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

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.

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.

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

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.
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Must see places




Walter Anderson Museum of Art






Explore Mississippi destinations

Explore Mississippi destinations

Experience Mississippi
Official Mississippi Travel Information
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Experience
Birthplace of Kermit the Frog

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Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway

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5 Must-See Gulf Coast Beaches

Destination
Jackson

Destination
Gulfport and Biloxi

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Columbus

State
Travel South USA

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The Romance of the Mississippi River

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A Pilgrimage to Elvis Presley’s USA

Experience