Five Quick Tips about Mississippi

Vacation time is here. Whether resident or snowbird, everyone likes to read about highlights from their state. Mississippi has an abundance of things to see and do, and a whole lot of history. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the mood for beaches along the Gulf coast or music from the Delta, Mississippi has it in variety and abundance.

In today’s blog post, we’re going to skim some cream from the top and talk about five of the great things you can find here.

1. Bay St. Louis Is the 4th Most Beautiful Town in America

No kidding!

Hurricane Katrina screamed through in 2005, and Beach Boulevard along the Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was thrown about like so many Lego pieces. Structures for a considerable distance inland were wiped away or heavily damaged, and many survivors nearly gave up on any hope of recovery.

But what a difference thirteen years make! Intensive rebuilding of infrastructure, and the construction of a new harbor, bars, restaurants and shops have turned the rubble into one of the prettiest and good-time towns that you’ll find. The change has been so extensive, in fact, that Expedia.com’s Viewfinder travel blog last month (June 2018) named Bay St. Louis the fourth most beautiful town in America. Citing the aquatic setting, Expedia exclaimed, “You’ve heard being by the water is good for the soul and Bay St. Louis is the perfect place to test it!”

And that’s not the first time the town has been recognized. In 2017 the folks at Vogue magazine declared Bay St. Louis “utterly charming” in their Summer Road Trip article.

2. The Mississippi Blues Trail

Running from the site of early Blues radio station WROX  in Clarksdale, and meandering through hundreds of historic towns across the four corners of the state, a drive along the Mississippi Blues Trail through the Delta is just what the doctor ordered. A popular route more or less follows old Highway 49 from the northern Delta region, southward to the Gulf Coast. You can start the tour at Clarksdale’s Delta Blues Museum  where you can see Muddy Waters’ log cabin, transported and reconstructed from its original location. Next, go to the Tutwiler train station, claimed by W.C. Handy as the place where he first discovered the Blues while waiting for a train. Also on the itinerary are the birthplace of Blues legend BB King in the tiny Delta village of Berclair and the BB King Museum in Indianola. But not all of the stops are in the Delta. You can also stop by Tupelo and see the birthplace of the King, Elvis Presley.

But you can’t drive along the trail without stopping to hear some music. A good starting point is the appropriately-named Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale where you can dine and hear live music every Wednesday through Friday evening. At the other end of the Delta, stop at Smoot’s Grocery in Natchez.

3. The Mississippi River Basin Model

Enjoy the outdoors? For an unusual hike, visit the Mississippi River Basin Model near the town of Clinton. Beginning in 1943, the Army Corps of Engineers built a large-scale (we’re talking 200 acres!) hydraulic reconstruction of the entire Mississippi river basin from the source to the Gulf. It wasn’t built as a tourist attraction. The Corps used the model for water management and flood prediction. Fully operational until 1973, the model was made redundant when computer methods were developed to model the basin. The project was left derelict until 1993 when it was taken over by the city of Jackson. It’s still overgrown, but no longer abandoned, and makes for a great day’s excursion.

4. Art in the Pass

Spring is a great time to visit Pass Christian, Mississippi. The not-for-profit organization Pass Christian Main Street sponsors the annual Art in the Pass celebration there in Memorial Park along Highway 90 overlooking the Gulf. In 2019, this fine arts and crafts event will see its 22nd season. The celebration typically features more than 100 artists and artisans from across the Gulf South and includes a music venue. In the past, the festival has sponsored a children’s tent to keep the kids entertained. Art in the Pass is usually held around the second week of April.

5. Shearwater Pottery

The Mississippi Gulf Coast has a long tradition of unusual art and ceramics. In 1928, Peter Anderson founded the Ocean Springs art colony known as Shearwater Pottery, and the family still operates it today. For the better part of a century, Shearwater has produced beautiful sculptures, plates and pots of both contemporary and traditional designs. Shearwater was also the home of Walter Anderson, the now-famous watercolorist and documenter of the Gulf region. Here you will find unusual works of art, and not just the clay-based variety.

Nearby, shop at Realizations, where they have books, silkscreen prints and textiles based on Walter Anderson’s designs. They also often have some of Anderson’s original art for sale.

Image Credits: Top, Fish by Mombo Graphixs and photo by Michael Warner. Middle, Bay St. Louis harbor photo by Aiden Scoggin. Bottom, Silkscreen by Shearwater Pottery and photo by Michael Warner.