Mississippi Office of Tourism

If the Mississippi River is known to everyone, the state of the same name is less so! Twentieth American state, Mississippi is a summary of the specificities of the Southern States. It shares its borders with four neighbors: on one side Louisiana and Arkansas and on the other Alabama and Tennessee. 

Jackson, the capital, shines thanks to its notorious architecture and its famous museums. Marked by a strong colonial past, Mississippi is above all a state with a major historical heritage. The Civil War left an indelible mark across the state. It does not seek to erase the segregationist traces but to educate everyone on the civil rights movement: a mission that the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson takes up brilliantly. The Cotton State is still dotted with Antebellum houses like those in Natchez. They are also found in Vicksburg, but the main interest of the city sits in its National Military Park which houses the Civil War battlefields during the Vicksburg campaign in 1863. It is in this tragic colonial context that the blues was born.

 In Cleveland and more precisely in Dockery Farms, a former cotton plantation, the beginnings of a new musical genre weas played out which would later inspire soul and rock'n'roll. Over time, Juke Joints, typical Southern bars animated by live music, have multiplied. Among them, the iconic Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale run by a certain Morgan Freeman… The now called capital of Blues music, Clarksdale, welcomes music lovers from around the world during its famous Juke Joint Festival. The musical pilgrimage continues along the Mississippi Blues Trail, highlighting the great musicians and landmarks of the blues, including the B.B King Museum and the city of Tupelo, Elvis Presley’s birthplace. If he was successful in Memphis, it is indeed in Mississippi that he was born: the city of Tupelo celebrates the childhood of the King around his birthplace.

Another art that has a place of choice throughout the state: literature. Native land of great American writers, the Mississippi is also a source of inspiration for renowned pieces. William Faulkner, a figure of American writing born in the Magnolia State, then settled in Oxford in his house which he baptized Rowan Oak. Along the same lines, Tennessee Williams grew up in Columbus. Its pretty colorful building is open to the public and is an essential stop for lovers of words. Among the works that immerse us in the typical universe of the Southern States, let us quote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain), The Color of Feelings (Kathryn Stockett), The Sound and The Fury (William Faulkner) and the essential Gone with the Wind. Considered the Southern novel par excellence, Margarett Mitchell's work depicts a moist South marked by segregation and slavery. In addition, the Mississippi Writers Trail celebrates the strong literary identity of Mississippi; a trail in the footsteps of the writers who have contributed to its fame. Markers paying tribute to women and men of letters are located throughout the state. 

From the Delta to the Gulf Coast, passing through the Hills or Pines regions, Mississippi is a land of contrasts and diversity, marked by history. A privileged cultural destination that will delight lovers of authentic experiences, but also seaside thanks to its 100 km of coastline lulled by the sea air of the South.

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