Things to see and do in Mississippi

Attractions in Mississippi

Cruise down Mississippi River

Join a Mississippi riverboat (www.mississippirivercruises.com) for a cruise down Ole Man River. Paddle-wheel steamboats take travellers on an historic journey down the Mississippi River through the Old South.

Delta Blues Museum

Sample Mississippi's vibrant blues tradition at the Delta Blues Museum (www.deltabluesmuseum.org) in Clarksdale.

Discover Natchez

The oldest civilised settlement on the Mississippi River, Natchez (www.visitnatchez.com) was spared major destruction in the Civil War. Today, over 500 historic buildings and antebellum mansions still stand providing a wonderful glimpse of pre-war life in the Deep South. Stay in an historic bed & breakfast, then explore Natchez-under-the-Hill, with its shops and famous dockside gaming.

Explore Vicksburg National Military Park

The park (www.nps.gov/vick) is where some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War took place. Here, on 4 July 1863, the Union victory helped the Yankees gain control of the Mississippi River. Living history demonstrations and battle re-enactments every summer provide a fascinating insight into this dramatic period.

Explore the All-American Rose Garden

Enjoy the famous All-American Rose Garden in Hattiesburg (www.hattiesburg.org), which features 740 patented bushes.

Explore the Tupelo Buffalo Park

Explore the Tupelo Buffalo Park, featuring a herd of buffalo that can be viewed from aboard the Monster Bison Bus.

Follow the Deep South Antique & Wine Trail

Make Natchez your starting point for the Deep South Antique & Wine Trail (www.deepsouthantiqueandwinetrail.com), which is a co-operative endeavour between the states of Mississippi and Louisiana and covers 322km (200 miles) and six counties, with over 100 antique shops en route.

Highway 61 Blues Museum

Enjoy the haunting sounds of blues music at the Highway 61 Blues Museum (www.highway61blues.com) in downtown Leland.

Jackson's history museums

Explore the Old Capitol Historical Museum, containing exhibits chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, while the Smith Robertson Museum houses displays on African-American Mississippian history and heritage.

Leland

Take the family to Leland (www.lelandms.org), where Kermit the Frog was born. See the Birthplace of the Frog exhibition where the childhood of Jim Henson, creator of the Sesame Street and Muppets characters, can be remembered.

Natchez

Join the spring or fall pilgrimages in Natchez (www.natchezms.com), touring some of the area's 500 remaining antebellum mansions. Walk through Longwood, the largest octagonal house in America, nestled among huge oaks hung with dripping Spanish moss.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Travel the historic Natchez Trace Parkway (www.nps.gov/natr) that winds 640km (400 miles) southwest from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi. Free of billboard advertising and commercial traffic, and with a speed limit of 80kph (50mph), the parkway provides a scenic introduction to the delights of Mississippi and leads visitors down paths once trekked by buffalo, Native Americans and frontiersmen.

Tour the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center

The Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center (www.nps.gov/shil/historyculture/corinth.htm) chronicles the Battle of Corinth and its significance in Civil War history.

Tupelo

Visit Tupelo, best known for its native son, Elvis Presley. Visitors can stop at Elvis Presley's Birthplace (www.elvispresleybirthplace.com), the humble two-room house where 'the King' was born, and the adjacent museum which contains rare photos, memorabilia and a statue of Elvis aged 13.

Visit Oxford

Oxford is the picturesque town captured forever in the writings of William Faulkner. Rowan Oak, Faulkner's house, can be visited today and remains much as the literary giant left it, with the outline of his novel, A Fable, scrawled on his study wall.

Walter Anderson Museum of Art

Visit the Walter Anderson Museum of Art (www.walterandersonmuseum.org) in Ocean Springs, on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Anderson's art reflects coastal life and the amazing variety of birds that migrate along this Mississippi Flyway.

Tourist offices

Mississippi Tourism Division

Mississippi Tourism UK