I'm going to Mississippi for work and I'm going to have a day or two to explore the area. What would you all recommend to get a flavor? I'm really looking to get the most out of my time there, and I don't mind getting in a car and racking up the miles. Natchez looked like it might be a good idea. Fodors had recommended going to the gulf coast. Is there anything educational to see -- civil rights movement, etc. I'm going to be there in a few weeks.

Many thanks!

Not sure which part of MS you'll be in, but Memphis has a great Civil Rights Museum and some other cool stuff too.

Sorry. I'll be in Jackson, but am willing to drive a distnce, although probably not all the way up to Memphis.

Vicksburg isn't far from Jackson, there's a National Military Park, major battlesite during the Civil War.

Natchez and the Natchez Trace Parkway is worth visiting.

Or go south and head to the beaches at Biloxi/Gulfport, which is also a major gambling mecca now.

gold75 - There's tons of stuff to do in Jackson: a great art museum downtown, the MS Museum of Natural Science (in a really nice park-like setting), the Smith-Robertson Museum (African-American history - on Bloom Street downtown - I LOVE this one), and some WONDERFUL resturants. (Do a search for my earlier post on food in Jackson to get the info.) Shopping in Jackson is great. Try Highland Village for cool boutiques, and, believe it or not, the museum gift shops (like at the MS Museum of Art, the Old Capitol Museum, and the shop at the MS Agricultural Museum) always have cool stuff by Mississippi crafters and artists.

That said, you'd probably love Vicksburg, too. TONS of history - antebellum homes to tour, a cool Civil War military park, and a really neat Old Courthouse Museum (they even have Grant's old armchair in there - the stuff that comes out of Mississippi attics!!). They also have ths casinos. You can gamble there and eat there as well, although I recommend a couple of local places - Rusty's Riverfront Grill and Borello's - for dinner. Vicksburg has a fun little shopping district along the riverfront that has totally been re-done - Washington Street. They have tons of cute little boutiques and an art gallery - the Attic Gallery - that you MUST NOT MISS. All Mississippi artists, and so funky and cool that you will feel like you've stepped onto a movie set.

And do not miss the Chocolate Derby in Vicksburg. They make their own candies. Yummmmmm. Please have a toffee for me!

This may be too late for you, but here goes anyway...

The Vicksburg Civil War park is a wonderul way to spend a morning or afternoon. It's drive through, but park your car and get out and walk along the monuments, see the ridge. if you have a musical inclination, check out the Illinois memorial building. The way the dome is built, the sound in the open air building is very "alive"--the acousitics are such that if you hum the three notes of a chord, you can hear them hanging in the air for a moment in perfect harmony.

Bradshawgirl is right on the money for her recommendations. Also be sure to check out Lemuria Bookstore, one of the nation's best indie shops, where the staff, down to the teens who work the young adult section, actually READS. Great booksignings on a weekly basis.

My favorite restaurants there were Bravo! and Walkers for uspcale dining, Keifer's, Que Sera, and Broad Street for casual dining.

Bradshawgirl, you seem to know Jackson well. Did/do you live there?

ejcrowe - I'm a resident of the Jackson area, and I really try to take advantage of all that central Mississippi has to offer. (Luckily, that's alot!) The only bummer - my airfare to other places is that much higher. Delta has a stranglehold on the Jackson International Airport. (Bummer.)

To Bradshawgirl. I was going to fly into Jackson late in Sept. to go to Hattiesburg. Is there another airport I should consider. Thank you for any suggestions.

Bradshawgirl, I grew up in southern Mississippi near Hattiesburg and spent most of my adult life in Jackson, including college at Millsaps. Now I live in Massachusetts and miss MS on a nearly daily basis. Oddly enough, I was always able to find pretty good prices out of JAN for the places I traveled, which admittedly wasn't as frequently as I travel now.

Flying into the PineBelt/Laurel airport is sometimes only a little more expensive than flying into Jackson and much more convenient to Hattiesburg. If price is an object and you're going to have to travel anyway, also check prices into New Orleans, LA and Mobile, AL for similar driving times to the airports.

gold75 - I agree with ejcrowe on the airports. But if you have to fly into Jackson, no bigee. Hattiesburg is an hour and a half away (highway miles), so it's not that much of a hoof!

ejcrowe - SHUT UP! I went to Millsaps, too! What a hoot! As they say, "Harvard - the Millsaps of the North!" As for the fares, we've noticed significantly lower prices on the routes that Southwest flies (surprise, surprise), but no accompanying dip in fares to other locations where Delta doesn't have much route competition. And fares overseas can really stink sometimes.

Bradshawgirl, would we have known each other at Millsaps? I'm probably going to be in Jackson this year for my 10th year reunion for homecoming.

You know what I miss? Sweet tea, Keifer's, Big D's bbq in Pocahantas, fried chicken from Two Sisters, and cheese grits from Broad Street. I try to hit them all every time I go back down there.

ejcrowe: I think we would have just missed each other during our college days. I probably entered as a freshman just after you graduated.

Two Sisters - you said it. They have the best home cookin' in Jackson! If you like them, you'd love Peaches down on Farish Street. They are finally starting to clean that part of the enighborhood up, lots of new stuff going in down there. When I was a student at Millsaps, Keifer's was practically a satellite campus! We were in there all the time. (I LOVE the pita feta and the mushroom wrap!) We may run into each other at Homecoming this year!

Eating at Keifers' is a must. It is a Greak place. The cottage fries are great. Order some fetta dip to go with them and is pays off. The Gulf Coast has a lot to offer, but I would not drive down there, do something, and drive back to Jackson in the same day. It offers an outlet mall, beaches, Marine Life, and there is a day trip you can take to Ship Island where Fort MA(I think) is. It cost arould $20 and you should take a cooler with drinks and food. Last time I was there (12+ years ago) they were in the process of building some places to rest and eat. If you are not willing to drive that far, Vicksburg is your best bet. It is less than an hour away and full of neat stuff to look at and do. They also have an outlet mall.

My father's family is from Vicksburg. As a child, I endured long, cross country trips from CA, with 3 siblings in a car without AC. The cousins were fun, but the heat, the fireflies and the chiggers were my main memories.

A couple years ago, I escorted my dad to a funeral there. I was pleasantly surprised how interesting Vicksburg is. We spent 3 days poking around the historic sites, driving into Louisiana, and even shopping in Vicksburg. We had a lovely dinner at the Martha Vick house among others.

Our flights were into Jacksonville, and it wasn't that long of a drive.

Bradshawgirl, did you start at Millsaps in 1996? My two best friends and I will be flying into Jackson for the reunion this fall. Maybe I'll see you there. What department(s) did you haunt while there? I was English major, religious studies minor, but for some reason always ended up in the soc & anth dept 'cause that's where my two best friends were.

I'll have too many restaurants to catch up with that I probably won't spend too much time on campus. I think Candy Bahadur might be the only person I knew at Millsaps during those years, and only because she was my friend's sister.

ejcrowe: I started there in the fall of 1995. I positively haunted the Christian Center. I was an English and theatre double-major, with a Spanish minor.

If you spent much time in Soc/Anth, I'll bet you were pretty good friends with Dr. Bey. His department is BOOMING now. Lots of study abroad opportunities, anthropological digs, the whole nine.

I graduated in spring 1995, so we did just miss each other. I haunted the soc-anth department and my friends were good friends with George Bey, Ming Tsui, Frances Coker, and Andy somebody or another. I was on friendly terms with the profs there, but didn't know them well. My friend Carla Shirley has since gone back and taught summer school at Millsaps in the soc dept while she was in grad school. She now teaches at Rhodes in Memphis.

Maybe I'll see you at the young alum party in November.

Vicksburg National Battlefield.

ejcrowe:

Checking back in after a long hiatus. I received my homecoming invite! I hoping to head back to campus and reconnect with a few old friends!

bradshawgirl

hi, bradshawgirl. hope you had fun at homecoming. i just got back last night from the weekend down in jackson. spent a good bit of time tracking down all of my favorite foods from that time in my life. missed out on bbq from Big D's and caramel cake from Campbell's bakery, but still hit a few highlights.

didn't go to the young almumni party, but our quiet reunion at brown's art gallery was pleasant. a little reminiscent of a junior league meeting, but pleasant all the same.