What’s going on in Jackson? JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI CITY WITH SOUL WHAT’S GOING ON IN JACKSON? PLENTY OF FUN.

ON ANY GIVEN DAY, YOU’LL FIND EVENTS LIKE THE FARISH STREET FESTIVAL, DIXIE NATIONAL RODEO, USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION, MAL’S ST. PADDY’S PARADE, MISTLETOE MARKETPLACE, CELTIC FEST, MISSISSIPPI WILDLIFE EXTRAVAGANZA AND CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC. AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN MENTIONED THE CAPITAL CITY’S RICH VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS AND MANY HISTORICAL AND FUN ATTRACTIONS. SO LOOK THROUGH THIS HANDY, HELPFUL GUIDE. WHEN IT COMES TO EXCITING THINGS TO SEE AND DO, WE’VE GOT IT GOING ON. TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT’S GOING ON IN JACKSON 2

GENERAL INFORMATION 11

ATTRACTIONS AND MUSEUMS 14

SAMPLE ITINERARIES 24

ANNUAL EVENTS 26

ARTS AND CULTURE 33

ACCOMMODATIONS 37

HOTELS AND ATTRACTIONS MAP 40

OTHER AREA CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM OFFICES 42

MEET MEINJACKSON 44 WHAT’ S GOING ON IN JACKSON WHAT’ S GOING ON IN JACKSON

Eudora Welty House & Garden 2009 marks the 100 birthday of Jackson’s Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival celebrated and beloved author, Eudora Welty. Downtown Jackson turns out the green Among the most intact literary homes in America, and the green-at-heart for this truly fun-loving, the museum and carefully restored gardens are Irish inspired celebration. open to the public, and many centennial events and activities take place throughout the year.

Summers Hotel and Subway Lounge Marker During the era of segregation, many black Russell C. Davis Planetarium/ musicians stayed at the Summers Hotel, Ronald E. McNair Space Theater established in 1944 by W.J. Summers. In 1966, Summers opened a popular club in the hotel Experience the universe in one of the South’s basement that he called the Subway Lounge. largest and best-equipped planetariums! The Subway garnered international fame with the release of the film documentary, “Last of the Mississippi Jukes.” A Mississippi Blues Trail marker commemorates the place where it stood.

Farish Street Heritage Festival Mississippi State Fair The second oldest African-American community One of the South’s largest fairs, featuring festival in the state of Mississippi features live amusement rides, entertainment, livestock entertainment from national, regional, and local competition, exhibits, and concessions. artists and performers.

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Dixie National Livestock Show & Rodeo JSU Homecoming Beginning in January, the Mississippi Fairgrounds Activities include a parade, coronation of hosts the largest livestock show east of the the Homecoming Queen, the football game, Mississippi River. In February, the Coliseum hosts and a Greek step show. the second largest PRCA Rodeo with ten performances over seven days.

Capital City Football Classic Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza Activities surrounding the Jackson State University and Alcorn State University football The state’s largest wildlife trade show for game include a scholarship banquet, Miss Capital outdoor enthusiasts of all ages at the City Classic pageant, pep rally, comedy show, Mississippi Trade Mart. Battle of the Bands, and much more!

Celtic Fest Jubilee!JAM Come immerse yourself in Celtic culture. This As the city’s biggest outdoor music and arts event features Celtic music, displays by Celtic festival, Jubilee!JAM features performances by artists, educational workshops, family and great local, regional, and national artists. children’s activities, and plenty of concessions.

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Mississippi State Capitol Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Completed in 1903, the Mississippi State Capitol, patterned after the nation’s capitol in Experience Mississippi’s living heritage through a Washington, D.C., exemplifies the Beaux Arts visit to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Classical Style of architecture and serves as the working seat of state government.

Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center Medgar Evers Library A comprehensive depository of artifacts This city library located in Evers’ former celebrating the African-American Mississippians’ neighborhood was renamed in dedication to accomplishments in the fields of history, art, the memory of Medgar Evers, with a life- music, and literature. Named one of the Top 10 sized bronze statue of him erected at the “Best Places to be Enveloped in Quilts” by library by local citizens. USA Today.

Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry The International Museum Museum/National Agricultural of Muslim Cultures Aviation Museum Unique in the United States, the IMMC This 40-acre complex, located in the heart of highlights contributions that Muslims have made the city, brings to life Mississippi’s rich to the city of Jackson, the state of Mississippi, agricultural heritage. the region, the nation, and the world.

6 7 WHAT’ S GOING ON IN JACKSON WHAT’ S GOING ON IN JACKSON

Mississippi Museum of Art Entertainment Mississippi’s oldest and largest professional arts Blues, Jazz, Rock, Country, and much more. organization now has a beautiful new home with changing exhibits and an extensive, permanent Catch it live all around the town. collection of more than 4,000 works.

Jackson Zoological Park Mistletoe Marketplace An afternoon wandering along the walkways of the Jackson Zoo will delight kids of any The largest fundraiser in Mississippi! Enjoy the age. Explore the newest attraction, excitement of this multi-day holiday shopping Wilderness Mississippi, along with many extravaganza featuring more than 100 merchants other exhibits containing hundreds of from across the nation. Named an ABA Top 100 animals from around the world. Event in North America

Mississippi Sports Hall Christmas at the of Fame and Museum Governor’s Mansion Mississippi’s first museum for the 21st century contains an array of interactive sports exhibits. Beautifully decorated with traditional Named one of the Top 10 “Most Amazing holiday greenery and fruit, the Baseball Museums in America” by ESPN. mansion is open for morning tours.

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Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree A Belhaven College tradition since 1933, the singing Christmas Tree is an outdoor choral performance of the season’s favorite Christmas songs and lights. GENERAL INFORMATION

A CITY WITH WONDERFUL TEMPERATURES AND WONDERFUL ENTERTAINMENT.

GENERAL FACTS TRANSPORTATION Web Sites for Visitors Air www.visitjackson.com Jackson-Evers International Airport www.jacksoncitywithsoul.com 100 International Drive 601-939-5631 Chimneyville Crafts Festival Population www.jmaa.com This yearly event promotes and preserves the 202,064 fine work of regional craftsmen through Jackson-Evers International Airport is the commercial demonstrations and displays. airport serving Jackson. Designated as a general Climate purpose Foreign Trade Zone, it maintains two 8,500- Winter: 48°, Spring: 65°, foot runways and has undergone a multi-million Summer: 81°, Fall: 66° dollar renovation. Location Airlines serving Jackson are American Eagle, Central Mississippi, crossroads of Interstates 55 and Continental, Delta, Northwest Airlines, Southwest 20, running north-south and east-west respectively. Airlines, and US Airways Express. Hotels 48 properties with over 5,000 rooms. Daily Direct Flights Serving Jackson:

Restaurants • Atlanta • Houston Bush City of Jackson Christmas Parade Over 300 fine restaurants, many with convention • Baltimore/ Intercontinental Usher in the Yuletide Season in downtown and banquet rooms; cuisine from authentic deep Washington, D.C. • Houston Hobby Jackson at the annual Christmas Parade held the Southern cooking to international fare. first Saturday in December. • Charlotte • Memphis Taxes • Chicago Midway • Orlando 7% sales tax; 4% hotel and 2% restaurant tax; • Dallas/Ft.Worth • Washington, D.C. $0.75 per room night tax. • Detroit Reagan National

10 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 11 GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION

Union Station Thalia Mara Hall Auditorium LOCAL TOURS (Municipal Auditorium) 300 West Capitol Street 255 E. Pascagoula Street & GUIDES By Appointment Only 601-355-6350 Jackson, MS 39202 Rail 601-960-1537 African-American Heritage Tours 601-366-1762 • Contact: Clotie Graves, Tour Manager Amtrak Passenger Station Smith-Wills Stadium General Information and Reservations Step-on guide for motor coach; customized tour 1200 Lakeland Drive, Jackson, MS 39216 planning. 1-800-872-7245 • www.amtrak.com 601-362-2294 Amtrak serves the City of Jackson with daily service to Chicago and Clinton Bagley Licensed Tour Guide New Orleans. Ground Distances To 601-576-6834 (day) • 601-206-5725 (evening) Other Major Cities Bus Greyhound-Trailways Bus Lines • Atlanta 441 • Memphis 208 Custom Tours 601-845-2989 • Contact: Forrest Cooper 601-354-1913 • www.greyhound.com • Birmingham 248 • Miami 979 601-540-1098 (cell) Provides 8 inbound and outbound • Chicago 753 • New Orleans185 • Dallas 412 • St. Louis 505 Step-on guide for motor coach; personally guided city buses daily. tours for individuals. Limo/Taxi Cab Ground Distances To Other The Fondren Express Trolley Information is available by contacting the Mississippi Cities 601-213-7433 Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau Lunchtime shuttle service in the Fondren community; at 1-800-354-7695 or 601-960-1891 or by • Biloxi 165 • Laurel 84 private charter for weddings, birthdays and corporate visiting our web site at www.visitjackson.com. • Brookhaven 56 • Meridian 93 events. Historical and Cultural Tours for groups of all • Clarksdale 151 • Moss Point 181 ages. www.FondrenExpress.com or Captain Ron at Public Facilities • Cleveland 127 • Natchez 102 601-213-7433. • Columbus 147 • Oxford 165 Jackson Convention Complex • Corinth 218 • Pascagoula 184 Silver Platter Tour Travel (opens January, 2009) • Greenville 115 • Southaven 198 601-953-9999 • 601-206-1234 105 Pascagoula Street • Greenwood 96 • Starkville 125 Contact: Maureen Watt Jackson, MS 39202 • Grenada 113 • Tupelo 170 Services: 601-973-7002 • Gulfport 157 • Vicksburg 44 • Full-service receptive operator • Hattiesburg 88 • Yazoo City 44 • Step-on guide—motor coach Mississippi Coliseum • Personally guided historical city or regional tours for 1207 Mississippi Street individuals or groups. Jackson, MS 39202 601-961-4000

Mississippi Trade Mart 1207 Mississippi Street Jackson, MS 39202 601-961-4000

Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2531 N. State Street, Jackson, MS 39216 601-354-6021

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stories. The garden is beautifully reconstructed to the 100 soldiers, and past governors of Mississippi. Open WE DARE YOU TO TRY TO FIT 1925-1945 period when Welty worked at her mother’s daily dawn to dusk. side planting, watering, and weeding. ALL OF THIS INTO ONE VISIT. • Tours: Wednesday-Friday (by reservation only) The International Museum of • Hours: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. Muslim Cultures The Alamo Theater/Dorothy • Admission: Adults $5, Students $3, & children under Mississippi Arts Center, 201 East Pascagoula Street Moore Blues Trail Marker 6 free. Groups of 13 or more $1 off each ticket. 601-960-0440 • www.muslimmuseum.org 333 North Farish Street Unique in America, the IMMC is dedicated to Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail Farish Street Historic District educating the public about Islamic history and 601-948-8410 Larry Turner (This area is undergoing renovation) culture, the contribution of Muslims to the global Amite Street across to Fortification Street and Mill Street community, and the diversity of the Muslim Added to the Mississippi Blues Trail in 2008, the to Lamar Street • 601-948-5667 community: past, present, and future. IMMC’s historic, recently renovated Alamo Theater was one The District is made up of residences and diverse contains two permanent exhibitions. The Legacy of of the last dual purpose theaters in the United States. Timbuktu features ancient Timbuktu manuscripts The building originally featured “chase Westerns” businesses and was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The District includes over uncovering Africa’s literate culture and celebrating a and African-American films and also hosted live, glorious age of learning and empire building. Islamic black vaudeville acts, stage bands, and other black Jackson City Hall 690 listings in the National Register of Historic Places. There are vernacular architectural examples Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West features performing artists. Jackson singer Dorothy Moore, constructed for use by the Odd Fellows and Masonic representing craftsmanship skills of numerous artifacts and interpretive information on Muslim rule best known for her hit, “Misty Blue,” got her start groups, remains the home of Pearl Lodge No. 23 F. & African-American building contractors. Walking in Spain, its contributions to the fields of philosophy, here and is included on the Blues Trail marker. The A.M. City Hall is now the seat of municipal tours reveal a variety of styles which include science, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, theatre is available for rental to small audience government for Jackson. The Josh Halbert Gardens, antebellum, Creole, Queen Anne, shotgun, and agriculture, commerce, architecture and the arts. productions. featuring fountains and a statue of Jackson’s bungalow cottages in addition to business structures • Tour Time: 1 hour • Tour Contact: Theater Manager namesake, General Andrew Jackson, is a favorite which represent the early-20th century. Tours can be • Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., • Hours: Tours by appointment only photographic spot. arranged through the Jackson Convention & Visitors Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Personalized, guided tours Bureau at 601-960-1891, or 1-800-354-7695. • Tour Contact: Hospitality Desk are available by reservation. Bobby Rush Blues Trail Marker • Tour Time: 30-45 minutes • Admission: Adults $13, Seniors $12, & Children $7 • Admission: Free • Group Rates: Adults $12, Seniors $10 & Students $5 Lynch Street/Metro Parkway at Valley Street • Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment • Handicap accessible (Former site of WOAD/WJMI Broadcasting) • Handicap accessible Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail Jackson Municipal Art Gallery Named “Best Male Soul Blues Artist” at the 2008 The City of Jackson 839 North State Street • 601-960-1582 Blues Music Awards, Bobby Rush has been a leading Fire Museum & Public Fire Safety The building, originally built in the late 1860s as a force in the Southern Soul market as both a Education Center stately private home, stands today as one of the recording artist and live performer for decades. A oldest surviving historic structures in Jackson. 355 Woodrow Wilson • 601-960-2433 Attracting thousands of visitors each year with its resident of Jackson, Bobby has been an important Fondren Express Trolley figure for the history of the R&B and Blues genres Exhibits consist of artifacts and fire apparatus from changing exhibits, the gallery has become a cultural focal point for hundreds of local artists. through his great music, unique performances and his the early 1800s to the present, including a 1904 The Fondren District own label, Deep Rush. The marker is located in front horse-drawn steamer, 1917 chain-driven American 3318 North State Street • Tour Time: 30 minutes-1 hour 601-981-9606 • www.fondren.org of the former location of WOKJ, founded in 1954, LaFrance, and a 1936 Seagrave. • Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the first radio station in Mississippi to institute full- • Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by A destination for culture and urban living in the Sunday 2-5 p.m. time programming targeted to an African American appointment only Jackson area, Fondren offers shops, great restaurants, • Admission: Free audience. WJMI and WOAD were also later based at • Educational programs notable art galleries, eclectic architecture, charming • Handicap accessible this location. (No facilities on site) • Admission: Free homes, and wonderful people. The community is home to four hospitals and the University of Mississippi Jackson State University Eudora Welty House & Garden Medical Center. Its borders include everything south 1400 John R. Lynch Street City Hall of Northside Drive, west of I-55, north of Woodrow 601-979-2272 • www.jsums.edu 219 South President Street • 601-960-1084 1119 Pinehurst Street • 601-353-7762 Wilson and east of Mill Street. Completed in 1847, City Hall is one of the most [email protected]/welty Jackson State University, built in 1882, is Mississippi’s fourth largest institute of higher learning beautiful and historic municipal buildings in the The house is a National Historic Landmark and one of Greenwood Cemetery nation. Used as a hospital by both sides during the and one of America’s most prominent historically the most intact literary homes in America. Welty, born in West Street at Lamar Street black colleges and universities. JSU occupies a scenic, Civil War, it was one of only three public buildings 1908, was a writer of international acclaim, and her 601-960-1891 • 800-354-7695 123-acre tract only minutes from downtown Jackson, to survive the destruction of the city by Union home in Jackson s historic Belhaven neighborhood is ’ Historic burial site of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and serves as the educational, cultural, and spiritual troops. The top floor of the building, originally where she always returned to create her novels and short Eudora Welty, six Confederate brigadier generals, over heart of the African-American community statewide.

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Notable Sites and Exhibits: woodlands that are home to nature trails, a public Medgar Evers Home • Ayers Hall (1903) – Oldest building on the site, nine-hole golf course and driving range, picnic areas, playgrounds, and Mayes Lake for fishing. Lefleur’s 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 601-977-7839 • F.D. Hall Music Center/Art Gallery – The gallery Bluff has an excellent RV camping facility. There are hosts exhibits by known artists working in camp sites and utility hookups, campground Evers was the first field secretary for the NAACP traditional and contemporary disciplines. bathhouses, and comfort stations. The Mississippi in Jackson at the time of his death, June 12, 1963. • H.T. Sampson Library – Houses portraits, rare Natural Science Museum is located within the park. The small house and site of his assassination, and the book collections, and African artifacts. • Admission: Private vehicles $3 (Additional use fees. neighborhood of similar houses that surround it, make palpable the very simple longings for freedom • Dr. Margaret Walker Alexander National African- Call for information.) and opportunity that drove the Civil Rights American Research Center – Addresses two major Movement. As a museum and a house in a historic themes: African-American life in the segregation Malaco Records and district, the renovated structure informs those who Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum period and African-American life in the era of the Malaco Records Blues Trail Marker visit of the many sacrifices that took place in Jackson Civil Rights Movement. 3023 West Northside Drive • 601-982-4522 and in Mississippi, and presents a modern link in the • Admission: Adults $5 per person, Seniors $4, • Tour Contact: Jean Frazier, Office of Public Relations www.malaco.com succession of Mississippi landmarks that Ages 5-18 $3, and Ages 3-4 $1 • Tour Time: 1 hour Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail communicate the history of the state. • Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Special Services: during school semesters only. Malaco Records is an independent record label • Member NTA based in Jackson since 1967 and the home of famous • By appointment only • Interpretative guide provided upon request • Reservations required for groups • To visit the Medgar Evers home, contact the (2 week notice preferred) blues and gospel recording artists such as Johnnie • Multi-media presentation available Taylor, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, and the Office of EDC at Tougaloo College at • Gift shop • Picnic area • Admission: Free/Donations accepted 601-977-7839 or the Office of Public Relations Mississippi Mass Choir. In 2008 Malaco received a • Refreshments available in General Store at 601-977-7842. Special Services: historic Mississippi Blues Trail Marker commemorating • Museum Café serves breakfast and lunch • Admission: Free/Donations encouraged • Meeting facilities its important contributions to the state’s Blues heritage. • Meeting rooms • Motorcoach parking • Handicap accessible Tours of the studio are available by appointment only. • Motorcoach parking Medgar Evers Library/Statue Mississippi Farmers Market 4215 Medgar Evers Boulevard • 601-982-2867 939 High Street • 601-359-1163 Jackson Zoological Park This city library located in Evers’ former (adjacent to Mississippi State Fairgrounds) 2918 West Capitol Street neighborhood, along with the street on which it sits, www.msfarmersmarket.com 601-352-2581 • www.jacksonzoo.org was renamed in memory of Medgar Evers. A life- The Mississippi Farmers Market is a year-round sized bronze statue of Evers was erected at the 2007 Mississippi Tourism Attraction of the Year market showcasing Mississippi’s best produce. Watch library site by local citizens. An afternoon wandering along the walkways of the chef demonstrations using produce from the market, Jackson Zoo will delight kids of any age. The listen to live entertainment, and purchase handmade Jackson Zoo has one of the finest collections of wild Mississippi Agriculture & crafts from local artists and craftsmen. Special events animals from throughout the world, with over 700 Forestry Museum/National are held throughout the year. Restaurant on site. animals shown in natural surroundings. Don’t miss Agricultural Aviation Museum • Hours: Seasonal, call for days & hours Wilderness Mississippi, the zoo’s newest exhibit of Manship House 1150 Lakeland Drive • 601-713-3365 indigenous animals. Enjoy an outdoor picnic at the Mississippi Governor s Mansion Manship House 1-800-844-TOUR • www.mdac.state.ms.us ’ Elephant House Café. 300 East Capitol Street • 601-359-6421 This 40-acre complex, located in the heart of the 420 East Fortification Street • 601-961-4724 www.mdah.state.ms.us/museum/mansion.html • Hours: Monday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. www.mdah.state.ms.us/museum/manship.html city, brings to life Mississippi’s rich agricultural • Admission: Adults $6, Children ages 3-12 $3, & heritage. A 40,000-square-foot Heritage Center traces Constructed in 1841, this beautiful Greek revival Seniors $5.40 One of the few remaining antebellum houses in the history of agriculture and forestry through an mansion was designed, according to architect • Group Rates: $1.75. Reservations required seven Jackson and a rare example of Gothic Revival extensive collection of artifacts and lifelike exhibits. William Nichols, “to adhere to plain republican days in advance for school groups, church groups, architecture, the Manship House offers a glimpse of Outside, the Fortenberry-Parkman Farm restoration simplicity.” Having served as the official residence and boy/girl scout groups of 15 or more ages 2-18. the daily life of an interesting 19th-century middle- and Bisland Cotton Gin, both circa 1860, tell the of Mississippi’s first family since January 1842, the class family. Charles Henry Manship, a talented story of farm life in early Mississippi. Walk down mansion is the second-oldest continuously occupied Special Services: artisan who served as mayor of Jackson during the Main Street of the “Small Town, Mississippi” gubernatorial residence in the United States. In • Gift shop Civil War, built the house for his family in 1857. Its restoration (circa 1920) and imagine a day in the lives 1975, the mansion was designated a National • Concessions/Café unusual features include several examples of of the people who once toiled and worshiped in these Historic Landmark. • Handicap accessible Manship’s wood-graining craftsmanship. buildings. A visit to the Fitzgerald Collection and the • Motorcoach parking on site Ethnic Heritage Center complete this walk through • Tour Time: 30 minutes • Tour Time: 1 hour history. Award-winning rose gardens and special • Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9:30-11 a.m., on the half- • Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., interest gardens provide enjoyment year-round. hour. Closed major holidays and two weeks at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas. May be closed at other times for official 2140 Riverside Drive • 601-987-3985 • Admission: Free/Donations accepted • Tour Time: 1-2 hours state functions. Call to confirm availability. This beautiful urban park is located on 500 acres of • Reservations requested for groups of 10 or more • Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. • Reservations required for groups of 10 or more • Reservations requested for groups of 15 or more • Admission: Free

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Special Services: native trees, shrubs, and vines, is a great place for Mississippi State Capitol restored and furnished with period antiques by its • Interpretative guide provided bird watching or enjoying a stroll over the 2.5-mile 400 High Street • 601-359-3114 present owner, the Colonial Dames of America in • Motorcoach parking curbside nature trail with interpretive stops along the way. the State of Mississippi, The Oaks remains a Designed by architect Theodore Link and treasured part of Mississippi history. completed in 1903, the Mississippi State Capitol, Mississippi Museum of Art patterned after the nation s capitol in Washington, 380 South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson ’ • Tour Time: 40 minutes D.C., exemplifies the Beaux Arts Classical style of • Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 601-960-1515 • www.msmuseumart.org architecture and today serves as the working seat of • Reservations required for groups of 10 or more Mississippi’s largest art museum holds an extensive state government. Often referred to as the “New • Admission: Adults $4.50, Children $3.50, & Seniors $4 collection of more than 4,000 works including the Capitol,” the building boasts exceptional examples • Group Rate: 20% off (Groups of 10 or more by world’s largest collection by and relating to of stained glass, faux finishes, and marble from appointment) Mississippians and their culturally diverse heritage. around the world. Many of these works can be seen in the museum s Special Services: ’ • Tour Time: 1 hour permanent exhibition, The Mississippi Story, which • Interpretative guide provided • Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. • Motorcoach parking on street is free for all visitors. The museum features changing • Reservations required for all groups exhibitions of local to national and international • Admission: Free importance. Exhibitions are complemented by a variety of educational and entertaining programs throughout Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Swamp Exhibit Special Services: the year. Visit the Museum Store for unique gifts, • Interpretative guide provided crafts, and exhibition-related merchandise, and save • Handicap accessible • Tour Time: 1 hour (2 hours including Nature Trail tour) • Motorcoach parking on street time for a stop in The Palette Café by Viking for • Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday sandwiches, salads, and Starbucks coffee! Visit the 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. museum’s website for more information. • Admission: Adults $5, Children ages 3-18 $3, Mynelle Gardens Seniors 60 and over $4, & Children under 3 FREE 4736 Clinton Boulevard • 601-960-1894 • Tour Time: 1-4 hours to view all exhibitions, café, www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/mynellgardens and store • Group Rate: $1 off above rates, $2 per person for • Regular Museum Hours: Tuesday-Saturday school groups with teacher From a simple garden started over a half-century ago, Mynelle Gardens stands as a botanical wonderland, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m. with extended (10 people minimum for group rate) The Old Capitol Museum wildlife sanctuary, and haven for songbirds. The hours during special exhibitions Special Services: gardens feature azalea and camellia trails and daylily • Admission: Varies by exhibition. Admission to The The Old Capitol Museum • Handicap accessible displays, as well as hundreds of perennials and annuals Mississippi Story is FREE. School groups are free on 100 South State Street • 601-359-6920 • Picnic pavilion in natural landscape settings. www.mdah.state.ms.us Tuesdays through the generous support of • Motorcoach parking Trustmark National Bank. School groups are free • Multi-media presentations available • Tour Time: 45 minutes A National Historic Landmark and one of on Thursdays through the generous support of • Admission: Adults $4, Children $1, Student Pass $5, America’s finest examples of Greek Revival public BlueCross & BlueShield of Mississippi. Senior Family Pass $30 architecture, the Old Capitol building served as adults 60+ are free on the first Wednesday of each Mississippi Sports • Hours: March-October, 12 noon-5:15 p.m. state capitol from 1839 to 1903, housing such month through the generous support of BancorpSouth. Hall of Fame & Museum Sunday, 12 noon -5:15 p.m. notable events as the passage of the Ordinance of 1152 Lakeland Drive • November-February, 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Secession. The Old Capitol was restored from 1959 Special Services: 601-982-8264 • 1-800-280-FAME • www.msfame.com • Closed major holidays to 1961 for use as the state historical museum. In • Gift shop • Restaurant Named one of Top 10 Most Amazing Baseball 2005 Hurricane Katrina damaged the building’s roof • Handicap accessible • Motorcoach parking “ Special Services: Museums in America by ESPN, the museum contains and flooded the museum. Most of the artifacts and • Meeting rooms • Garden ” • Gift shop an array of sports-related, interactive exhibits. Touch- exhibits were safely removed for relocation to a • Classrooms • Handicap accessible screen television kiosks allow museum visitors to access • Motorcoach parking future, all-new Museum of Mississippi History. Mississippi Museum archival footage, achievement data, biographical Restored to its original glory, the Old Capitol information, and more than 500 interviews with The Oaks House Museum returns as a state house museum in early 2009. of Natural Science famous Mississippi athletes like Jerry Rice, Brett Favre, 823 North Jefferson Street • 601-353-9339 • Hours beginning February 7, 2009: Tuesday- 2148 Riverside Drive • 601-354-7303 Archie Manning, Ralph Boston, and Dizzy Dean. The Oaks (circa 1850) is the oldest residence in Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Reservations requested for group tours. www.mdwfp.com/museum the city to be continuously occupied. It was built • Free admission Experience Mississippi’s living heritage through a • Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. around 1850 by James Hervey and Eliza Boyd and visit to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. • Admission: Adults $5, Students (6-17) and Seniors survived the fire of 1863, which reduced most of Queen of Hearts and Queen of An aquarium system housing over 200 species of $3.50, Children (5 and under) Free Jackson to ashes. The home may have served as native fish, reptiles, and amphibians tells an ecological Hearts Blues Trail Marker • Group Rate: $3.00 (12 people minimum in group) headquarters for General William T. Sherman during story of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, and the siege of the city by Union troops. James Hervey 2243 Martin Luther King Jr Drive • 601- 352-5730 the Mississippi Sound. “The Swamp” is home to an Special Services: Boyd was mayor of Jackson for 4 two-year terms. Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail assortment of alligators, turtles, and fish surrounded • Tailgate parties • Handicap accessible The House exemplifies the Greek Revival cottage Still operating, this authentic, urban juke joint by a native garden. The 300-acre nature area, with • Motorcoach parking • Meeting rooms style popular in the mid-19th century. Lovingly dishes out real Blues along with “Chittlings,” Pork

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Chops, Cheeseburgers, Ribs and other soulful fare. Situated on what was once the Boddie Plantation, War Memorial Building “This club is for you, but if you came to clown you Tougaloo College, a historically black, private, 120 North State Street • 601-354-7207 can just turn around,” reads the sign behind the liberal arts institution, was founded in 1869 by the stage. The music usually starts after midnight, with American Missionary Association. Tougaloo, located Located next to the Old Capitol, the Mississippi live music mostly on Sundays. The Queen of Hearts on a beautiful site with centuries-old magnolias and War Memorial Building stands as a monument to the receives its own historic Mississippi Blues Trail oaks, played a vital role in the Civil Rights memory of Mississippi men and women who have Marker in the spring of 2009. Movement in the 1960s. Students of history will given their lives in defense of their country. The appreciate the Lillian Pierce Benbow Room of building contains unique cast aluminum doors and panels depicting battle scenes starting from the Battle Russell C. Davis Planetarium/ Special Collections in the Coleman Library where thousands of documents, tapes, photographs, and of Ackia in 1736. The classic Art Deco building Ronald E. McNair Space Theater artifacts tell the story of the civil rights struggle. showcases displays of uniforms, weapons, maps, 201 East Pascagoula Street photographs, medals of honor, and other artifacts 601-960-1550 • www.thedavisplanetarium.com Other notable Tougaloo sites & exhibitions: from the battlefields of the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean Conflict, and Experience the universe in one of the South’s largest • The Boddie Mansion (1848), originally erected as planetariums, containing an advanced optical- the Vietnam Conflict. Site of the Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center a planter’s home, now houses the College mechanical star projection system that can show the administration offices. • Handicap accessible sky as it appears at any time from any location on museum was originally Smith Robertson Elementary • Woodworth Chapel (1901) built mostly with student • Admission: Free Earth. It also features the state’s only MEGA-HD labor, remains a center of religious life and cultural (large-format) film projection system for wraparound School, the first public school for African-American children in the city of Jackson. activity for the College and surrounding community. screening of IMAX®-style films. The magnificent • The Tougaloo Art Collection – over 1,000 pieces, hemispheric theater bears the name of Ronald E. • Tour Time: 45 minutes including paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, and McNair, the astronaut instrumental in on-orbit filming • Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday artifacts from around the world. The African- for Jackson’s The Space Shuttle: An American Adventure, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday 2-5 p.m. No guided tours American collection is considered one of the most who perished aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in on Monday. exhaustive in the southeastern United States. 1986. Programs include multi-media sky features, • Admission: Adults $4.50, Seniors $3.00, & spectacular MEGA-HD Cinema films, and laser/light under 18 $1.50 • Tour Contact: Shandra Daniel “concerts.” The lobby includes exhibits on space • Advance reservations for groups of 10 or more • Tour Time: 30 minutes transportation, the solar system, and the universe as are required. • Hours: By appointment only • Reservations required for groups revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Special Services: • Admission: Free/Donations accepted • Tour Time: 1 hour per show • Gift shop • Meeting rooms War Memorial Building • Sky Show Admission: Adults $5.50, Seniors $4.50, • Interpretative guide provided for groups Special Services: Children (Ages 4-12) $3 and Student Group • Motorcoach parking • Interpretative guide available William F. Winter Archives & Members $2 • Handicap accessible • Motorcoach parking History Building • Film and Laser Show Admission: Adults $6.50, Summers Hotel and 200 North Street Seniors $5.50, Children $4 and Student Group Subway Lounge Blues Trail Marker Trumpet Records 601-576-6850 • www.mdah.state.ms.us Members $3 619 West Pearl Street • www.msbluestrail.org Blues Trail Marker A haven for genealogists from all over the nation, • Special discount for groups of 20 or more. Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail 309 N. Farish Street this is the second-oldest state archives department in Advance reservations are required (601-960-1552). the country, now located in a beautiful, climate- During the era of segregation, many black Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail • Shows take place daily except Mondays and controlled facility. It contains U.S. Bureau of Census musicians stayed at the Summers Hotel, established Trumpet Records was the first record company in holidays. Call 601-960-1550 for current schedule. records, 1,800 private collections, 3,000,000 feet of in 1944 by W.J. Summers. In 1966, Summers Mississippi to achieve national stature through its Special Services: news footage dating to 1954, nearly 17,000 rolls of opened a club in the hotel basement that he called distribution, sales, radio airplay and promotion. • Accessible to the disabled microfilmed newspapers, 30,000 boxes of state the Subway Lounge. The Subway began as a regular Willard F. and Lillian S. McMurry launched the label • Gift shop government documents, 1,400 historical maps dated jazz venue and offered popular late-night blues from their retail store, the Record Mart, at 309 from 1582, and over 1,000,000 photographs. Smith Robertson Museum shows from the mid-1980s until the hotel’s North Farish Street, in 1950. The first releases by demolition in 2004. The Subway attracted touring Mississippi blues legends Sonny Boy Williamson No. • Contact: Information Desk & Cultural Center musicians including James Brown, Hank Ballard and 2, Elmore James, and Willie Love appeared on • Hours: Monday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday 528 Bloom Street • 601-960-1457 Nat “King” Cole and garnered international fame Trumpet, which also recorded gospel and country 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (Only a www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/museums/smithrobertson with the release of the film documentary, “Last of music. The label used several different studios for small Search Room staff is present on Saturdays; Named one of Top 10 “Best Places to be Enveloped in the Mississippi Jukes.” (no facilities on site) recording sessions, including Diamond Recording as a result, reference services may be limited) Quilts”by USA Today Studio, housed in the back room of the store. The • Admission: Free operation, which eventually included the Globe Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center is a Tougaloo College A research identification card is required. There is publishing company and record label, held its final comprehensive depository of artifacts portraying 500 West County Line Road no charge, and this card can be obtained from the sessions in 1956. African-American Mississippians’ experience in the 601-977-7905 • 1-888-42GALOO library receptionist with valid identification. fields of history, art, music, and literature. The www.tougaloo.edu

20 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 21 ATTRACTIONS AND MUSEUMS ATTRACTIONS AND MUSEUMS

OTHER AREA ATTRACTIONS The Luckett Lodge facility consists of the original gemstone fluming, native wildlife display, dinomite mine, traveler. Hauling and commercial trucks are lodge, Luckett Hall for special events, and the rock shop, educational exhibits, gifts, and souvenirs. prohibited; however, motorcoaches are permitted on the Trace with proper permits. Speed limit is 50 chapel. The lodge is available for overnight stays. • Hours: April 1-Labor Day, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Cactus Plantation With five bedrooms and five private baths, as well as mph unless posted otherwise. Natchez Trace 1088 Chapel Hill Road, Edwards • 601-852-2705 Labor Day-April 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Parkway tour itineraries are available through the a full kitchen, the lodge provides a wonderful Closed only on Christmas Day. The world’s only cactus plantation is located near Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau. weekend getaway for family and friends. All three • Admission Edwards and features over 3,500 varieties of exotic buildings are surrounded by beautifully landscaped cacti, succulents, bromeliads, daylilies, tropical foliage, grounds including a lake and three gazebos. The Park on the River and seasonal plants. Some are available for purchase. Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience 2280 Lakeland Drive • 601-939-8333 • Tour Time: 45 minutes 3863 Morrison Road, Utica Formerly known as “The Park,” the amusement • Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., (40 minutes southwest of Jackson) center reopened with new activities and features, Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. 601-362-6357 (September-May) including 75 video games, 20 go-carts, a new food • Admission: Free area, laser tag room, an area for parties and 601-885-6042 (June-August) gatherings, and an indoor soccer field. Call for Found on the picturesque campus of the Henry S. hours and other details. Clinton Community Nature Center Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi, the Museum is 617 Dunton Road, Clinton • 601-926-1104 dedicated to exploring the rich history and Piney Woods Country Life School & www.clintonnaturecenter.org experience of Jews in the South. Religious objects, materials, and memorabilia speak to the long and Sam Myers and the Five Blind Boys The Clinton Community Nature Center exists as a rich tradition of Jewish life in the South. Changing of Mississippi Blues Trail Marker place for people to enjoy and learn about nature in Mississippi Crafts Center exhibits featuring artifacts from collections explore Highway 49 South • 601-845-2214 all its aspects. The nature center consists of 33 acres Mississippi Crafts Center relevant issues and themes of the Southern Jewish Located on the Mississippi Blues Trail of woodlands near the center of “Olde Towne” Natchez Trace Exit from I-55 North story. The Museum houses a fully-functioning Clinton and provides several educational programs Just 21 miles southeast of Jackson, Piney Woods 950 Rice Road, Ridgeland • 601-856-7546 sanctuary and a gift shop which offers gift items, Country Life School began as a dream of Dr. Laurence about nature, gardening, and the history of this books, and souvenirs for sale. The Museum also offers unique area. The center maintains 2.5 miles of all- Since its beginning in 1973, the Craftsmen’s Guild Jones in 1909, when he started the first Mississippi of Mississippi has grown from a membership of 30 Cultural Corridor Tours to sites of Southern Jewish school for African-American children. Today, the weather walking trails with plants and historic sites history in the Mississippi River region. labeled and benches where one may sit in solitude craftsmen to more than 400 professional artisans from campus serves as a viable modern school that and appreciate nature. across the Southeast. The center, opened in 2007, was • Group tours available by appointment educates young people from around the world. designed for the display, sale, and demonstration of • Hours: 7 days, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Piney Woods has a rustic charm and welcoming • Tour Time: 45 minutes fine craft. It is a showplace of both traditional and • Admission: Adults $5, Students and Seniors $4 spirit that obscures the obstacles overcome in its • Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., contemporary folk arts and crafts of our state. • Group rate: $4 creation. Points of interest include a museum, the Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Informative exhibits and live demonstrations involve • Gift Shop historic site of the first school, a farm, and a thrift shop. • Admission: Free visitors in the artistic process. The Mississippi Blues Trail marker honors Sam Myers, born in Laurel in 1936, who was visually • Tour Time: 30 minutes-1 hour impaired and developed an interest in music at Dupree House & Mamie’s Cottage • Hours: Monday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Piney Woods School. He attended the American 2809 Dupree Road, Raymond • 1-877-629-6051 • Admission: Free/Donations accepted Conservatory of Music in Chicago and eventually Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Special Services: was in great demand for his authentic Delta Blues Dupree House developed from a three-room structure • Craft Shop vocal and Blues harp style. The Blind Boys built in the 1850s to the picturesque, transitional Greek • Motorcoach parking originally sang as the “Cotton Blossom Singers” and Revival/Italianate plantation home of Dr. H. T. T. • Handicap accessible toured the nation to raise funds for the school. Dupree. Mamie’s Cottage, the in-town home of Dr. • Special calendar for craft demonstrations is After relocating to Chicago, the group released 27 Dupree’s adopted daughter, Mamie, was moved to the available upon request. successful singles and five albums. property in 1977 following her death. Today, the cottage houses two bed & breakfast suites. Dupree Mississippi Petrified Forest House welcomes groups for tours and catered meals. Ross Barnett Reservoir P. O. Box 37, Flora • 601-879-8189 The home is also available for reunions, weddings, Scenic Natchez Trace Parkway 601-354-3448 • 601-856-6574 luncheons, and parties. A special motorcoach entrance 124 Forest Park Road, Flora (north of Jackson off I-55) www.rossbarnettreservoir.org makes the home easily accessible. www.mspetrifiedforest.com Natchez Trace Parkway Thirty thousand acres of fish-filled waters, The forest’s many points of interest are viewed from 601-680-4025 • 1-800-305-7417 • www.nps.gov/natr/ bounded on the north by the historic Natchez Trace • Tour contact: Brenda Davis, owner an easy walking nature trail about six blocks long. A This 400-mile parkway stretches from Natchez to Parkway, create boundless opportunities for outdoor printed trail guide explains each feature and point of Nashville, Tennessee. The Trace is a historic route adventures. Fishing, boating, water-skiing, bird- Luckett Lodge interest. In 1966, the Mississippi Petrified Forest was traveled by early Indian tribes, pioneer settlers, watching, picnicking, and camping are all available 214 Clark Creek Road, Brandon declared a Registered National Natural Landmark by colonial troops, and traders. This beautiful scenic on the beautiful Ross Barnett Reservoir, visible from 601-832-6263 • www.theluckettlodge.com the National Park Service. Additional features include highway follows the shore of the Ross Barnett the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway. Visitors also colorful badlands, picnic area, campground, a museum, Reservoir where picnic areas and parks beckon the enjoy nearby restaurants and shopping.

22 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 23 SAMPLE ITINERARIES SAMPLE ITINERARIES

SELF-GUIDED TOURS • Explore the historic Farish Street District, • Piney Woods School Here is a sampling of itineraries to give you the real flavor of Jackson. where you’ll find over 100 years of rich • Queen of Hearts African-American heritage. Walk through the • Summers Hotel and Subway Lounge Speaking of flavors, there are over 300 restaurants to enjoy while you’re in town. area where you’ll see many examples of • Trumpet Records Call 601-960-1891, or 1-800-354-7695 for your copy of the Jackson Restaurant Guide. Queen Anne, Creole Cottage, and Bungalow (See Attractions for more details on each marker.) styles. The district has the largest known • Want to play the blues? Take a private lesson OLD & NEW TREASURES... • A turn northward takes you past Smith Park, number of restored “Shotgun Style” houses with a genuine Mississippi bluesman. We can the only remaining downtown park from the NTIQUING T TS EST in the country. help arrange it for you! Call 1-800-354-7695 A A I B city’s original checkerboard layout, St. Peter’s • Study the special exhibit on vernacular in advance. Visitors will delight in a great variety of area Catholic Cathedral, Old Central High School housing at the Smith Robertson Museum • Don’t miss The Legacy of Timbuktu, at the antique shops and markets. Plan to spend the (now the Department of Education), and the and Cultural Center. International Museum of Muslim Cultures, night in a Bed & Breakfast Inn and dream original First Baptist Church (circa 1843-44). • Follow a fascinating route along Jackson’s Mississippi Arts Center downtown. Hear how among some of the most beautiful antique Visit the Mississippi Veterans Monument next Civil Rights Driving Tour featuring such today’s blues recalls the music of Timbuktu furnishings in the South. to the Woolfolk State Office Building. A right sites as Freedom Corner, the former home of on the African continent! Start your shopping tour with a visit to the turn on Mississippi Street brings you to the slain NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers; • Drive through Historic Farish Street.* Farish historic Mississippi Governor’s Mansion, the magnificent Mississippi State Capitol, with its the Medgar Evers Library/Statue, Jackson Street is to Jackson what Beale Street is to second continuously occupied governor’s majestic gold-leafed American Bald Eagle State University, Margaret Walker Alexander Memphis and Nelson Street is to Greenville. residence in the nation. It is completely keeping watch over the city. Step inside the National African-American Research Center, Can you find these Blues landmarks? restored and furnished with museum-quality rotunda for a breath-taking view of the Tougaloo College, and several historic • Speir Phonograph Company, 225 N. Farish St. antiques of the period. beautiful Beaux Arts architecture. churches. Call 1-800-354-7695, or • Ace Records, 241 Farish St. Visit the Manship House (circa 1857) and • Turn right on Congress Street and pass 601-960-1891 for your copy of the Jackson • Record Mart (and Trumpet Record The Oaks House Museum (circa 1850) for a Galloway Memorial United Methodist Civil Rights Movement Driving Tour. Company and Diamond Recording Studio), glimpse of times long-past. Church and the Galloway House (circa 309 N. Farish Street. Read the Blues Trail When you’re ready for your shopping spree, 1889) on your way back into the heart of Marker. try these: the city. Stroll along the brick street until GET THE CAPITAL CITY BLUES! • Alamo Theater, 333 N. Farish St. Read the you come to City Hall, one of four public Blues Trail Marker. • Fondren District/Woodland Hills: Fondren, buildings left standing after General Sherman Jackson is full of authentic Mississippi Blues • Big Apple Inn, 509 N. Farish St. Jackson’s first suburb, is well known for its burned Jackson during the Civil War. heritage, urban juke joints, incredible soul food • Birdland, 538 Farish Street. For more Bluesy trendy retail shops, antique merchants, and Burnings of the city got Jackson its and popular local acts to help you catch the things to do see visitjackson.com and click award-winning restaurants. It’s convenient, nickname, “Chimneyville.” Blues and chase them away! on “Get the Capital City Blues.” located right in the middle of everything. For • Look across Pascagoula Street to the Hinds Hear live Blues all around town. Visit a brochure with a complete listing of shops County Courthouse and discover the two jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/music/ for daily and businesses, e-mail: [email protected] statues on top of the building. One is Moses, listings. • Highland Village: One of Mississippi’s most the giver of the law, and the other is Socrates, Visit Jackson’s Mississippi Blues Trail Markers. prestigious specialty shopping experiences the interpreter of the law. There are more to be added in the future, so *For more information on blues sites in Jackson and with over 45 unique shops, restaurants, and • Don’t stop now, there’s so much more to see! check http://www.msbluestrail.org/for additions. throughout Mississippi, pick up a copy of “Blues Traveling” services. Beautifully landscaped courtyards For a more detailed Downtown Walking Tour by Steve Cheseborough (www.stevecheseborough.com), and lush greenery. itinerary, visit www.visitjackson.com or call • Alamo Theater/Dorothy Moore published by University Press of Mississippi • There are plenty of other antique shops around 1-800-354-7695. • Bobby Rush (www.upress.state.ms.us). Portions of the text above were the town. Check the phone book for listings. • Malaco Records excerpted from this book by permission of the author. A PLACE IN HISTORY... HISTORIC DOWNTOWN AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WALKING TOUR HERITAGE TOUR You ll find plenty of interesting and ’ Discover it nearly everywhere you look, from enlightening sites to explore in downtown the thousands of artifacts on display at the Jackson on this stroll through history. Don t ’ Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, forget to look up! Many treasures are perched to the grand turn-of-the-century architecture upon the rooftops. that graces the campus of Tougaloo College. • Stroll down Capitol Street to the Governor’s From the proud civil rights legacy of Medgar Mansion. Across the street is the Lamar Life Evers, to the intricate cultural tapestry that is Building with a purple-faced clock tower and the Farish Street District, Jackson is alive with fierce-looking gargoyles standing guard over African-American heritage. Spend a day, or a the building and the adjacent St. Andrews week, with us and we guarantee you’ll leave Episcopal Cathedral. feeling uplifted and enriched by the experience.

24 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 25 ANNUAL EVENTS ANNUAL EVENTS

ANNUAL EVENTS Mississippi Hearts Against APRIL AIDS Benefit JANUARY 601-366-9084 • www.mississippihearts.org Annual Lynch Street Hundreds of artists donate their works for an Heritage Festival Dixie National Livestock auction to benefit the Mississippi Hearts Against 601-352-6993 Show and Rodeo AIDS organization. Dozens of local restaurants cater This two-day event is designed to recapture Mississippi State Fairgrounds • 601-961-4000 the event, which includes live music. Admission. the festive, artistic, and cultural atmosphere of (Event runs through mid-February) the area. Festivities include a talent show, arts and crafts booths, and musical entertainment. Largest livestock show east of the Mississippi MARCH River. In February, the Mississippi Coliseum hosts the second largest PRCA Rodeo. There Bagwell Antiques Show Arts, Eats and Beats are also five horse shows, a Junior Livestock Mississippi Trade Mart Historic Fondren District • 601-981-9606 This fun-filled evening celebrates the “return of show, a two-day Western Festival, two trade 662-844-3095 • 662-231-9654 springtime” to Fondren with a grand merchant’s shows, rodeo dance, and parade during this Mississippi’s premier antiques event, featuring three-week event. Admission to some events. Puppetry Guild Performance after-hours open house and street party featuring over 75 antique dealers from 20 states. Furniture, more than 30 merchants and plenty of food, libations, decorative accessories, estate jewelry, silver, Mississippi Performing Arts music, art, and shopping. Free. The Premier Bridal Show collectibles, textiles, porcelain, and books. Held Festival for Children/Puppetry Jam Jackson Convention Complex twice a year. Admission. Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Crossroads Film Festival 601-957-1050 601-977-9840 • www.mspuppetry.com Ballet Magnificat! – Spring Concert Assorted venues • 601-510-9148 Mississippi’s top wedding vendors and other Presented by the Mississippi Puppetry Guild, www.crossroadsfilmfest.com professionals help plan your special day. Door Thalia Mara Hall • 601-977-1001 this entertaining event for kids features puppet Multi-day celebration of local, national, and prizes, a New York style fashion show, and One of the country’s foremost liturgical ballet shows, storytellers, clowns, and more. international film and video featuring a film and product samplings. companies celebrates Easter with the beauty and video competition for features, short films, student expression of dance. National Cutting Horse Association films, documentaries, and experimental projects. Martin Luther King, Jr. Eastern National Championships Special seminars and evening galas. Admission. Celebration and Parade Handworks Spring & Easter Market Mississippi Trade Mart Mississippi State Fairgrounds Parade route TBA 601-961-4000 • 817-244-6188 Easter Egg Hunt & Parade 601-960-1090 601-981-1052 • www.handworksmarket.com www.nchacutting.com Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Shop for fine arts and crafts by Mississippi and Two weeks of The exciting sport of “cutting” is a timed 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 activities lead up to regional artisans. Home and garden accessories event involving a horse and rider attempting to www.mdac.state.ms.us the big parade are also available. Handworks is held twice a separate specific cattle from a herd and keeping Easter parade featuring the Easter Bunny, honoring Dr. Martin year. Admission. them away. A great family event! bands, clowns, free pony rides, carousel, and Luther King, Jr. This train rides. Egg hunt for ages 2-12. Free hot annual celebration Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade & Festival Spring Festival & Plant Sale dogs, chips, and soft drinks. Co-sponsored by features gospel Downtown Jackson at Mynelle Gardens the First Baptist Church of Jackson. singing, a talent show, 601-984-1972 • www.halandmals.com A fun-loving, Irish-inspired celebration. The 601-960-1894 live entertainment, Annual plant sale fundraiser and celebration Easter Sunrise Service and more. long weekend includes a ball, parties, runs, Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum concerts, children’s activities, and a major of Mother Nature’s floral beauty. Martin Luther King, Jr. 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 parade that attracts thousands of participants www.mdac.state.ms.us Jackson Jewish Film Festival and spectators from across the globe. The Taste of Mississippi Easter service provided by local churches, Millsaps College and Mississippi Museum of Art famous Sweet Potato Queens and their Highland Village • 601-353-2759 including music by local choirs. 601-956-6215 Wannabes, the Krewe of Kazoo, the O’Tux A Southeast Tourism Society Society, the Rude Men, and more gather with a This unique film festival features four days of “Top 20 Event” for 2009 Greater Belhaven Market cast of thousands to revel and raise money for films from the Jewish culture and includes talks A culinary tasting event hosting dozens of McDade’s parking lot, corner of Fortification and the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. with filmmakers. Mississippi’s finest restaurateurs, live music, and Jefferson Streets • 601-352-8850 auctions featuring art and more. Proceeds from the www.greaterbelhaven.com/market.html Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet event go to fight hunger in Mississippi. Admission. Local produce, crafts and food specialties FEBRUARY Spring Gala Performance outdoor market. Open every Saturday, April Thalia Mara Hall Zoo Day through the Saturday before Christmas from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Gem & Mineral Show 601-853-4508 • www.msmetroballet.com 601-352-2581 • www.jacksonzoo.com Agriculture & Industrial Buildings, This annual performance of classical and Spring festival at the Jackson Zoo Mississippi State Fairgrounds • 601-961-4000 contemporary ballet features the artistry of incorporating live music, local craftsmen, and Santé South Wine Festival Semiannual. This show promotes education and local dancers with performances by world-class activities for children, including a space jump, Highland Village • 601-987-0200 • www.msalz.org enjoyment related to the earth sciences. Admission. guest artists. clowns, educational animal shows, and more. Features over 30 winemakers from around the

26 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 27 ANNUAL EVENTS ANNUAL EVENTS

globe, whose wines are served along with Freedom. Reenactments, modern armor displays, Beary Cherry, and Cheetah Chip Cookie Dough culture. The event features Celtic music, displays culinary offerings from nearly 20 of Mississippi’s weapons, military helicopters, performances by served up by local celebrities. Admission. by Celtic artists, educational workshops, family finest restaurants. Live music and auctions the Army Aviation Foundation and more for the and children’s activities, and plenty of food. enhance the event, a benefit for the Alzheimer’s entire family. Free. Old-Fashioned 4th of July Admission. Association Mississippi Chapter. Admission. Celebration JUNE Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Farish Street Heritage Festival MAY 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 Farish Street Historic District in downtown Jubilee!JAM www.mdac.state.ms.us Jackson • 601-948-5667 • farishstfestival.com Canton Flea Market Downtown Jackson This family event includes pony rides, train The second oldest African-American Canton, Mississippi 601-960-2008 • www.jubileejam.com rides, carousel rides, games and prizes, free community festival in the state of Mississippi 601-859-8055 • 1-800-844-3369 As the city’s biggest outdoor music and arts watermelon, musical entertainment, and other features three stages of live entertainment from Over 1,100 artists and craftsmen from festival, Jubilee!JAM features performances by fun activities for the kids. Admission. national, regional, and local performers. There approximately 29 states display their work on popular local, regional, and national artists, food, are arts and crafts, a Kiddy Cottage, “soul the grounds of the historic Madison County and family and children’s activities. Admission. Tougaloo Art Colony food,” and other ethnic delicacies. Admission. Courthouse and surrounding locations. Held Historic Tougaloo College Campus twice a year. Free. USA International Ballet 601-977-7839 • www.tougaloo.edu Symphony at Sunset Competition (2010) A week-long indulgence in the visual arts for The Cedars, on Old Canton Road • 601-981-9606 Mississippi Symphony: Thalia Mara Hall and ancillary venues artists, art educators, and art students on the Enjoy an evening under the stars on the Pops Series “Pepsi Pops” 601-355-9853 • www.usaibc.com campus. grounds of the historic Cedars house, circa 1840. Old Trace Park in Ridgeland • 601-960-1565 During two weeks, every four years, the USA A Mississippi Symphony Orchestra outdoor concert sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield 1-800-898-5050 • www.msorchestra.com International Ballet Competition (IBC) brings the AUGUST This outdoor concert presents popular music world to Jackson. Dancers come to compete for of Mississippi provides the entertainment. Bring blankets, chairs, picnics, and beverages for a for all ages and concludes with a spectacular prizes, study with master teachers, and perhaps Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights fireworks display over the reservoir. Bring lawn contract with professional ballet companies. pops performance. The Cedars also hosts an art chairs and blankets. Admission. Visitors enjoy the world’s best dance performances. The Historic Belhaven Neighborhood • 601-352-8850 show. Free. The USA IBC is the official IBC in the US by a Enjoy an evening street festival celebrating 1982 Joint Resolution of Congress. The next Jackson’s unique Belhaven neighborhood. WellsFest USA IBC will take place June 12-27, 2010. Belhaven’s Carlisle Street is “lit up” with art, Jamie Fowler Boyll Park • 601-353-0658 children’s events, vendors, one-act plays, A family festival held to benefit a different non- Reptile Rendezvous musical acts, food and libations. Admission. profit service organization each year. Activities Jackson Zoo include a 5K race, fun walk, food, children’s 601-352-2581 • www.jacksonzoo.com Mississippi Animal Rescue League games, arts and crafts, silent auction, and plenty The Jackson Zoo features over 100 reptiles Annual Fur Ball of live music by area entertainers. Admission. and over 22 different species of rattlesnakes in 601-607-3411 the annual North American Rattlesnake Exhibit. This is a benefit for the Mississippi Animal Admission. Rescue League. Be entertained by music, a silent auction of celebrity-signed dog bones and JULY dancing while supporting our four-legged Mississippi Symphony “Pepsi Pops” Performance friends. Admission. Canton Hot Air Balloon Race Take A Tasty Bite Out of Crime Canton, Mississippi • 601-859-4358 Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza Highland Village Features 50 hot air balloons, a Balloon Glow, carnival rides, fireworks, and concessions. Mississippi Trade Mart • 601-354-7051 601-968-9999 • www.crimecom.org Lovers of the great outdoors, hunters, More than 40 area restaurants provide fishermen, and other nature enthusiasts of all samplings of their cuisine as an annual spring Fourth of July Celebration ages enjoy the state’s largest wildlife trade fundraiser for the Metro Crime Commission. at The Cedars show featuring a large selection of outdoor Family Activities at WellsFest Also features live music. Admission. 601-981-9606 wear, equipment, and more. Admission. An afternoon of BBQ, an artists market, ZooParty Trail of Honor music, and beverages. Free. SEPTEMBER 601-352-2582 • www.jacksonzoo.com JPD Pistol Range, 3509 I-55 South The wildest party in town! This black-tie 601-372-5770 • www.trailofhonor.org Ice Cream Safari CelticFest Mississippi fundraiser is an adult evening out under the A Southeast Tourism Society Jackson Zoo Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum stars at the Jackson Zoo. Offering food from Jackson’s finest restaurants, live music, and “Top 20 Event” for 2009 601-352-2581 • www.jacksonzoo.com 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 Three-day, living history tribute to veterans Visit the animals and enjoy special “animal- www.mdac.state.ms.us exotic silent auction items from local of all American wars from 1776 to Operation flavored” ice cream such as Chinchilla Vanilla, Immerse yourself in Celtic art, music, and merchants. Admission.

28 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 29 ANNUAL EVENTS ANNUAL EVENTS

OCTOBER showcasing many local and national organizations, Fondren Unwrapped Ballet Magnificat! groups, businesses, artists, musicians and more. The Fondren Historic Neighborhood A Christmas Dream Bagwell Antiques Show 601-981-9606 • www.fondren.org Thalia Mara Hall • 255 East Pascagoula Mississippi Trade Mart Typically held the Thursday before 601-977-1001 • www.balletmagnificat.com 662-844-3095 • 662-231-9654 Thanksgiving, the merry merchants of Fondren The liturgical touring company is joined by Mississippi’s premier antiques event, this host this annual open house party to welcome their School of the Arts students in the group’s show features 75 antique dealers from 20 states. the Christmas season by extending their hours traditional holiday performance. Call for Furniture, decorative accessories, estate jewelry, for shopping, food, drink, and music. Free. information and tickets. silver, collectibles, textiles, porcelain, and books are offered. Held twice a year. Admission. Handworks Holiday Market Ballet Mississippi: The Nutcracker Mississippi Trade Mart Thalia Mara Hall • 255 East Pascagoula Canton Flea Market 601-981-1052 • www.handworksmarket.com 601-960-1560 • www.balletms.com Canton, Mississippi Shop for fine crafts and art by nearly 100 The beloved classic Christmas story of 601-859-8055 • 1-800-844-3369 Mississippi and regional artisans. Find Christmas Clara, the nutcracker, and their adventures in Over 1,100 artists and craftsmen from decorations and other home décor, clothing, the Land of Sweets comes to life each year at approximately 29 states display their work on gifts, as well as jewelry and favorite items for Thalia Mara Hall. Guest professional artists the grounds of the historic Madison County children. Held twice a year. Admission. appear with the Ballet Mississippi School Courthouse and surrounding locations. Held company directed by David Keary. Evening twice a year. Free. Harvest Festival and matinee performances provide magical family entertainment. Call for reserved tickets. Pumpkin Picking at the MS Agricultural & Forestry Museum Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Boo at the Zoo 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 601-352-2581 • www.jacksonzoo.com Pumpkin Picking www.mdac.state.ms.us For little Trick-or-Treaters, the Jackson Zoo is At harvest time, observe the operation of the the place to be! Kids love the “unscary” family Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Museum cotton gin, sawmill, cane mill, and blacksmith activities. Admission. 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 shop. Admission includes tour of the Museum. www.mdac.state.ms.us Halloween Carnival Join a hayride tour of a vegetable garden and Holiday Open House Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum children’s barnyard, have a snack, and visit the William F. Winter Archives & History Building 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8687 pumpkin patch to pick out your own pumpkin! Admission. 601-576-6876 www.mdac.state.ms.us The gift shop hosts its annual Open House, Children of all ages can enjoy ghostly rides, Southern Cutting Futurity offering visitors a sampling of the state’s folk a haunted farm, fortune telling, a nature trail, art, crafts, and books by Mississippians and magic show, and trick-or-treat goodies. Admission. Mississippi State Fairgrounds • 601-654-9271 One of the world’s fastest-growing equine about Mississippi. Free. Ballet Mississippi’s Presentation of “The Nutcracker” Mississippi State Fair sports, cutting offers tremendous excitement and drama for the horse, rider, and spectator. Mistletoe Marketplace Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree Mississippi State Fairgrounds • 601-961-4000 Mississippi Trade Mart Belhaven College soccer bowl One of the South’s largest fairs boasts 601-948-2357 • 1-800-380-2870 amusement rides, concessions, entertainment by Viking PGA Golf Classic 601-968-5930 • www.belhaven.edu www.mistletoemarketplace.com A Belhaven tradition since 1933, the Singing national recording artists, a variety of agricultural Annandale Golf Club, Madison • 601-856-9290 An ABA Top 100 Event in North America Christmas Tree is an outdoor choral performance and livestock competitions, exhibits, and Mississippi’s only regular PGA Tour event. A three-day holiday shopping extravaganza educational demonstrations. Admission. Some of the top PGA Tour players compete for of the season’s favorite Christmas carols and spotlights more than 100 merchants from songs. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Free. a total purse of over $3,000,000. across the nation. Special events occur each Mississippi Watercolor Society day. Concessions. Admission. Chimneyville Crafts Festival Grand National Exhibition NOVEMBER Mississippi Trade Mart Mississippi Museum of Art DECEMBER 601-981-0019 • www.mscraftsmenguild.org 601-960-1515 • www.msmuseumart.org Capital City Football Classic At this ultimate Christmas shopping spree, The exhibition includes more than 60 works Veterans’ Memorial Stadium works by hundreds of juried craftsmen from from artists across the country in various water- 601-979-2450 • 601-259-2701 Annual Christmas Tree Festival throughout the Southeast are exhibited, based media. Organized in conjunction with www.ccclassic.com • www.jsums.edu Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center demonstrated, and sold. Find crafts in wood, the Mississippi Watercolor Society. Admission. www.alcornsports.com • www.jsutigers.com 601-960-1457 pottery, glass, fiber, metal, basketry, jewelry, Activities surrounding the Jackson State A showcase of various civic, social, and and more. Admission. OUToberfest University and Alcorn State University football religious organizations’ creatively decorated www.outoberfest.com game include a scholarship banquet, Miss Christmas trees. Each year’s festival conveys a special theme. Free. Christmas at the A celebration of the Mississippi lesbian, gay, Capital City Classic pageant, pep rally, Greek Governor’s Mansion bisexual and transgender/transsexual community step show, and Battle of the Bands. 601-359-6421 • www.mdah.state.ms.us

30 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 31 ANNUAL EVENTS ARTS AND CULTURE

The Mansion is beautifully decorated with Greater Belhaven Market traditional holiday greenery and fruit for McDade’s parking lot, corner of Fortification and GO FROM BALLET TO regular morning tours on Tuesday through Jefferson Streets • 601-352-8850 Friday. Call for tour times. Free. www.greaterbelhaven.com/market.html DOWN-HOME BLUES. Local produce, crafts and food specialties Christmas at the Manship House outdoor market. Open every Saturday, April PERFORMING ARTS The Jackson Choral Society includes people 601-961-4724 • www.mdah.state.ms.us through the Saturday before Christmas from from all walks of life who enjoy performing fine See this beautiful Victorian home come alive 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ORGANIZATIONS choral works. Some are professional musicians, with traditional decorations of the holiday season. but most are people who just enjoy singing. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. Historic Christmas at The Oaks BALLET MAGNIFICAT Admission is free and donations are accepted. Oaks House Museum • 823 North Jefferson Street 5406 I-55 North • 601-977-1001 METROPOLITAN CHAMBER 601-353-9339 • www.theoakshousemuseum.org www.balletmagnificat.com ORCHESTRA SOCIETY Ballet Magnificat is a classical ballet A Christmas Carol Experience an authentic Victorian Christmas 3615 Hawthorne Drive • 601-366-3457 New Stage Theatre • 1100 Carlisle Street that includes 1850s entertainment and decorations company with a religious focus. The company The Society provides Central Mississippi 601-948-3531 • www.newstagetheatre.com typical of that period in Jackson’s history. Free. is sponsored by churches, educational audiences with concerts of quality classical New Stage’s classic version was recognized foundations, and arts councils. It tours music in a chamber orchestra setting. It gives as one of five outstanding productions across the “Old Jackson Christmas by throughout the world. community members the opportunity to country by USA Weekend. Set in Victorian Candlelight” Tour perform classical music, and it gives individuals London, it is a holiday family tradition. Admission. Mississippi State Capitol, Governor’s Mansion, BALLET MISSISSIPPI the opportunity to solo with an orchestra. City of Jackson Christmas Parade and Manship House Museum Mississippi Arts Center Downtown Jackson 601-576-6920 • www.mdah.state.ms.us 201 East Pascagoula Street • 601-960-1560 601-960-1084 • www.city.jackson.ms.us Catch the Christmas spirit in Jackson’s most www.msmuseumart.org Usher in the Yuletide Season at the annual historic buildings. Walk through candlelit rooms Ballet Mississippi is one of Jackson’s premiere Christmas Parade held the first Saturday in filled with nostalgic Victorian decorations. performing arts organizations providing December. After the parade, gather at City Hall Concerts, refreshments, and trolley rides add educational outreach and the Ballet Mississippi for the tree lighting ceremony and musical to the holiday spirit. Free. School to expose Mississippi students to the entertainment. Free. beauty and artistry of ballet. The company’s Olde Tyme Christmas Village professionally trained dancers perform “The Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum Nutcracker” each winter and present a special Spring Gala performance as well. Guest 601-713-3365 • 1-800-844-8676 Mississippi Chorus with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra www.mdac.state.ms.us choreographers are invited to stage their work. The Mississippi Heritage Center is decorated Ballet Mississippi now partners with Millsaps MISSISSIPPI CHORUS for an old-fashioned Mississippi Christmas. College, offering a credit course in ballet. 787 East Northside Drive • 601-278-3351 Admire the handmade, miniature Christmas www.mschorus.org village by Lester Alvis, featuring lights and COMMUNITY CHILDREN’S THEATRE Enjoy the work of this volunteer group of early 1900s-era buildings. Admission. 1000 Monroe Street • P. O. Box 4403 • 601-354-1191 dedicated singers as they reveal the passion Community Children’s Theatre is a 50-year- and intricacy of timeless music during each Puppet Wonderland old volunteer organization that annually year’s season of public concerts. Experience produces a play for area children. Members the music as an audience member or as a Millsaps College • 601-977-9840 select the play, build sets, gather props, member of the chorus as it keeps beautiful The Mississippi Puppetry Guild in cooperation music alive through local, national and with the Millsaps College Department of Theater rehearse, make costumes, work spotlights, arrange the schedule, and otherwise work their international performances. presents “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Nutcracker Sweets.” Admission. hearts out for the 10,000 plus children who see City of Jackson Downtown Christmas Parade the play each winter. MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY SYMPHONIC BAND Community Kwanzaa Celebration FONDREN THEATRE WORKSHOP 601-601-2786 • www.mcsb.us/ Medgar Evers Community Center • 601-960-1741 www.fondrentheatreworkshop.org The Mississippi Community Symphonic Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration of For many more events, The Fondren Theatre Workshop is dedicated Band is an organization of over 70 volunteer cultural fellowship and brotherhood, which please visit our website at to building a theatre community with an wind and percussion instrumentalists. The focuses on the heritage of African-Americans. www.visitjackson.com emphasis on sharing the creative process by band, along with the Mississippi Swing jazz Call for details. giving workshops and performances year-round. band, performs five main pops concerts and a number of by-request concerts each year, all JACKSON CHORAL SOCIETY for the sheer joy of bringing great music to the P. O. Box 4211 • Fondren Station community. The band includes players of all

32 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 33 ARTS AND CULTURE ARTS AND CULTURE

ages and backgrounds, and the main concerts MISSISSIPPI PUPPETRY GUILD CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS are always free. It frequently premieres new 1927 Springridge Drive • 601-956-3414 works and features local musicians. The Mississippi Puppetry Guild is a professional puppet theatre company organized American Guild of Organists ...... 601-362-3235 MISSISSIPPI METROPOLITAN BALLET in 1967. Performances combine arts, education, 110 Homestead Drive, Madison and entertainment. The Puppet Arts Theatre Ballet Magnificat...... 601-977-1001 601-853-4508 • www.msmetroballet.com tours Mississippi and the Southeast. www.balletmagnificat.com The Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet is a non- profit regional ballet company in neighboring NEW STAGE THEATRE Ballet Mississippi...... 601-960-1560 Madison, Mississippi, that provides professional 1100 Carlisle Street • 601-948-3531 www.balletms.com dance training and performance opportunities www.newstagetheatre.com for serious students. Mississippi Metropolitan New Stage Theatre, founded in 1965, is Belhaven College ...... 601-968-5940 Ballet offers work of the highest artistic quality Mississippi’s only professional theater and www.belhaven.edu for the Metro Jackson area with the Nutcracker produces a full season of shows from September and a Spring Gala performance given every year. to June. New Stage also boasts a dynamic Community Children’s Theatre...... 601-354-1191 education department dedicated to keeping MISSISSIPPI MURDER MYSTERIES theatre imaginative, creative, and vital to Eudora Welty Library System...... 601-968-5811 601-331-4045 • www.missmurdermystery.com students across Mississippi. New Stage Theatre Mississippi Murder Mysteries, a Stewart is committed to cultivating and educating a Fondren Theatre Workshop ...... 601-982-2217 Production Company, is a group of professional culturally-diverse audience through its play actors, presenting comedic murder mystery style selection, casting, artistic staffing, and Greater Jackson Arts Council...... 601-960-1557 dinner theatre. An evening with the Mississippi educational outreach programs. www.jacksonartscouncil.org Murder Mysteries troupe provides adult audiences with a night of hilarious, original Hinds Community College ...... 601-857-3321 NTERNATIONAL ALLET entertainment while enjoying fine dining USA I B www.hinds.cc.ms.us experiences at local restaurants. COMPETITION, INC. P. O. Box 3696 • 601-355-9853 Jackson Arts Collective...... 601-942-7285 MISSISSIPPI OPERA www.usaibc.com Mississippi Arts Center One of the world’s most prestigious dance Jackson Public School’s Academic & Performing Arts ...... 601-960-5387 201 East Pascagoula Street • P. O. Box 1551 events, the USA International Ballet Competition Complex (APAC) Performing Arts Division 601-960-1528 • Box Office 601-960-2300 (USA IBC) is a two-week “olympic style” www.msopera.org competition where tomorrow’s ballet stars vie Jackson State University...... 601-979-2040 The Mississippi Opera produces and for gold, silver, and bronze medals, cash awards, www.jsums.edu presents a season of Grand Opera and a variety and scholarships. Designated as the official of other opera/musical theater, recital, and USA Competition by a Joint Resolution of Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra Society ...... 601-366-3457 special events. Acclaimed by national and Congress, the USA IBC is held every four years, international critics, Mississippi Opera attracts in the tradition of sister competitions in Varna, Millsaps College ...... 601-974-1039 audiences from throughout the region and Bulgaria and Moscow, Russia. Audiences and www.millsaps.edu serves Mississippi through touring and participants alike enjoy a festival of ancillary education productions. events, such as the International Dance School, Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music ...... 601-852-4848 regional ballet company performances, dance revolvingpaintdream.com/ancientmusic films and dance workshops. MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Mississippi Arts Center Mississippi Artists Guild ...... 601-373-1110 201 East Pascagoula Street • P.O. Box 205 601-960-1565 • www.msorchestra.com Mississippi Arts Center...... 601-960-1500 The largest performing arts organization in Mississippi, MSO exists to enrich the quality of Mississippi Arts Commission ...... 601-359-6030 life and enliven the spirit of all Mississippians www.arts.state.ms.us with live performance grounded in artistic excellence. MSO partners with innovative Mississippi Chorus ...... 601-278-3351 educators and practices sound fiscal www.mschorus.org management. The Symphony performs for approximately 400,000 Mississippians each Mississippi Department of Archives & History ...... 601-576-6850 year either as a full orchestra, a touring www.mdah.state.ms.us Performance at the 2006 USA IBC orchestra, or a chamber orchestra.

34 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 35 ARTS AND CULTURE ACCOMMODATIONS

1. America’s Best Suites 11.Comfort Inn Southwest Mississippi Humanities Council...... 601-432-6752 5411 I-55 North 2800 Greenway Drive www.mshumanities.org 601-899-9000 • 1-800-BEST-INN 601-922-5600 • 1-800-228-5150 Mississippi Mass Choir...... 601-366-8863 103 Rooms • Exit 100 76 Rooms • Exit 40A www.themississippimasschoir.com 2. America’s Best Value Inn 12.Courtyard by Marriott Mississippi Museum of Art ...... 601-960-1515 2655 I-55 South 6280 Ridgewood Court www.msmuseumart.org 601-372-1006 • 1-800-800-8000 601-956-9991 • 1-800-321-2211 75 Rooms • Exit 92A 117 Rooms • Exit 102B The Mississippi Opera ...... 601-960-2300 www.msopera.org 3. Best Value Inn & Suites 13.Days Inn-Coliseum Mississippi Poetry Society ...... 601-856-3635 5035 I-55 North 804 Larson Street 601-982-1011 601-352-7387 • 1-800-329-7466 Mississippi Puppetry Guild...... 601-977-9840 120 Rooms • Exit 100 48 Rooms • Exit 96B www.mspuppetry.com

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra...... 601-960-1565 4. Best Western Executive Inn 14.Days Inn Southwest www.msorchestra.com 725 Larson Street 2616 Highway 80 West 601-969-6555 • 1-800-WESTERN 601-969-5511 • 1-800-DAYS-INN Mississippi Writers Association ...... 601-352-6864 62 Rooms 50 Rooms • Exit 42B Municipal Art Gallery...... 601-960-1582 5. Best Western Jackson North www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/museums/Municipal 15.E.com Lodge 593 Beasley Road 3880 I-55 South, Savannah Street New Stage Theatre...... 601-948-3533 601-956-8686 • 1-800-528-1234 601-373-1244 www.newstagetheatre.com 60 Rooms 80 Rooms • Exit 90A Opera South ...... 601-979-2700 6. Budget Inn 16.Econo Lodge or 601-979-2100 1525 Ellis Avenue 601-944-1150 • 1-800-265-9399 2450 Highway 80 West Puppet Arts Theatre ...... 601-956-3414 199 Rooms • Exit 42B 601-353-0340 • 1-800-553-2666 40 Rooms • Exit 42B Tougaloo College ...... 601-977-7839 www.tougaloo.edu or 1-888-42GALOO 7. Cabot Lodge Millsaps 2375 North State Street 17.Extended Stay Deluxe 601-948-8650 • 1-800-874-4737 572 Beasley Road USA International Ballet Competition, Inc...... 601-355-9853 205 Rooms • Exit 98A 601-206-5757 • 1-800-257-3000 www.usaibc.com 94 Suites Very Special Arts of Mississippi ...... 601-713-3311 8. Clarion Hotel & Suites 5075 I-55 North 18.Extended Stay of America W. Kessler, Ltd...... 601-981-1847 601-366-9411 • 1-800-611-9151 5354 I-55 North www.kesslerbroadway.com 22 Rooms • Exit 102A 601-956-4312 • 1-800-EXT-STAY 108 Rooms • Exit 100

9. Coliseum Inn & Suites 19.Fairfield Inn by Marriott 614 Monroe Street 5723 I-55 North 601-352-8282 601-957-8557 • 1-800-228-2800 51 Rooms • Exit 96B 79 Rooms • Exit 102 10.Comfort Inn North 20.Fairview Inn (Bed & Breakfast) 5709 I-55 North 734 Fairview Street 601-206-1616 • 1-800-424-6423 601-948-3429 • 1-888-948-1908 121 Rooms 17 Rooms • Exit 98A 36 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 37 ACCOMMODATIONS ACCOMMODATIONS

21.Hampton Inn North 30.La Quinta Inn North 465 Briarwood Drive 616 Briarwood Drive 39.Regency Hotel & Convention Center 44.Sleep Inn 601-956-3611 • 1-800-HAMPTON 601-957-1741 • 1-800-531-5900 400 Greymont Avenue • 601-969-2141 2620 Highway 80 West 119 Rooms • Exit 102 144 Rooms • Exit 102A 141 Rooms • Exit 96B 601-354-3900 • 1-800-753-3746 52 Rooms • Exit 42B 22.Hampton Inn & Suites 31.Metro Inn 40.Regency Inn 45.Studio 6 320 Greymont Avenue 1520 Ellis Avenue 5925 I-55 North 601-352-1700 • 1-800-HAMPTON 601-355-7483 • 1-800-542-2923 1714 Highway 80 West • 601-354-4931 70 Rooms • Exit 43B 601-956-9988 • 1-800-557-3435 80 Rooms, 31 Suites • Exit 96B 146 Rooms • Exit 42B 70 Rooms • Exit 103 23.Hill Top Inn 32.Motel 6 41.Residence Inn by Marriott 1065 S. Frontage Rd, I-20 6145 I-55 North 881 East River Place 46.Super 8 2355 Hwy 80 West 601-354-4455 601-956-8848 • 1-800-466-8356 601-355-3599 • 1-800-331-3131 601-948-0680 • 1-800-800-8000 65 Rooms • Exit 44A 100 Rooms • Exit 103 120 Rooms • Exit 96C 53 Rooms • Exit 42B 24.Hilton Jackson & Convention Center 33.Old Capitol Inn (Bed & Breakfast) 42. Roberts Walthall Hotel 225 East Capitol Street 1001 East County Line Road 226 North State Street 47.Super 8 North 601-948-6161 • 1-800-932-6161 6058 I-55 North 601-957-2800 • 1-888-263-0524 601-359-9000 • 1-888-359-9001 208 Rooms • Exit 96A 601-956-9986 • 1-800-272-6233 273 Rooms • Exit 103 24 Rooms • Exit 96A 58 Rooms • Exit 102 25.Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites 43.Select 10 34.Parkside Inn 4639 I-55 North 310 Greymont Avenue 3720 I-55 North 601-948-4466 • 1-800-HOLIDAY 601-982-1044 • 1-800-800-8000 601-982-1122 88 Rooms • Exit 100 107 Rooms • Exit 96B 95 Rooms • Exit 98B

26.In-Town Suites 35.Poindexter Park Inn 5731 I-55 North • 601-957-6833 (Bed & Breakfast) 131 Rooms 803 Deer Park Street 27.Inns of USA 601-944-1392 4641 I-55 North 5 Rooms 601-981-3320 65 Rooms • Exit 100 36.Quality Inn 400 Greymont Avenue 601-969-2230 • 1-800-300-8800 Key to Hotel Amenities: 28.Jackson Marriott-Downtown 135 Rooms • Exit 96B 200 East Amite Street Non-smoking Rooms 601-969-5100 37.Red Roof Inn Fairgrounds Handicap Accessible Rooms 303 Rooms • Exit 98B 700 Larson Street • 601-969-5006 Restaurant 1-800-THE-ROOF (1-800-843-7663) Lounge 29.Jameson Inn 116 Rooms • Exit 96B Swimming Pool 585 Beasley Road Pet Friendly 601-206-8923 • 1-800-526-3766 38.Regal Inn 67 Rooms 1651 Terry Road • 601-355-0753 110 Rooms • Exit 43B

38 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 39 County Line Road 32 J Interstate Highways Lake Harbour Ross 45 17 Major Arteries Barnett Beasley Road NORTH Reservoir 29 5 A Attractions/Shopping 26 Larson 1 19 Hotels EE Spillway Rd. 13 County 10 Transportation 24 48 State 12 Line Rd.

Lamar Lamar 37 Briarwood Drive Vine Beasley 47 21 Rd. T 9 4 High Madison To I-55 55 North 30 Monroe 1 Highway 49 220 Jackson 25 Briarwood Dr. V O 8 Trademart Old Canton Rd. College

Frontage Road Hanging Moss Hamilton R 3 18 22 Canton Mart Road Mississippi Greymont Northside Drive 27 Griffith North Pearl River Meadowbrook BB 43 Farish ↓ ↓ Yazoo Fairgrounds Northside Drive Smith Ridgewood Downtown 1/09

N. West N. West 34 Wills 28 ↑ ↑ 33 Z Q Memorial Stadium N W 36 Old Canton

Amite Jefferson Gallatin ← State

Bullard H Mill Roach Lakeland (Hwy. 25) Congress President CC K West Y Coliseum P S 30 AA D 39 Clinton Blvd. W. Capitol F M 49 Woodrow Jackson → E. Capitol Wilson 7 20 U Pinehurst International G 55 Highway 475 42 Highway 80 Airport Fortification C Pearl ← Robinson Amite

To I-55 A 16 41 → To I-55 DD 44 Pascagoula 14 Downtown 20 35 48 E B I X Highway 80 6 Tombigbee 31 38 L 46 40 11 Ellis S. Gallatin Brandon Rd. S. State Highway 80 S. West S. West Raymond Road

20 1/09 23 Terry Rd. D OWNTOWN McDowell Road 2 D OWNTOWN See map on next page for detail H OTELS 55 of downtown Jackson ATTRACTIONS 15 V 4. Best Western Executive Inn A. City Hall Mississippi 9. Coliseum Inn & Suites B. Davis Planetarium 13. Days Inn – Coliseum D. Governor’s Mansion 22. Hampton Inn & Suites JACKSON ATTRACTIONS, SHOPPING & HOTELS E. Jackson Convention Complex 25. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites I. Mississippi Arts Center Attractions T. The Oaks House Museum* 9. Coliseum Inn & Suites* 32. Motel 6 28. Jackson Marriott – Downtown U. Old Capitol Museum* 10. Comfort Inn North 33. Old Capitol Inn* L. Mississippi Museum of Art A. City Hall* 33. Old Capitol Inn B. Davis Planetarium* V. Smith Robertson Museum* 11. Comfort Inn Southwest 34. Parkside Inn O. Mississippi State Capitol W. Smith-Wills Stadium 12. Courtyard by Marriott 35. Poindexter Park Inn 36. Quality Inn C. Eudora Welty House P. Mississippi State Coliseum Museum X. Thalia Mara Hall* 13. Days Inn-Coliseum* (Bed & Breakfast) 37. Red Roof Inn Fairgrounds Y. War Memorial Building* 14. Days Inn Southwest 36. Quality Inn* Q. Mississippi State Fairgrounds D. Governor’s Mansion* 39. Regency Hotel & Convention Center E. Jackson Convention Z. William F. Winter Archives 15. E.com Lodge 37. Red Roof Inn Fairgrounds* R. Mississippi Trade Mart Building* 16. Econo Lodge 38. Regal Inn 42. Roberts Walthall Hotel Complex* T. The Oaks House Museum F. Jackson Zoological Park 17. Extended Stay Deluxe 39. Regency Hotel & G. Manship House Shopping 18. Extended Stay of America Convention Center* U. Old Capitol Museum H. Mississippi Agriculture & AA. Dogwood Festival Market 19. Fairfield Inn by Marriott 40. Regency Inn V. Smith Robertson Museum & Forestry Museum BB. Highland Village 20. Fairview Inn 41. Residence Inn by Marriott T RANSPORTATION I. Mississippi Arts Center* CC. Jackson Medical Mall (Bed & Breakfast) 42. Roberts Walthall Hotel* Cultural Center J. Mississippi Crafts Center DD. Metrocenter Mall 21. Hampton Inn North 43. Select 10 X. Thalia Mara Hall 49. Union Station 22. Hampton Inn & Suites* 44. Sleep Inn K. Mississippi Memorial EE. Northpark Mall Y. War Memorial Building Stadium 23. Hill Top Inn 45. Studio 6 L. Mississippi Museum of Art* Hotels 24. Hilton Jackson & 46. Super 8 Z. William F. Winter Archives *See listings on previous page M. Mississippi Museum of Convention Center 47. Super 8 North 1. America’s Best Suites 25. Holiday Inn Express Building Natural Science 2. America’s Best Value Inn N. Mississippi Sports Hall of Hotel & Suites* Transportation 3. Best Value Inn & Suites 26. In-Town Suites Fame and Museum 4. Best Western Executive 48. Jackson-Evers O. Mississippi State Capitol* 27. Inns of USA International Airport Inn* 28. Jackson Marriott- P. Mississippi State Coliseum* 5. Best Western Jackson 49. Union Station* Q. Mississippi State Downtown* North 29. Jameson Inn Fairgrounds* 6. Budget Inn R. Mississippi Trade Mart* 30. La Quinta Inn North 7. Cabot Lodge Millsaps 31. Metro Inn S. Mynelle Gardens 8. Clarion Hotel & Suites *See downtown map opposite for detail

40 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 41 OTHER AREA CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM OFFICES

Aberdeen Visitors Bureau Grenada County Chamber of Commerce & Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Rankin County Chamber of Commerce 662-369-9440 • 800-634-3538 Grenada Tourism Commission Visitors Bureau 601-825-2268 662-226-2571 • 800-373-2571 228-896-6699 • 888-467-4853 Booneville Area Chamber/Tourism Ridgeland Tourism Commission 662-728-4130 • 800-300-9302 Hattiesburg Convention & Visitors Bureau Mississippi’s West Coast – Hancock County 601-956-1225 • 800-468-6078 601-296-7475 • 866-442-8843 Tourism Bureau Brookhaven/Lincoln County 228-463-9222 • 800-466-9048 Stone County Economic Chamber of Commerce Hazlehurst Chamber of Commerce Development Partnership 601-833-1411 • 800-613-4667 601-894-3752 Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau 601-928-5418 • 601-928-6469 601-446-6345 • 800-647-6724 Canton Convention & Visitors Bureau Holly Springs Tourism Recreation Bureau Tate County Economic Development 601-859-1307 • 1-800-844-3369 662-252-2515 Newton Chamber of Commerce Foundation 601-683-2201 662-562-8715 Carthage/Leake County Indianola Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce 662-887-4454 • 877-816-7581 Noxubee Alliance Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau 601-267-9231 • 601-267-8123 662-726-2603 • 800-487-0165 662-363-3800 • 888-488-6422 Iuka/Tishomingo County Tourism Clarksdale/Coahoma County 662-423-0051 • 800-386-4373 Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau Chamber of Commerce 228-875-4424 662-841-6521 • 800-533-0611 662-627-7337 • 800-626-3764 Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau 601-960-1891 • 800-354-7695 Okolona Area Chamber of Commerce Union County Development Association Cleveland/Bolivar County 662-447-5913 662-534-4354 • 888-534-8232 Chamber of Commerce/Tourism Jackson County Chamber of Commerce 662-843-2712 • 800-295-7473 228-762-3391 Oxford Tourism Council Vicksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau 662-234-4680 • 800-758-9177 601-636-9421 • 800-221-3536 Clinton Chamber of Commerce Jones County Chamber of Commerce 601-924-5912 • 800-611-9980 601-428-0574 • 800-392-9629 Panola Partnership, Inc. Washington County 662-563-3126 • 888-872-6652 Convention & Visitors Bureau Columbus-Lowndes County Kemper County Chamber of Commerce 662-334-2711 • 800-467-3582 Convention & Visitors Bureau 601-743-2754 Philadelphia/Neshoba County 662-329-1191 • 800-327-2686 Community Development Partnership Webster County Development Council Kosciusko Tourist Promotion Council 601-656-1000 • 877-752-2643 662-258-7835 • 662-258-7201 Corinth Area Tourism Promotion Council 662-289-2981 662-287-8300 • 800-748-9048 Picayune Chamber of Commerce West Point/Clay County Lauderdale County Tourism 601-798-3122 Community Growth Alliance Covington County Chamber of Commerce 601-428-8001 • 888-868-7720 662-494-5121 • 866-494-5127 601-765-6012 Poplarville Chamber of Commerce Louisville/Winston County 601-795-0578 Yazoo County Convention & Crystal Springs Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau 601-829-2711 662-773-3921 Port Gibson Chamber of Commerce 662-746-1815 • 800-381-0662 601-437-4351 Desoto County Tourism Marion County Development Partnership 662-393-8770 601-736-6385 Quitman/Clarke County Chamber of Commerce Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership McComb Visitors Bureau 601-776-5701 601-948-7575 601-249-0116 Greater Starkville Development Partnership Mendenhall Chamber of Commerce 662-323-3322 • 800-649-8687 601-847-1725 Greenwood Convention & Visitors Bureau Mississippi Development Authority 662-453-9197 • 800-748-9064 Division of Tourism 601-359-3297 • 866-SEE-MISS

42 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM 43 MEET ME IN JACKSON

THERE’S NO BETTER HERE ARE A FEW MORE PERKS WE PLACE TO MEET PROVIDE, FREE OF CHARGE. AND GREET. • Site inspections for qualified meeting and convention planners The City with Soul offers a world of • Assistance with program and excursion possibilities for your next meeting, conference, planning or convention. With over 5,000 hotel rooms, over 300 restaurants, elegant banquet and • Registration assistance convention facilities, and the beautiful new • Area pamphlets, brochures, and maps 330,000 square-foot Jackson Convention Complex, we can accommodate everything • Canvassing of local hotels/motels for from board meetings to convention groups of available rooms and meeting space for 7,000 – all with the same flair for hospitality your convention that makes our city famous. Located at the crossroads of I-20 and I-55, • News releases Jackson is easily accessible by all modes of • Photographs and printed materials for use in transportation and the Jackson-Evers International preparing your organization’s publications Airport, our “user friendly” airport, is located only 15 minutes from downtown. • An official invitation and welcome • Attendance promotion

WE’LL MAKE YOUR NEXT CONVENTION LESS TAXING. Planning a convention in Jackson won’t just make you look good. It’ll make your bottom line look good, because not only do we have world-class events for your group to enjoy and one-of-a-kind historic attractions to explore, we also offer your group a fairly low tax rate. Jackson has one of the lowest tourism taxes in the region, and the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau offers one of the best free services packages for meetings in the nation. All these attributes make Jackson one very affordable, accessible, and accommodating place.

44 SEE WWW.VISITJACKSON.COM For information on complementary services for your next convention or group tour, call (601) 960-1891 or 1-800-354-7695.

This guide was compiled by the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau. All information contained herein is current at the time of printing with every effort made to ensure its accuracy and inclusiveness. The Bureau accepts no legal responsibility for errors or omissions. (2/09) 1-800-354-7695 www.visitjackson.com