras, (February) Magnolia Independent Film Festival,  (March) Hal’s St Paddy’s Parade, Rapiscan Systems Classic, Spring & Fall Natchez Pilgrimage, (April) Country Cajun Crawfish Festival, Tunica Rivergate Festival, (May) Canton Flea Market Arts & Crafts Show, (June) Blessing of the Fleet, Cathead Jam, Elvis Festival, USA International Ballet Competition, (July) Slugburger Festival, (August) Bright Lights Belhaven Nights, Mississippi Book Festival,  Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, (September) Biloxi Seafood Festival, CelticFest, Market Street Festival, Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival, Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues & Heritage Festival, Mississippi Jazz & Heritage Festival, Pecan Festival, (October) Canton Flea Market Arts & Crafts Show, Cruisin’ the Coast, Gautier Mullet & Music Fest, Highway 61 Blues, Leland Frogfest, Mississippi State Fair, Spring & Fall Natchez Pilgrimage, (November) Gulfport Harbor Lights Winter Festival, Mississippi International Film Festival, Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival,(December) Christmas on the Water Boat Parade and Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon.

Isle of Capri Casino Hotel, Lula, MS. Photo Credit: seoraviente/Pixabay 

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