Must-see attractions in Mississippi

  • Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

    Mississippi

    Whether it's a voice from overhead yelling at you to 'keep on moving,' graphic photos of lynchings hitting you with a gut punch, or the towering wall of…

  • Gulf Islands National Seashore

    Mississippi

    Here along one of the last undeveloped stretches of the coastal South, this maze of wetlands, beaches and five off-shore barrier islands is not…

  • Longwood

    Mississippi

    This multistory confection is not what it seems. Commissioned by cotton baron Haller Nutt in 1861, the interior of the home – the largest octagonal house…

  • Museum of Mississippi History

    Mississippi

    In the ten-minute introductory film, the voice of God himself, Mississippian Morgan Freeman, introduces visitors to this compelling new museum. Exhibits…

  • Medgar Evers Home

    Mississippi

    It's hard not to get chills while touring the ranch-style home where Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers was murdered in 1963. Evers was standing outside…

  • Melrose

    Mississippi

    Tours of this Greek Revival home take a fascinating, multi-perspective look at life on the city estate of a slave-owning cotton magnate. A lawyer, state…

  • Windsor Ruins

    Mississippi

    Twenty-three Corinthian columns are all that remain of the once grand mansion built for cotton baron Smith Coffee Daniel II in 1861. The 45ft-tall columns…

  • St Mary Basilica

    Mississippi

    Celebrating its first Mass on December 25, 1843, this striking Gothic Revival church is the longest-operating Catholic building in Mississippi. The ornate…

  • Haynes Lake at Tishomingo State Park in northern Mississippi; Shutterstock ID 59818921; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Content Asset; Full Product or Project name including edition: Guides Project Eastern USA

    Tishomingo State Park

    Mississippi

    This state park is named for the Chickasaw Chief Tishomingo. You may want to camp here, among the evocative, moss-covered sandstone cliffs and rock…

  • Birthplace of Elvis Presley 1935; Shutterstock ID 2670684; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Content Asset; Full Product or Project name including edition: Guides Project Eastern USA

    Elvis Presley's Birthplace

    Mississippi

    A pilgrimage site for those who kneel before the King. The two-room original structure has a new roof and furniture, but no matter the decor – it was…

  • Emerald Mound

    Mississippi

    Just outside town, along the Trace, you'll find Emerald Mound, the grassy ruins of a Native American city that includes the second-largest pre-Columbian…

  • Walter Anderson Museum

    Mississippi

    A consummate artist and lover of Gulf Coast nature, Anderson suffered from mental illness, which spurred his monastic existence and fueled his life’s work…

  • Forks of the Road Slave Market

    Mississippi

    The marker at this small memorial site is simple: a cluster of iron shackles that look like they're trying to escape from the surrounding concrete. It…

  • Rowan Oak

    Mississippi

    Literary pilgrims head here to the graceful 1840s home of William Faulkner. He authored many brilliant and dense novels set in Mississippi, and his work…

  • Tupelo Hardware Co

    Mississippi

    An 'X' on the wooden floor marks where rock and roll began. On this spot, on his 11th birthday, Elvis bought his first guitar. He'd wanted a rifle, but…

  • Smith Robertson Museum

    Mississippi

    Housed in Mississippi's first public school for African American children is the alma mater of Richard Wright, author of Black Boy among many other works…

  • William Johnson House

    Mississippi

    A freed slave, Johnson produced 14 leather-bound diaries describing his life as a successful barber and community member in Natchez from 1835 to 1851…

  • Mississippi Museum of Art

    Mississippi

    Special exhibits are a highlight, covering a fascinating range of artists and styles, with a focus on Mississippi themes. Pottery from long-running…

  • Eudora Welty House

    Mississippi

    Literature buffs should plan to tour the Pulitzer Prize–winning author's Tudor Revival house, where she lived for more than 75 years. It's now a true…

  • Angel Tree

    Mississippi

    A large oak tree saved the lives of three people in Bay St Louis during Hurricane Katrina. The three clung to the tree as a 40ft tidal surge raged around…

  • Auburn Mansion

    Mississippi

    The red-brick Auburn Mansion, built in 1812, is famous for its freestanding spiral staircase. The architecture here influenced countless mansions…

  • Center for the Study of Southern Culture

    Mississippi

    Inside the Barnard Observatory, beside the Grove, this academic department is a treasure trove of documents and archival material related to the study of…

  • Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art

    Mississippi

    Housed partially within several stainless steel pods designed by Frank Gehry (on a bad day, according to one local), this small museum complex celebrates…

  • International Museum of Muslim Cultures

    Mississippi

    This small museum has a few interesting exhibitions on Timbuktu and Moorish Spain, and hosts rotating exhibitions on other Muslim majority societies…

  • Old Capitol Museum

    Mississippi

    The state's Greek Revival capitol building from 1839 to 1903 now houses a Mississippi history museum filled with films and exhibits. You'll learn that…

  • Museum of Natural Science

    Mississippi

    Tucked way back in Lefleur's Bluff State Park is this museum, which houses exhibits on the natural flora and fauna of Mississippi. It also has aquariums,…

  • University of Mississippi Museum

    Mississippi

    This museum has fine and folk arts and a plethora of science-related marvels, including a microscope and electromagnet from the 19th century.