Mississippi

Longwood, one of many National Historic Landmarks and plantations in architecture-rich Natchez

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The state capitol building in Jackson

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A boat parade at sunset in Biloxi

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Historic Fort Massachusetts, an icon of the West Ship Island beachfront landscape

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A Mississippi Blues Trail marker at Dockery Farms in Cleveland

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Families enjoying the barrier island beaches of Ship Island

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The 19th century Windsor Ruins, site of a former plantation along the Natchez Trace Parkway

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The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola

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Touring the Mississippi River with Quapaw Canoe Company

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Major Airports:

Jackson (JAN)

Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT)
Nickname:

Magnolia State

A bit of the blues? That’s a good thing.

Dip your toes in the Gulf of Mexico at the “Riviera of the South,” then tap them to the beat of authentic roots blues music. Follow the paths of revered Civil Rights movement leaders, and stand next to a statue of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Nourish your soul and body in Mississippi, known for its preservation of historical places, creative arts heritage and natural wonders. The mighty Mississippi River forms the state’s western boundary, and visitors are as apt to find freshly caught shrimp on a menu as they are barbecued ribs and fried catfish.

Visit Mississippi

Music figures prominently in the state’s heritage, whether blues, rock ‘n’ roll or country. The Mississippi Blues Trail recognizes blues pioneers, including Albert King, Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke and B.B. King. On the Country Music Trail, notable names on about 30 markers include Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Faith Hill and Tammy Wynette. Learn more about the “Father of Country Music,” Jimmie Rodgers, along with other notable Mississippi musicians, actors and artists at the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience in Meridian.

Nearly everyone the world over recognizes Elvis Presley, the perennial “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The legend’s birthplace and childhood home still stands in Tupelo. Pose next to a life-size statue, portraying him at age 13, and step inside the church where his love for Southern gospel music began.

Another set of markers comprises the Freedom Trail, commemorating the work of men and women in Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and ’60s. To recognize that era of history, the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, the state capital, opened in December 2017 in culmination of the state's bicentennial year.

Schedule time to explore a number of national and state parks, which offer opportunities to play outdoors, or seek out even more cultural pursuits at art museums and galleries. Book a stay at a quaint bed-and-breakfast or enjoy beachside luxury at a Gulf of Mexico resort – and keep those toes tapping.

Visit Mississippi

Fun Fact

In 1986, National Football League player and Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton from Columbia, Mississippi, became the first American football player to appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box.

Coca-Cola memorabilia inside the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum

In 1894, at Biedenharn’s Candy Store in Vicksburg, Joseph Biedenharn bottled Coca-Cola for the first time anywhere in the world.

Aerial view of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson

The world's first human lung transplant was performed in 1963 at Jackson’s University of Mississippi Medical Center, followed a year later by the first heart transplant.

Must see places

The house where singer Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo

Elvis Presley Birthplace

The modest two-room house in Tupelo where the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was born was built for $180 by his father. It is part of the six-hectare Elvis Presley Birthplace, which includes a park, statue, church and museum.

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Explore Tupelo

GRAMMY Museum® Misssissippi

In a state known as the “birthplace of America's music,” the interactive experience in Cleveland explores the past, present and future of music and celebrates the creativity and technology of the recording process.

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Visit Cleveland

The Greyhound bus station in Jackson, an important site in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s

Mississippi Freedom Trail

Markers around the state highlight people and places with pivotal roles in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and ’60s. Among the sites are Medgar Evers’ home (established as a U.S. monument in March 2019), Fannie Lou Hamer’s grave, a Greyhound bus station and the Mississippi State Capitol.

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Mississippi Civil Rights History

Walter Anderson Museum of Art

The Ocean Springs museum celebrates Walter Inglis Anderson, whose work highlighted the region’s plants, animals and people. Included in the watercolors, drawings, oils, block prints, ceramics and carvings are works by his two brothers.

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Museum Details

Rowan Oak

In 1930, Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner bought the 1840s Greek Revival house and lived there until he died in 1962. Tour the National Historic Landmark in Oxford and see where he wrote several books.

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Visit Oxford

The Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center on Highway 61, the “blues highway,” in Tunica

Mississippi Blues Trail

Throughout the state, nearly 200 trail markers tell stories of famous blues artists and significant sites. Find them in cotton fields, train depots, cemeteries, clubs and churches, and see how people, places and culture influenced music.

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Gateway to the Blues Museum and Visitor Center

Vicksburg National Military Park

Visit battlefields, 1,325 monuments, 32 kilometers of trenches and an antebellum home, and learn how the Union gained control over the Mississippi River after a three-month campaign in 1863 during the American Civil War.

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Visit Vicksburg

Tishomingo State Park

Go rock climbing, canoe in Bear Lake, walk a wildflower-bordered trail, fish in the 18-hectare Haynes Lake and stay in a cabin in a wooded bluff area at Tishomingo State Park in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

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Mississippi State Parks

The Natchez Trace Parkway

In Natchez, find the start of the 715-kilometer historic and scenic trail that continues to Nashville, Tennessee. Drive, hike, bike, horseback ride and camp along the way through rolling hills, farmland, thick forests and cypress swamps.

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Parkway Maps

The Old Capitol Building museum in Jackson, Mississippi

Mississippi State Capitol and Old Capitol Museum

Guide yourself, or join a tour, at the Beaux Arts-style state capitol building and grounds in Jackson. A couple of blocks away, understand how it all began in 1839 at the Old Capitol Museum.