9 Slow-Paced Towns to Visit in Mississippi
Magnolia trees abound in the mesmerizing state of Mississippi. Where monumental battles during the American Revolution and Civil War transpired, you can escape the hectic city lifestyle and into the slow-paced small towns to visit in Mississippi. From the watery wonders of Bay Saint Louis to Cleveland’s location in the middle of everywhere, these destinations are a convenient getaway and respite for those living in the big cities of Gulfport, Southaven, and Jackson. Leave your trepidations and your disparities in the rearview mirror. Take the road and keep things mellow as you enter the many slow-paced small towns to visit in Mississippi.
Corinth
Corinth, about two hours from Memphis, Tennessee, used to be called Cross City until it was renamed after the city of Corinth in Greece in the year 1857. During the American Civil War, Corinth experienced the Battle of Shiloh as it was a strategic railroad center, hence why it is also called the Gateway City. Such history and more can be interpreted best at the Shiloh National Military Park Corinth Interpretive Center, and many of the Confederate and Union soldiers—about 5,500 of them, at least—are all inhumed at the Corinth National Cemetery.
Corinth also saw the freedom of over 6,000 African-American slaves, as expertly told at the Corinth Contraband Camp. Finally, at the Verandah-Curlee House, one can tour the very rooms and halls where Confederate leaders in Mississippi planned their next moves. Learn more about the wars and conflicts that defined the US, and stay a while in Corinth in one of the town’s many grand lodgings like The General's Quarters Inn.
Cleveland
“Well, ain’t Cleveland a geographical oddity,” said Ulysses Everett McGill, the main character of the movie Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou and played by George Clooney. “It’s less than an hour from just about anywhere in the Mississippi Delta!” Among these hour-away attractions in the Mississippi Delta is the annual 50 Nights of Lights, occurring every mid-November, when Christmas lights decorate every street in Cleveland. There are also Delta State University and the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, the latter of which contains a gallery showcasing the many showbiz musicians who have won several GRAMMY awards.
Civil Rights figures like Stokely Carmichael, Bob Moses, and Dr. Martin Luther King Junior often gathered in Cleveland to discuss equity and reforms as best explored in the Amzie Moore House and Interpretive Center. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Train Museum highlights Cleveland’s train heritage just as the Bologna Performing Arts Center (BPAC) enamors newcomers and locals with riveting stage play. When it comes to lodgings, fine hostels such as the Cotton House and the Lyric Hotel are top choices.
Canton
Approximately 30 minutes from the city of Jackson lies the candid town of Canton. With its antebellum dwellings and its position between the Pearl River and Big Black River, Canton is a picture of slow-paced simplicity with little hassles and woes. The Mississippi Petrified Forest is a rejuvenating playground of ancient trees to go strolling around, while the Natchez Trace Parkway—a route that crosses through Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee and was often taken by Indigenous cultures like the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw—is an adventurous starting point for further exploration in the area.
More slow-paced activities can be enjoyed at the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, where one can improve their ability to reel in fish. Last but not least, hop aboard a hot air balloon during the Mississippi Championship Hot Air Balloon Festival every July. No need to feel trepidation or chaos in Canton, not when you are putting your anxieties away in soothing establishments like Relax Inn.
Bay Saint Louis
Deriving its name from King Louis IX of France in its founding in 1699, Bay Saint Louis has endured as a premier port and resort town on the Mississippi Sound, an embayment of the Gulf of Mexico. From wealthy planters hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, and now to modern-day tourists seeking to gamble all at the Hollywood Casino & Resort Gulf Coast, Bay Saint Louis has all-for-one and one-of-a-kind opportunities for all.
The harbor town has seen its fair share of conflict in the War of 1812 during the Battle of Pass Christian, and more recently, it has endured the worst from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, particularly the Bay St. Louis Historic L & N Train Depot, which has fortunately been renovated alongside many other structures in Bay Saint Louis. For those of you interested in the stars, head over to the John C. Stennis Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). And for those of you seeking accommodations, look no further than the Carroll House Bed & Breakfast or the Pearl Hotel.
Biloxi
Approximately 29 miles from Bay Saint Louis, the harbor town of Biloxi was originally established as Fort Maurepas in 1699 by French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville. Until 1702, Fort Maurepas was the territorial capital of the Louisiana Territory and has been a site of contention between France, Spain, Britain, the West Florida Republic, the Confederacy, and the United States of America, who have taken control over Biloxi on several occasions.
These days, travelers can enjoy Biloxi’s casinos similar to those from Las Vegas and a Mardi Gras festival akin to the one in New Orleans. There is even a museum dedicated to discussing the history of Mardi Gras, the Coastal Mardi Gras Museum. Meanwhile, other museums such as the Maritime Seafood Industry Museum and the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art concentrates on Biloxi’s aquatic cuisines and artistic culture, respectively. The Beauvoir estates once belonged to Confederate president Jefferson Davis, and natural habitats like Deer Island are now home to thousands of pelicans and loggerhead turtles. So should you wish to see more of what Biloxi has to offer, then consider booking a room at either the Rue Magnolia Bed & Breakfast, Hilton Garden Inn, or Harrah’s Gulf Coast.
Tupelo
The town of Tupelo has also seen its share of warfare during the American Civil War. It was there that the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, the Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg, and the Battle of King’s Creek took place, all of which are marked by several murals in the area. Even way back in the American Revolutionary War, Tupelo was the site of the Battle of Hikki’ Ya’ (Ackia) at the Chickasaw Village Site.
However, aside from being a site for war, it was in Tupelo that Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, spent much of his childhood in a house that now serves as a museum dedicated to him. Every June, the townsfolk celebrate Presley’s innovative music with an Elvis Festival. There are many more wonders to witness in Tupelo, such as the largest buffalo park in Mississippi with over 260 other exotic animals. But definitely, the best places to be are the excellent lodgings such as the Hotel Tupelo or Scottish Inns.
Port Gibson
Port Gibson, situated near Bayou Pierre and the Mississippi River, is a rather laidback small town on the Natchez Trace Parkway. From the lovely estates in Windsor—a Greek Revival mansion with over 23 Corinthian columns—to the Grand Gulf Military State Park, Port Gibson seems like any ordinary town in Mississippi. But it was here that Ulysses S. Grant instigated the Battle of Port Gibson during the American Civil War to achieve total victory over the town of Vicksburg to the north.
Fortunately for Port Gibson, Grant found the town’s atmosphere “too beautiful to burn” and thus spared it from much of the warfare. The ruins of two Confederate fortresses, Cobun and Wade, can all be found at the Grand Gulf State Park. Should you wish to explore more of Port Gibson, you ought to at least book a room at the Isabella Bed & Breakfast or the Collina House.
Natchez
On the Mississippi River and close to Louisiana’s border lies the small town of Natchez. Naturally, you can reach and exit this town via the Natchez Trace Parkway, but you ought to stay a while for its antebellum edifices like the Longwood and Stanton Hall. The Spring Pilgrimage should not be missed either since the Natchez Garden Club and the Pilgrimage Garden Club provide exemplary historical tours of Natchez. As a waystation on the Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez houses the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, where one can learn all about the Indigenous peoples in Mississippi.
Meanwhile, the Natchez National Historical Park contains a handful of historic properties like the Melrose estate, the William Johnson House, and Fort Rosalie. More opportunities for exploration can be experienced while roaming through Homochitto National Forest, Natchez State Park, and the Emerald Mound. Should you wish to spend a longer time in town, then you should definitely secure a room at either the Natchez Grand Hotel, Concord Quarters, or Stone House Musical B&B.
Holly Springs
Holly Springs is a jolly town about 60 miles from Corinth. Founded in the year 1836 by immigrants from Europe on Chickasaw territory, Holly Springs used to be called Suavatooky before being renamed a year later. Many slaves were worked to death to produce cotton in Holly Springs until Ulysses S. Grant transformed the place into a supply depot and headquarters which Confederate General Earl Van Dorn, who fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge, often raided.
Nowadays, you can relish in leisurely sojourns through the Holly Springs National Forest, as well as informational tours in the Kate Freeman Clark Art Gallery. The more patriotic of you might want to head over to the Hill Crest Cemetery to pay homage to the fallen soldiers there, or to learn all about American-African history at either the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum or during the “Behind the Big House” tour. If you are interested in uncovering Holly Spring’s secrets, do consider the Wynne House Inn or Magnolia Inn as options for your long stay in town.
The Ojibwa (Chippewa) word "misi-ziibi” means "great river" as an allusion to the Mississippi River. But for travelers such as yourselves, the Magnolia State of Mississippi can mean adventure, vacation, and slow-paced lifestyle, particularly for people who are becoming infuriated by today’s fast-paced milieu. Though slow-paced towns like Holly Springs and Corinth were infamous sites for war and slavery, now they have since redeemed themselves by being amicable and charitable to newcomers near and far. Exercise your civil liberties and explore a state that inspired the making of teddy bears thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt’s reluctance to shoot a bear at the time.
