8 Cutest Small Towns In Mississippi To Visit In 2024
All of you explorers should definitely visit Mississippi, a state named after the famously snaking Mississippi River, which in turn got its name from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) word "misi-ziibi” for "great river." There are many great things to cherish and experience in a state filled with magnolias, but the best of them all are the cutest small towns preserving antebellum memorabilia. In previous battlefields like Bay St. Louis and Corinth, you can familiarize yourself with the wars that ravaged much of the countryside and determined the future of a nation. In humbler locations like Cleveland and Canton, you can trek through miles of Mississippi’s beautiful landscapes and never tire from all the sights in these sites. And in Tupelo, you will be amazed by all the murals honoring Elvis Presley and the American Civil War.
Go outside the major cities like Jackson and explore the cutest small towns in Mississippi in 2024.
Bay St. Louis
So named in 1699 after King Louis IX of France, who launched the Crusades, Bay St. Louis lounges on the southern coast of Mississippi with views of the Mississippi Sound (an embayment of the Gulf of Mexico) and St. Louis Bay. As a premier resort village for a resort for wealthy planters and tourists from New Orleans, Louisiana (which is only 58 miles away), visitors can find risk and entertainment at the Hollywood Casino & Resort Gulf Coast.
Besides this veritable hybrid between Las Vegas and Hollywood, Bay St. Louis was once the site of a naval engagement known as the Battle of Pass Christian during the War of 1812. Although Hurricane Katrina destroyed some historic buildings in 2005, one can still admire the enduring Bay St. Louis Historic L & N Train Depot to learn more about the town’s value in trade and transportation. About 15 miles west of town is the John C. Stennis Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and to the north is the Jourdan River Coastal Preserve. Want to stay a while in Bay St. Louis? Then, find yourself a room at the Carroll House Bed & Breakfast or the Pearl Hotel.
Cleveland
As Ulysses Everett McGill, played by George Clooney in the movie Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou, once said, “Well, ain’t Cleveland a geographical oddity… it’s less than an hour from just about anywhere in the Mississippi Delta!” To this day, Cleveland continues to be truly an hour-away gateway to the many geological and historic beauties in the Mississippi River Delta. As a college town housing the prestigious Delta State University, there are many educational and informative landmarks to enhance your trivia knowledge. For example, the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi showcases interactive displays and exhibits regarding showbiz music, which literally won GRAMMY awards.
Close by, the Amzie Moore House and Interpretive Center was where key Civil Rights leaders such as Bob Moses, Stokely Carmichael, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. congregated. The Cleveland Train Museum informs people of Cleveland’s contributions to steam locomotives, and the Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) hosts national performances, films, and concerts. Cleveland’s signature event, 50 Nights of Lights, illuminates every street with Christmas lights starting mid-November. Leave your troubles behind and cleave a path to Cleveland, and stay a while at either the Cotton House or the Lyric Hotel.
Corinth
Get your Corinthian spirit pumped as you head on to the town of Corinth. Less than two hours away from Memphis, Tennessee, the town was once called Cross City until it was renamed in 1857 after the ancient Hellenic city of Corinth. A few miles north of Corinth, the Battle of Shiloh took place during the American Civil War since Corinth was also known as Gateway City for its strategic railroad center. The Shiloh National Military Park Corinth Interpretive Center provides more contexts about this battle and other skirmishes in the area, and the Corinth National Cemetery has interred over 5,500 Civil War soldiers. Nearby, the Corinth Contraband Camp tells the stories of around 6,000 newly freed African Americans, while the Verandah-Curlee House was where Confederate leaders strategized their next moves. Those interested in visiting Corinth can find accommodations at The General's Quarters Inn.
Biloxi
About 29 miles east of Bay St. Louis, the seaside village of Biloxi has attracted thousands of gamblers and risk-takers thanks to its Las Vegas-style casinos. Founded as Fort Maurepas in 1699 by French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, Biloxi was the first capital of the Louisiana Territory from 1699 to 1702. Over the years, Biloxi has exchanged flags from France, Spain, Great Britain, the West Florida Republic, the Confederacy, and finally the United States of America. Beauvoir, the home of former Confederate president Jefferson Davis, can still be visited since it was renovated after Hurricane Katrina.
Those of you who are uninterested in the casinos can go lounging at Biloxi Beach on the Mississippi Sound or climb up the historic Biloxi Lighthouse. You can also admire pelicans and loggerhead turtles at Deer Island. Several museums dot the town, like the Coastal Mardi Gras Museum, the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, and the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art. If you wish to attend the local Mardi Gras or take a little risk in the many famous casinos of Biloxi, you ought to first find a room at the Rue Magnolia Bed & Breakfast, Hilton Garden Inn, or Harrah’s Gulf Coast.
Canton
You cannot get enough of Canton, a vibrant town filled with antebellum buildings. Only about 30 minutes north of the city of Jackson, its placid location in the low divide between the Pearl and Big Black rivers makes Canton an idyllic destination for outdoor adventurers. One can go gallivanting through the unique and expansive Mississippi Petrified Forest, a region dominated by ancient trees. Travelers can drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway, a historic and scenic roadway that the Choctaw, Natchez, and Chickasaw peoples once traveled on which still traverses Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Lastly, you can go fishing or kayaking along the vast Ross R. Barnett Reservoir. On July, attend or participate in the Mississippi Championship Hot Air Balloon Festival. And in opulent lodgings like Relax Inn, you will most certainly feel relaxed in Canton.
New Albany
Experience a new kind of vacation in the alluring village of New Albany. Only 28 miles away from Tupelo, New Albany welcomes travelers with a plethora of opportunities and activities for you to cherish in your memories. The Tanglefoot Trail, for example, is a panoramic 44-mile-long rail-trail crisscrossing much of the Mississippi countryside. It is an ideal and idyllic route for cyclists, joggers, and hikers to traverse. There is also the Holly Springs National Forest, a region of arboreal charm and hidden secrets. The Union County Heritage Museum chronicles local author William Faulkner. Since the town is situated along the Tallahatchie River, the townsfolk celebrate an annual festivity called the Tallahatchie Riverfest every September. A thriving bazaar and marketplace will be erected on the town’s main street, and you can peruse whatever wares suit your fancy.
Port Gibson
For a town named Port Gibson, one might expect it to be on a coastline. However, the nearest body of water Port Gibson is situated on is a little river called Bayou Pierre. Regardless of its misleading moniker, Port Gibson is still a desirous and astonishing destination, especially for history buffs. For it was in Port Gibson that several key battles during the American Civil War took place like the Battle of Port Gibson which allowed Ulysses S. Grant to conquer Vicksburg to the north.
Although only 23 Corinthian columns remain from the ruins of a Greek Revival mansion called Windsor, at least the whole of Port Gibson was spared Grant’s wrath as he found the town’s antebellum charm “too beautiful to burn.” Nearby, the Grand Gulf State Park houses the remnants of two Confederate forts, Cobun and Wade. The famous Natchez Trace Parkway also winds through Port Gibson. Stow your belongings in safe establishments like Isabella Bed & Breakfast or the Collina House as you dig up more of Port Gibson’s past.
Tupelo
Get yourself rocking and rolling into Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Visitors can tour the King of Rock’s first home, which now serves as an informative and interpretive museum. On June 5 - 9, you can celebrate Elvis Presley’s contributions to music during Tupelo’s Elvis Festival. Besides the fact that Tupelo is also home to the largest buffalo park in Mississippi, alongside 260 or more exotic animals in a nearby zoo, the town was also the site of various battles in multiple wars in the past.
Before the American Revolution, there was the Battle of Hikki’ Ya’ (Ackia), which pitted the proud Chickasaw people against French colonizers—a history lesson you can learn at the Chickasaw Village Site. Additionally, there was the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, the Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg, and the Battle of King’s Creek during the American Civil War. Many heritage trail markers and murals highlight the specific sites where these pivotal battles took place. To those enthusiastic about rock-and-roll or military history in America, remember to first book a room at the Hotel Tupelo, Scottish Inn, or any number of lodgings in the stupendous town of Tupelo.
You will not miss the mystical mysteries of Mississippi after visiting the cutest small towns in the Magnolia State. There are many things to value and love about these small towns. Even in the past, different nations and factions literally fought to take control of villages and hamlets like Tupelo, Bay St. Louis, Port Gibson, and more. Nowadays, you need only to fight for occupation in the different hotels, inns, and other lodgings each town has to offer. In a state where the Civil War and Civil Rights were on the rise and where blues music and rock-and-roll prospered, Mississippi’s cutest small towns to visit in 2024 are sure to become memorable vacation destinations for you.
