Old Capitol Museum
Originally called State House, the Old Capitol building has
filled three purposes in its long history. From 1839 to 1903 it
served as the state capitol, between 1917 and 1959 it housed
government offices, and from 1961 to the present it has become an
award-winning museum enshrining Mississippi's history. The exhibits
are arranged in several categories, the highlight being
'Mississippi 1500 to 1800' which depicts the era when Americans,
Europeans, and Africans first encountered each other in the state,
drastically altering the lives and society of the Native Americans
who lived here. Full-scale dioramas illustrate the importance of
cotton in the state's development, and interactive audio-visual
experiences explain the profound effects of the Civil War on
Mississippi.
Address:
100 S. State Street
Old Capitol Museum
Matt Howry
The Governor's Mansion
The Mississippi Governor's Mansion in downtown Jackson is the
second oldest continuously occupied governor's residence in the
United States. It was first occupied in 1842 by Governor Tilghman
Tucker and his family, having just been built in the Greek revival
style, the most popular style of the period. Today architectural
historians consider the mansion one of the best surviving examples
of this style in the country, and in 1975 the building was
designated a National Historic Landmark. The historic section of
the mansion, furnished in period Empire style, is open to the
public.
Address:
300 East Capitol Street
The Governor's Mansion
Charlie Brenner
Russell C. Davis Planetarium
Jackson's impressive planetarium is one of the largest in the
world, with a huge hemispheric wrap-around screen that presents
regular Sky Shows on astronomy, astronauts, and space exploration.
The planetarium, situated in the downtown cultural district, also
presents laser light concerts featuring the music of contemporary
and classic rock and roll artists combined with the imagery of a
powerful indoor laser system, as well as astronomy hobby courses
and workshops.
Address:
201 East Pascagoula Street
Lots to see at the Russell C. Davis
Planetarium
NASA
Mississippi Museum of Art
The State's largest art museum, the Mississippi Museum of Art in
Jackson houses more than 4,000 works, including the world's largest
collection by Mississippi artists. With 75 percent of the permanent
collection comprising of American artists, visitors will be able to
view some of Georgia O'Keeffe's striking flowers and landscapes and
Walker Evans' carefully photographed Depression images. The rest of
the permanent exhibition consists of European, Asian, and
Ethnographic art where contemporary masters such as Miro, Picasso,
Degas, and Cezanne are viewable as well as gorgeous Japanese prints
and South American ceramics.
Address:
380 South Lamar Street
Mississippi Museum of Art
Julian Rankin
Farish Street Historical District
The 125-acre neighbourhood near downtown known as Farish
District is bounded by Mill Street, Amite Street, Fortification
Street, and Jackson Street. It is one of the few historically black
districts, built by former slaves, listed on the national register.
It takes its name from Walter Farish, a freed slave who settled on
the northeast corner of Davis and Farish Streets. The district was
once the centre of political, religious, economic, educational, and
entertainment activities for the black professionals and craftsmen
who lived in the area's 700-odd buildings, most dating from between
1890 and 1930. Among the more notable buildings are 229 East Church
Street, former home of Dr Sidney Redmond, wealthy and successful
businessman, and the Farish Street Baptist Church. Renovation in
the district is ongoing and private home ownership is being
encouraged in an effort at urban renewal. The area is being
redeveloped as an entertainment district, with many theatres, live
music venues, and historic landmarks like Ace Records and the Speir
Phonograph Company.
Farish Street Historical District
Natalie Maynor
Vicksburg National Military Park
The Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates one of the
most decisive battles of the American Civil War: the campaign,
siege, and defence of the city of Vicksburg, 44 miles (71km) west
of Jackson in Mississippi. Vicksburg was under siege for 47 days in
1863 as confederate forces vainly tried to defend the city high on
the bluff guarding the Mississippi River. The battlefield at
Vicksburg is in a good state of preservation and visitors can
explore 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles (32km) of
reconstructed trenches and earthworks, an antebellum home, 144
cannon emplacements, the restored Union gunboat, USS Cairo, and the
Vicksburg National Cemetery. While in Vicksburg don't miss a
riverboat ride on the mighty Mississippi and a visit to the River
City Blues Museum in Clay Street, with the largest blues collection
on public display in the world.
Address:
3201 Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS
Memorial Arch at Vicksburg National Military
Park
Ken Lund
Elvis Presley Birthplace
The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, was born in Tupelo,
northern Mississippi in 1935 in a humble home where he began his
meteoric rise to fame. The simple two-room house where Elvis drew
his first breath is now contained in a park, which has become a
place of pilgrimage for thousands of fans every day. The city of
Tupelo has other attractions to make a trip north of Jackson
worthwhile. Elvis Presley Park includes not only the
period-furnished house, but also a museum, memorial chapel, gift
shop, and a life-size statue of the legend, aged 13, as he was when
he moved from Tupelo to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family.
Address:
306 Elvis Presley Drive, Tupelo
Birthplace of Elvis Presley
Markuskun
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1932 by
Francis Cook, and to this day, remains the Magnolia State's largest
museum. A passionate student of Mississippi's natural resources,
Cook's vision was to establish a museum that would focus on the
promotion and protection of the state's natural landscape. In
LeFleur's Bluff State Park, he chose an ideal setting for such a
project. The museum grounds feature a 73,000 square foot complex
overlooking a 300-acre natural landscape, 2.5 miles (about 4km) of
nature trails, an open-air amphitheatre, a series of life-size
displays of the state's diverse habitats, a 100,000-gallon aquarium
network housing more than 200 living species, and a 1,700 square
foot greenhouse. When one visits the museum, it is obvious to see
that Cook's conservancy ideals have been faithfully followed over
the last 80 or so years; and the museum's astonishing collection of
more than a million specimens of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds,
mammals, invertebrates, plants, and fossils is nothing less than a
living, breathing monument to biodiversity conservation.
Address:
2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson
The Mississippi Museum of Natural
Science
Tomás Castelazo
Eudora Welty House
One of America's most influential writers, Eudora Welty lived
for 76 years at 1119 Pinehurst Plaza in Jackson, before bequeathing
the house to the State of Mississippi when she passed away in 2001.
The beautiful, Tudor Revival-style house was built by Welty's
parents in 1925, and has since been added to the National Register
of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark.
Significantly, the interior of the house has remained untouched;
and visitors to the Eudora Welty house will be given the chance to
see exactly how this Pulitzer Prize-winning author lived and worked
- her books still line the shelves, and her typewriter still sits
on the writing desk by the window in the upstairs bedroom. Included
in the tour, is a walk around the exquisite gardens that Welty and
her mother cultivated over the years. For fans of American
literature, a visit to the Eudora Welty house-cum-museum is an
absolute must.
Address:
1119 Pinehurst Plaza, Jackson
The Eudora Welty House in Jackson,
Mississippi.
Natalie Maynor
The weather in Jackson is warm and humid in summer (June to
August), and fairly mild in winter (December to February), and
temperature extremes are rare. Summer temperatures average between
68°F (20°C) and 90°F (32°C), while winter temperatures average
between 35°F (2°C) and 60°F (15°C). Rainfall is fairly high, and
can occur at any time of year. In the late summer and autumn,
Jackson is sometimes in the path of hurricanes moving north from
the Gulf of Mexico. Tornadoes are also a threat between February
and May.
Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International
Airport
Location: The airport is a 10-mile (16km) drive east of downtown
Jackson.
Time: GMT -6 (GMT -5 from mid-March to the first Sunday
in November).
Getting to the city:
There is no reliable public transport to the city, however taxis
and shuttle services are available, as are rental cars.
Car Rental:
Car hire companies represented at the airport include Avis,
Enterprise, Budget, Hertz, National, Alamo, Thrifty, Payless and
Dollar. All car hire companies have desks on Terminal Level 1
across from baggage claim.
Airport Taxis:
Taxis are undoubtedly the most convenient way to travel from the
airport into downtown Jackson. Simply hail a taxi outside Arrivals;
the meter should be turned on for the duration of the journey.
Facilities:
The airport has ATMs, shops, cafes and restaurants. Disabled
facilities are good; those with special requirements should inform
their airline in advance. A Disabled Passenger Shuttle Service is
available 24 hours a day to transport those with special needs
around the airport.
Parking
Long and short-term parking is available. The parking garage
charges $16 per day, while the surface lot is $14 per day. The
long-term lot is only $10 per day, and is connected to the terminal
via a complimentary shuttle.
Mal's St. Paddy's Parade and Festival
Back in the 1970s Malcolm White, an Irish Jackson resident and
publican, decided the city could do with a St Patrick's Day
celebration. So was born a parade tradition that has grown in
popularity, size and status to become one of the city's most
eagerly awaited annual events, drawing visitors from near and far.
The parade winds its way down Capitol Street, focussing on the
'Sweet Potato Queens' and encouraging plenty of dancing in the
streets. Most pubs and restaurants in the vicinity add to the
festivities with special promotions.
Venue:
Downtown Jackson
![Capitol Street, Mississippi where the Mal's St.
Paddy's Parade and Festival takes place]()
Capitol Street, Mississippi where the Mal's St.
Paddy's Parade and Festival takes place
NatalieMaynor
Crawfish Music Festival
Sample Mississippi's favourite delicacy, a small version of the
lobster, cooked and served up in a variety of hot and spicy ways at
the annual festival honouring crawfish. Activities on offer include
live musical entertainment, carnival rides and of course vendors
supplying plenty of treats for seafood lovers.
Over the last few years, the festival has evolved from a small
foodie event to a full-fledged music festival, held over two
weekends in April. The diverse line-up includes genres like
country, zydeco, rock, blues, and R&B.
Venue:
Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, 2350 Beach
Blvd, Biloxi
![Thirsty crawfish]()
Thirsty crawfish
Maitri
Juke Joint Festival
Without Clarksdale, Mississippi, there'd be no such
thing as the Delta Blues. The Juke Joint Festival, held annually in
this charming little town on the banks of the Sunflower River, is
all about celebrating the wonderful musical heritage passed down by
greats such as Son House, Robert Johnson, and Skip James.
Half small town fair and half blues festival, it does
more than simply entertain attendees: it aims to educate and
enlighten locals and blues tourists alike through a series of
performances, exhibits, and presentations involving music, art,
storytelling, film, and children's events. Don't miss this
opportunity to learn more about one of America's great cultural
assets and, of course, to listen some authentic, down-home playing
while you're at it!
Venue:
Clarksdale, Mississippi.
![The banks of Sunflower River]()
The banks of Sunflower River
Richard Apple
![]()
Hiring a car is the best way to get around in Jackson as many of
the attractions lie outside the city. Parking is easy to find
everywhere but downtown. The JATRAN bus is a reliable way to get
around. It operates Monday to Friday 5.15am-7.45pm and on Saturday
from 6.45am-6.45pm. Most routes operate every 60 minutes with
limited service every 30 minutes on Routes 1, 8 and 12. A single
one-way fare costs about $1.50. Metered taxis are available, but
must be booked by phone at least 30 minutes in advance as cabs do
not cruise or wait at taxi ranks.
Mississippi's capital isn't known as a glamourous or trendy
city, but visitors will find plenty to see and do in Jackson,
making it a memorable visit. For those in search of deep history
and a look back in time, Jackson will certainly not disappoint.
The fascinating history is evident in attractions like the Old
Capitol Museum, an eye-catching and hands-on history made available
through fun and interactive exhibits; the Farish Street Historic
District, a historic neighbourhood in Jackson; the War Memorial
Museum, offering history and architecture to marvel at, and the
Eudora Welty House, the home of the notable author for nearly
eighty years. The Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Centre is
also a must-see, tracing African-American cultural history. So if
it's history that tourists are after, Jackson is certainly the
place to be.
The Jackson Zoo is also great for families with children, as is
the Russell C Davis Planetarium, putting on regular Sky Shows on
astronomy, astronauts, and space exploration. Downtown Jackson is
also a great spot to explore and while fairly compact, visitors
will find there are lots of attractions made accessible on a
self-guided walking tour of the city. For those who enjoy a slow
pace and a delightful Southern lifestyle, Jackson makes for a
wonderful and historical destination.
Old Capitol Museum
Matt Howry
The Governor's Mansion
Charlie Brenner
Lots to see at the Russell C. Davis
Planetarium
NASA
Mississippi Museum of Art
Julian Rankin
Farish Street Historical District
Natalie Maynor
Memorial Arch at Vicksburg National Military
Park
Ken Lund
Birthplace of Elvis Presley
Markuskun
The Mississippi Museum of Natural
Science
Tomás Castelazo
The Eudora Welty House in Jackson,
Mississippi.
Natalie Maynor
Capitol Street, Mississippi where the Mal's St.
Paddy's Parade and Festival takes place
NatalieMaynor
Thirsty crawfish
Maitri
The banks of Sunflower River
Richard Apple
