6 Friendliest Towns to Visit in Mississippi in 2024
Mississippi gets its charming personality from the small towns with old-fashioned squares and their thought-provoking edifices and delicate antebellum homes in between fun businesses. Peppered with art galleries and unique architecture, Bay St. Louis is a beachfront town with antique stores and one-of-a-kind boutiques against a picturesque backdrop.
The outdoor adventures are as varied as the landscape, from the quirky coast to the Appalachian foothills. Exuding youthful energy, Starkville is home to the state's largest Mississippi State University and the Historic Hotel Chester, an iconic stay in the South with a lively beer garden and restaurant designed by Gordon Ramsay. In any town you visit, the residents and atmosphere are friendly and inviting. Discover 6 of these towns below!
Bay St. Louis
Bay St. Louis, a quaint seaside slice, is one of the best places to live in Mississippi and among the most popular to visit in the state—and no wonder—being one of the friendliest with an itinerary for every age, taste, or type of traveler. The Bay's white sand beaches beckon with a family- and pet-friendly feel, overlooking the picture-perfect curve of the coastline and the spectacular Bay Saint Louis Bridge, which offers minute access to the adventurous Henderson Point with its beach and the Enchanted Nature Trail. After an afternoon of angling from the Jimmy Rutherford Fishing Pier, celebrate the catch at the colorful Blind Tiger Bay St. Louis, an iconic place to grab a drink.
Peppered with art galleries and unique architecture, the historic downtown is a joy to browse antique stores and one-of-a-kind boutiques against a picturesque backdrop. Don't miss a photo op in front of the Bay St. Louis Historic L & N Train Depot and Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church. The town's creative energy extends to the most delicious restaurants, including the art-filled Mockingbird Cafe with regular events, sandwiches, salads, burgers, drip coffee, and espresso drinks. From golf to charter fishing with friends, the Bay St. Louis beach offers access to scenery and more from the tip of the Washington Street Pier and Boat Launch.
Corinth
Nestled up against Tennessee, Corinth, the county seat is a deeply historic Appalachian Mountains town of just under 15,000 friendly residents living at the doorstep of the great outdoors. Established in the 1850s, its significant roles as a stop along the railroad and during the Civil War in the next decade are commemorated through notable landmarks, sites, and 19th-century edifices. Among the many interesting museums, the Museum of Southern Culture and the Black History Museum shed light on the diverse past. Corinth Contraband Camp is worth a walk with a little bit of history in beautiful natural surroundings.
From hiking to biking and picnicking, the most picturesque nature is just another stroll from the splendid downtown scene, which has a friendly ambiance at places like the Hamptons Inn and Corinth Nursery & Garden Center. Also here, its most popular attraction, the Shiloh National Military Park Corinth Interpretive Centre, offers a modern space dedicated to the Battle of Corinth with multimedia exhibits. Many town greens and the sizable Crossroads Arena serve as a stage for various music artists and other events like monster trucks.
Louisville
Home to just over 6,000 residents, the historic lakeside town of Louisville is the county seat. Louisville's beauty comes in many forms, wrapped in a relaxed, friendly, and nostalgic feeling of authentic Southern charm. Nestled up against Legion State Park, visitors have easy access to a range of shaded trails and a lake, as well as some hills and stairs to climb. Lake Tiak-O’Khata is never crowded for swimming, paddling, or sunbathing in the summer, and it offers tranquil walks along the water’s edge for an alluring afternoon in any season.
It is just a hop from downtown, with unique architecture and small-town businesses for every taste. From an eclectic range of local restaurants to cute souvenir shops and historic sites, the Big Red Fire Museum showcases an impressive collection of vintage firefighting memorabilia. After a leisurely stroll along Main Street, with a snack from Mary Lou's Biscuit Bar or an American-themed dinner at Carnell's Restaurant, don't miss a show at the iconic Strand Theatre from 1918 before winding down at the charming Mason Boutique Hotel.
Natchez
Natchez, another county-seat town, is one of the state's oldest, dating back to 1716. Beautiful and historic, this former French colonial town, once one of Mississippi’s major cotton collection centers, is naturally stunning along the mighty Mississippi River. Home to just under 15,000 friendly inhabitants, there are plenty of ways to dive into the natural beauty and fascinating past in every season, thanks to the warm winters, hot summers, and an uncrowded feel, for a true taste of the “Magnolia State.” Akin to a living museum, the 19th-century mansions, antebellum homes, and other historic sites are a legacy of its important trading post role.
Longwood is an unfinished 8-sided antebellum mansion turned museum with its byzantine onion-shaped dome. The one-time strategic location across the river from Louisiana that shaped much of its foundational history bustles with riverfront activity. From the Rosalie Mansion and Gardens to the Forks of the Road, a unique commemoration of a former slave market, Monmouth Historic Inn & Gardens could be your perfect stay. The 128-acre Grand Village of the Natchez Indians winds its trails around a reconstructed Natchez Indian house, ceremonial mounds, and a museum. Just to the north, Lansdowne Plantation offers a stay in seven generations of complicated history.
Ocean Springs
Home to just over 18,000 friendly folks, this small oceanfront town with a character larger than life flaunts a two-time recognition for its Southern hospitality and a ranking by Travel Awaits as the US's 10th friendliest small town. Located in between Biloxi Bay and the Old Fort Bayou Coastal Preserve, Davis Bayou Area Gulf Islands National Seashore is a national park and treasure for recreation on the Gulf mainland with boat access to its barrier islands. Davis Bayou Campground is a simple but popular park on marshes with oak and pine-shaded RV, tent, and group sites, and all the comforts.
Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, the largest in the state, takes place in November, while for the summer, the beautiful Ocean Springs Beach offers spectacular views of the Biloxi Bay Bridge. From the Roost Boutique Hotel to the Walter Anderson Museum, hit Vestige for dinner or the Mosaic restaurant for tapas. Another highlight includes the spicy jerk fried shrimp po-boys at the Government Street Grocery. From Fort Maurepas City Park & Nature Preserve to Inner Harbor Park, the Twelve Oaks Nature Trail winds through a rustic yet beautiful nature preserve for a leisurely 30-minute stroll.
Starkville
Home to the state's largest Mississippi State University, Starkville, a college town for over a century, is so much more than that. From fishing to bird watching and golf, McKee Park at the heart of town features a neat playground, pavilions, and concessions. Exuding a youthful energy and welcoming feel, visitors experience its inventive spirit and enthusiasm for the outdoors, with notable dining, accommodations, and state-of-the-art recreation facilities. Constructed in 1925, the Historic Hotel Chester is top-rated among the most popular stays in the South, with a lively beer garden and restaurant designed by Gordon Ramsay.
Offering a low-key stay in a quaint redbrick building just half a mile from the Mississippi Entomology Museum, its amenities include a free breakfast and access to the university's fitness center. Bulldog Burger Company Starkville, a popular regional chain, serves updated deli fare with a Southern twist, while the UEC Hollywood Premier Cinema offers an 11-screen theater for a movie night. Among cultural venues like the Starkville Community Theater and the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra, the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library is a treasure trove of artifacts and correspondence.
Magnolia State is a unique melting pot of characters and history that makes up the Southern charm, unlike any neighboring states. Natchez, one of the state's oldest towns, dates back to 1716 and is like a living history museum along the naturally stunning banks of the mighty Mississippi. Ocean Springs flaunts a two-time recognition for its Southern hospitality and a ranking as the US's 10th friendliest small town with its legendary Davis Bayou Campground on marshes with oak and pine-shaded RV, tent, and group sites and all the comforts.
