Things to Do in Mississippi
Ten stops running from a 47-day Civil War siege site to a Gulf Coast stretch most visitors don't realise Mississippi even has.
Mississippi carries a properly weighty history alongside a coastline most people forget it has, this list heads past what the quiz already covers toward the Delta's deeper blues history, the Gulf Coast, and a siege that reshaped the entire Civil War. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Vicksburg National Military Park
The site of a pivotal 47-day Union siege in 1863, considered alongside Gettysburg one of the two turning points of the Civil War, Vicksburg's fall gave the Union full control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy directly in two. A 16-mile driving tour through the park passes over 1,300 monuments and markers, along with the restored USS Cairo, a Union ironclad gunboat raised from the river decades after it sank.
This runs as a properly significant, sobering stop, allow a full half-day to cover the driving tour and museum together rather than rushing through.
Hours Daily, roughly 8am-5pm
Address 3201 Clay St, Vicksburg, MS
Natchez's Antebellum Mansions
Natchez holds one of the largest collections of surviving antebellum mansions in the country, largely because the town surrendered without a fight during the Civil War, sparing it from the destruction that levelled comparable towns elsewhere. Several mansions run tours that address the wealth these homes represented directly alongside the enslaved labour that built and sustained them, prioritise tours that engage with this history honestly rather than only the architecture.
The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, downtown, offers essential additional context on this same period from a considerably different angle than the mansion tours alone provide.
Address Natchez, MS
Biloxi & the Gulf Coast
Mississippi runs a real, if often overlooked, stretch of Gulf Coast beachfront, Biloxi in particular combines a proper beach town atmosphere with a string of casinos along the waterfront, a considerably different mix than most visitors expect from the state. The Biloxi Lighthouse, standing in the median of the coastal highway itself, remains one of the more unusual lighthouse locations anywhere in the country.
Fresh Gulf seafood runs throughout the coast's restaurants, oysters and shrimp both caught locally rather than shipped in, prioritise a seafood dinner specifically while you're here.
Best time May-September for swimming weather
Address Biloxi, MS
Gulf Islands National Seashore
A string of barrier islands off the Mississippi coast, most reachable only by boat, offering a considerably quieter, more undeveloped alternative to the mainland's busier beaches. Ship Island, the most visited of the group, runs regular ferry service and holds Fort Massachusetts, a well-preserved Civil War-era fort that pairs well with the beach itself.
Bring your own supplies for a day trip here, facilities on the islands run properly minimal, this is a proper undeveloped beach experience rather than a resort-style outing.
Best time May-September, ferry runs seasonally
Address Gulf Islands National Seashore, MS
B.B. King Museum, Indianola
Built in Indianola, where B.B. King grew up working the cotton fields before becoming one of the most influential blues musicians of the 20th century, the museum covers his full career alongside the wider social and economic conditions of the Mississippi Delta that shaped the blues as a genre. This runs as a properly detailed, well-curated museum, allow a couple of hours to cover the exhibits in real depth.
The museum sits on the site of a former cotton gin where King once worked, a direct, tangible link to the history it covers rather than a generic building chosen for convenience.
Hours Tue-Sat, roughly 10am-5pm
Address 400 2nd St, Indianola, MS
Windsor Ruins
Once the largest antebellum Greek Revival mansion in the state, Windsor burned down in 1890 following a fire believed to have started from a discarded cigarette, leaving only 23 towering columns standing in an otherwise empty field. The ruins carry a properly striking, almost eerie atmosphere, no admission fee or facilities of any kind, just the columns themselves rising out of the Mississippi countryside.
This makes a good, quick stop if you're driving the Natchez Trace Parkway nearby, the short detour pays off even for a brief look given how little effort it takes to reach.
Address Windsor Ruins, Port Gibson, MS
Mississippi Children's Museum, Jackson
A properly hands-on children's museum spread across several themed galleries, a full-scale replica grocery store and a real focus on Mississippi-specific themes, including a gallery covering the state's agricultural and literary heritage. This runs as a good rainy-day option if the outdoor stops elsewhere on this list don't suit the weather during your visit.
This works particularly well for younger children specifically, most exhibits are built for direct, hands-on exploration rather than passive viewing.
Hours Tue-Sat, roughly 9am-5pm
Address 2145 Highland Dr, Jackson, MS
Rowan Oak, Oxford
The home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, preserved much as it looked during his residence, including an outline for one of his novels he wrote directly onto the wall of his study in pencil, still visible today. The surrounding grounds and nature trail give a proper sense of the setting that influenced much of his fictional Yoknapatawpha County.
Oxford itself, home to the University of Mississippi, runs a properly pleasant college town atmosphere, a good combination with a Rowan Oak visit if you have the time.
Hours Tue-Sat, roughly 10am-4pm
Address 916 Old Taylor Rd, Oxford, MS
Mississippi's Farm-Raised Catfish
Mississippi dominates the country's farm-raised catfish industry, particularly around the Delta region, where thousands of acres of catfish ponds have replaced some of the cotton fields the area was historically known for. The fish shows up fried, cornmeal-crusted, and served with hush puppies and coleslaw throughout the state, a proper, unfussy Southern staple, best tried at a local, family-run spot rather than a chain.
The World Catfish Festival in Belzoni, held each April, celebrates the industry directly with a proper small-town festival built entirely around the fish.
Best time April for the World Catfish Festival
Address Belzoni, MS
Mississippi Petrified Forest
A properly unusual natural site, fossilised logs over 36 million years old, swept here by an ancient river and gradually turned to stone over millions of years, a small, family-run attraction that's operated since the 1960s. A short, easy trail loops past the main petrified logs, considerably manageable for most visitors regardless of fitness level.
The attached museum covers the geology and formation process in accessible detail, a good, quick stop if you're driving through this part of the state and want something a bit different from the historical sites elsewhere on this list.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5pm
Address 124 Forest Park Rd, Flora, MS
Best time to visit Mississippi
March through May and September through November cover the most comfortable weather for this list, mild enough for the outdoor and coastal stops without summer's serious heat and humidity.
The Gulf Coast specifically works well through summer if beach weather is the priority, warm water and long days make up for the heat elsewhere on this list during that stretch.
Getting around Mississippi
A car is essential, the distances between the Delta, Jackson, and the Gulf Coast run into several hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Mississippi worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for the Delta's blues history and Vicksburg's Civil War significance, a state that rewards visitors willing to engage with properly important American history.
- How many days do you need in Mississippi?
- Six days gives a comfortable pace to cover Jackson, the Delta, and either Natchez or the Gulf Coast.
- Is Mississippi expensive to visit?
- No, generally affordable, food and accommodation both run below the national average across most of this list.
- What's the best Mississippi trip for kids?
- The Mississippi Children's Museum and the Petrified Forest both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state carrying considerably more weight and coastline than most people expect.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
