Top Things to do in Mississippi
Things to do in Mississippi, United States: The Best Museums
From 24-hour casinos, upscale shopping and luxurious spas in Tunica to the Civil War sites in Vicksburg to the lush golf courses, beaches and upscale casinos in Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi offers visitors a wide range of vacation experiences. Vacationers to Mississippi can choose from a diverse group of destinations and activities. On the Gulf Coast in Biloxi and Gulfport, casino gaming, big name entertainment shows, deep-sea fishing and golf, are popular pastimes. In Vicksburg, the Vicksburg National Cemetery and Civil War sites draw many visitors. In historic Natchez, you can take a scenic drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway or visit Frogmore Plantation, one of eight plantations originally owned by a wealthy Natchez planter. For an urban experience, Jackson, dubbed the “City with Soul” has over 50 nightclubs featuring Soul, Jazz, Blues, Rock and other musical genres. Tunica offers great casinos, golf and big name entertainers such as Bonnie Rait, Smokey Robinson and George Jones. Golfers, rejoice! Mississippi has more than 150 golf courses. Among the high-profile courses on everybody’s must play list are The Links at Cottonwoods and Tunica National Golf Tennis Club in Tunica and Grand Bear Golf Club in Saucier and The Bridges Golf Club at Hollywood Casino. Families visiting Mississippi fall in love with the heaping portions of Southern hospitality. Family-oriented activities are plentiful in Mississippi whether it’s enjoying the beaches on the Gulf Coast, visiting the home of Elvis Presley in Tupelo or riding a huge paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River.
Restaurants in Mississippi
1. U.S.S. Cairo Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,481 reviews
Tour the first boat to be sunk by a torpedo.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
My wife and I have visited Vicksburg National Military Park on other occasions so we weren't terribly disappointed when we realized on our most recent trip that the USS Cairo Museum was closed because of the COVID pandemic. Of course, visitors can park in the parking lot and stroll around one of the first American ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. Inside or outside, the Cairo is an impressive site. After participating in the capture of Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River in June 1862, it was sunk in December 1862 while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff on the Yazoo River. It was the first ship ever to be sunk by a mine remotely detonated by hand. Over the years, the ship was forgotten and slowed covered by silt and sand. It was found in 1956 and salvaged from the bottom of the river in 1965. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, the Cairo was opened as a museum in a shelter on the tour road near the Vicksburg National Cemetery in the Vicksburg National Military Park in November 1980. The recovery of artifacts from the ship revealed a treasure trove of weapons, ammunition, naval stores and personal gear of the sailors who served on board. Externally, visitors can see one of the cannons on the side of the Cairo and the framework for the paddlewheels.
2. Mississippi Armed Forces Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 90 reviews
The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum is proud to serve as the military history museum for the state of Mississippi. The museum aims to educate the public about Mississippi’s role in military history, while honoring the service of both Mississippi veterans and those who have trained in Mississippi during times of war. Visit us today, located approximately 10 miles south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.
Reviewed By 722barryl - New Orleans, United States
I had no idea this museum existed but what a gem. Even though it was free, clearly there was plenty of money spent in the creation and curation of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum. The presentation is top rated and compares favorably to famous institutions such the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The fact that the museum is located on Camp Shelby, the training location of the highly decorated Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment, was a bonus. Oh, German POWs were kept on Camp Shelby during WWII as well. So much history!
3. Eudora Welty House and Garden
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 121 reviews
For seventy-six years, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty lived and wrote in her Jackson home at 1119 Pinehurst Street. Restored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History after her death in 2001, the house is open for tours.
Reviewed By 530JulieB530 - New Orleans, United States
I loved every moment of my time here. I had read the book "One Writer's Garden" and it was the perfect stage-setter for my visit. The docent was knowledgeable and gave a good tour. The tour begins with a video which was very helpful, and I returned to the Visitor Center after the tour. It helped that I was there on a gorgeous April day. The camellias were almost done, but azaleas were beautiful and roses just beginning to bloom.
4. Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 108 reviews
Reviewed By Lawlockman
We went in the afternoon and there were few there. We were warmly greeted by the front desk personnel and the security guard, who barbeques and who recommended a good place to eat. We learned the history of the museum and spent two or three hours exploring the many rooms and exhibits. There are European, American and British isles artist as well as an exhibit of an Indian artist and many collections including a fascinating exhibit of baskets. This museum could be in any major metropolitan city but is a true gem in Laurel. Due to the generosity of its benefactor it is free to see.
5. Tupelo Veteran's Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 61 reviews
Reviewed By gjdJLN - Joplin, United States
We stopped at the Veteran's Museum while traveling through Tupelo on vacation. It was a pleasant surprise to find the wide variety of items on display, spanning many years of our country's history. Unique items were enhanced by the stories shared by Tony Lute. His dedication to preserving history and honoring veterans is evident in the fine displays in the museum. Well worth the trip off the interstate to learn more about history.
6. Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library contains 15,000 linear feet of correspondence, research notes, published monographs, artifacts, photographs, scrapbooks, and memorabilia, by and about the United States’ 18th president, covering his early life, Civil War triumphs, presidency, and beyond. The 21,000 sq foot facility includes a museum dedicated to U. S. Grant.
Reviewed By 568matf - Westfield, United States
In the library. Some artifacts you can’t see elsewhere. Grant was much shorter than I would have imagined. It would be neater if there were more discussion of his post-presidency controversy, but hey - it’s a presidential museum. Worth a stop. Also had a really neat Lincoln exhibit. We were told it’s the largest private collection of Lincoln items.
7. Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 194 reviews
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum shares the stories of a Mississippi movement that changed the nation. The museum promotes a greater understanding of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the strength and sacrifices of its peoples. Visitors will witness the freedom struggle in eight interactive galleries that show the systematic oppression of black Mississippians and their fight for equality that transformed the state and nation. Seven of the galleries encircle a central space called This Little Light of Mine. There, a dramatic sculpture glows brighter and the music of the Movement swells as visitors gather.
Reviewed By grandmareviews1952
The museum is amazing. You can step into the jail cell or watch videos of what led to the civil rights movement. The museum is filled with people and events that are displayed from the floor to the ceiling. We didn't have enough time to see the upstairs, so be sure to allow enough time to see everything. It is very moving to see how men and women believed in a better world for their families and what the sad reality of it was like for them to do so.
8. Museum of Mississippi History
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 43 reviews
Located in the heart of downtown Jackson, the museum explores over 15,000 years of state history. Visitors will enjoy innovative exhibits, educational programs, and hundreds of artifacts.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Mississippi has come a long way since the Civil War and the turbulent 1960s and it's all available for one and all to see at the Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson, Mississippi. Located at 222 North Street, combined with the equally impressive Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, it covers the history of the state as far back as 13,000 BC. Exhibits cover everything from Hernando De Soto to 19th century slavery to the Cotton Kingdom to the Civil War to Reconstruction to the Great Depression to Prohibition to the Civil Rights Movement to Hurricane Katrina. On the cutesy side, see the crown that Mary Ann Mobley wore when she won the Miss America pageant in 1958. But start with the First Peoples exhibit, which dates to 13,000 BC and traces life in Mississippi to 1518, with stories of Choctaw and Chickasaw people and artifacts such as a 500-year-old dugout canoe, weapons, pottery, tools and other archaeological discoveries. Other must-see exhibits are Mississippi Distilled, popping the cork on Prohibition, with stories of piety and politics in the "wettest dry state," where Prohibition began in 1908, 12 years before it became a national law; Cultural Crossroads 1519-1798, documenting Native Americans who first inhabited the state and Hernando De Soto and other European explorers who came later; Joining the United States 1799-1832, documenting the arrival of African-Americans, statehood for Mississippi, examining the Bowie knife, dueling pistols and other weapons that determined frontier justice and how federal laws forced Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations to leave their ancestral homelands; Cotton Kingdom 1833-1865, featuring the earliest photographs taken in Mississippi and comparing the lives of an enslaved family, yeoman farmers and wealthy planters, noting that by 1984 there were more slaves than whites in Mississippi; The World Remade 1866-1902, Reconstruction in Mississippi, the story of a Mississippi businessman who first bottled Coca-Cola and a collection of tools used by African-American blacksmiths; Promise and Peril 1903-1927, witness the struggles of suffragettes Nellie Nugent Somerville and Belle Kearney in their quest for equal rights, see a lamp used during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and explore changes and challenges that Mississippi faced at the turn of the century; Bridging Hardship 1928-1945, documents how the Great Depression crippled Mississippi, how FDR's New Deal put Mississippi back to work and displays a baseball glove owned by Willie Mitchell, a Mississippi native who once struck out Babe Ruth; and Forging Ahead, 1946 to present, allows visitors to survey damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and see how the struggle for civil rights raged in courtrooms, how Mississippi moved forward in industry, technology and immigration, how a diverse array of activists, artisans, entrepreneurs, politicians and everyday citizens contributed to the Mississippi story. For outsiders, it's a very fascinating journey through the history of a state that has undergone dramatic changes.
9. Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 230 reviews
The Museum exhibits hundreds of one-of-a-kind artifacts and an unrivaled collection of vintage photos, which tells the story from the time of the first Indian settlement through generations of immigrants whose journey contributed to the melting-pot culture of the Gulf Coast. The Grand Hall features the "Nydia" a 30' gaff rigged cabin sloop built in Biloxi in 1898 at the Johnson Shipyard. Featured exhibits include shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, marine blacksmithing, net-making, boat building, hurricanes, featuring Camille and Katrina, all the while telling the tale of over 300 years of history, culture and heritage. The Museum is available for special events, meetings, weddings, etc.
Reviewed By lauried116 - Irmo, United States
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this impressive museum! The Hurricane Katrina exhibit and video were riveting! There are interesting displays of the seafood industry, boat building, hurricane history and the impact on the area, and exhibits on the delicate balance of ecosystems (bayou, marshes, and estuaries). We spent 2½ hours exploring this fascinating museum. I would highly recommend it!
10. Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Located in Jackson's first public school building for African-Americans, this museum, named after a former slave who went on to become the first African-American Alderman in Jackson, chronicles the everday lives and culture of people of African decent living in the South during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Reviewed By Sherisoo - Bellevue, United States
This building was once a thriving school for African American children. Author, Richard Wright, is one of their famous alumni. Displays include a brief history of slavery, the Great Migration, and Civiil Rights. For me the most powerful sights were the Medgar Evers exhibit and the Slave Ship. Seeing the bloody clothing of Evers's neighbor hanging on a fence really brings home the lack of justice available for African Americans. Walking through a cramped and darkened slave ship was eerie and impactful. The staff is rightfully passionate about their museum and their subject matter. Take the time to visit this hidden gem!
