Find Your True Towns
To say that Mississippi’s small towns are picturesque and authentic is quite an understatement. The state is home to a variety of towns that exemplify every description from quaint and sleepy to dynamic and sophisticated. On the quaint and sleepy end of the local-color spectrum are Port Gibson on the magnificent Mississippi River and Leland along Deer Creek in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.
Find Your True Towns
Port Gibson survived the Civil War because General Ulysses S. Grant deemed it “too beautiful to burn.” Its antebellum homes have been preserved with meticulous care, giving Port Gibson the distinction of being the state’s first town to be designated a National Historic District. Leland is not only one of many Delta towns where America’s blues music was born, it is the hometown of Jim Henson and his most beloved Muppet, Kermit the Frog.
The dynamic and sophisticated end of the spectrum is occupied by charismatic places like Ocean Springs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, home to celebrated artist Walter Anderson and a wonderful museum that houses a huge collection of his colorful work depicting native flora and fauna.
Oxford is another not-to-be-missed center of small town life. It is home to the University of Mississippi, better known as “Ole Miss,” and to all the cultural, sports and special events the university sponsors. Oxford is also where Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner lived for many years, and is centered around one of the most beautiful traditional courthouse squares in the state.
For more inspiration to visit Mississippi’s small towns, go to www.VisitMississippi.org.
10 Small Towns to Explore in the Fall
1. Holly Springs: Home of the Mississippi Audubon Society and the annual hummingbird migration.
2. Philadelphia: Where Williams Brothers Store is one of the few general merchandise stores left in the U.S.
3. Aberdeen: The Bukka White Blues Festival honors Aberdeen’s native son, blues musician and cousin of B.B. King.
4. Cleveland: Delta State University’s Fielding Wright Art Gallery exhibits regional, national and international contemporary art.
5. Natchez: Historic homes in the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River are showcased during pilgrimages.
6. Greenwood: Mississippi Delta home of Viking Range Corporation and an international culinary empire.
7. Bay St. Louis: Shops, galleries and eateries in the Arts district of Old Town invite visitors to explore the town on foot.
8. Hernando: John Grisham tried criminal cases in the Courthouse on the Square, gathering material for his future best-selling books.
9. Canton: Known in Hollywood circles as the go-to place for a perfect small town, Southern locale for big-budget films.
10. Vicksburg: This Civil War battlefield with over 1300 monuments and markers is among the nation’s most beautiful.
Visit Mississippi
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