Jackson Attractions
- Overview
- Attractions
- Events
- Facts
- Kids
Neighborhoods
Downtown is a lively
place from dawn to dusk. It is the site of many museums and the magnificent
State Capitol building. It is the center of business and commerce in Jackson.
Ridgeland, located
just a few miles from the city center, contains many shopping, eating and
lodging opportunities, along with some nightlife. Tougaloo College is in the
Ridgeland area. Tougaloo's historic Woodworth Chapel was the site of many
important meetings and events during the Civil Rights Movement.
Natchez
Trace Parkway,
bypasses Jackson through Ridgeland and neighboring Madison. The Trace was
originally a trading route for Native Americans and is now part of the National
Park Service. Ridgeland is also home to one of Jackson's most popular
recreational facilities, the 33,000 acre Ross Barnett Reservoir, created by the
damming of the Pearl River. It serves as a summer playground for boaters,
swimmers, fishermen and picnic-goers.
Mid
North Mid North is
home to many museums and recreational outlets, including LeFleur's Bluff State
Park. Offering fishing, camping and even a nine-hole public golf course, the
park also houses the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Across the street, a
large, state-owned complex is home to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the
Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Agricultural and
Forestry Museum. Minor league baseball is played at Smith-Wills Stadium.
Farish
Street The Farish
Street Historical District comprises roughly 60 square blocks just to the west
of downtown Jackson. In the years of racial segregation that followed the Civil
War, this neighborhood became a center of African-American culture, politics,
religion and business. At its peak, Farish Street was a thriving and vibrant
community, and landmarks such as the Alamo Theater regularly hosted Louis
Armstrong and many others. There are nearly 700 historical landmarks inside its
boundaries, including churches, buildings and Civil Rights sites.
Attractions
Battlefield Park
Porter St
And Langley Ave
Jackson,
MS
Site of
Civil War battle; original cannon and trenches.
Davis
Planetarium/McNair Space Theater
201 E
Pascagoula St
Jackson,
MS 39201
(601)
960-1550
Daily;
closed holidays
Programs change quarterly; 230-seat auditorium.
Manship
House
420 E
Fortification St
Jackson,
MS 39202
(601)
961-4724
Tuesday-Friday 9 am-4 pm, Saturday from 10 am; closed holidays
Restored
Gothic Revival cottage (circa 1855), was the residence of Charles Henry Manship,
mayor of Jackson during the Civil War. Period furnishings provide excellent
examples of wood graining and marbling.
Medgar
Evers Home Museum
2332
Margaret Walker Alexander Dr.
601-977-7839. (Office of EDC at Tougaloo College)
The Civil
Rights Movement leader was slain here, in the driveway of his home and
represents just one of the thousands in Mississippi who sacrificed so that
change could take place. For an appointment to visit the Medgar Evers home,
telephone contact number listed above.
Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum And National Agricultural Aviation
Museum
1150
Lakeland Dr
Jackson,
MS 39216
(601)
713-3365
Toll-Free:
(800) 844-8687
Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm; closed January 1, December 24-25
Complex,
covering 39 acres, includes museum exhibit center, forest trail, 1920s living
history town and farm. Picnicking.
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
1152
Lakeland Dr
Jackson,
MS 39216
(601)
982-8264
Open
Mon-Sat 10 am-4 pm
A variety
of interactive exhibits can be found here, such as touch-screen television
kiosks that access archival sports footage. Through interactive technology,
visitors can play championship golf courses, soccer, or pitch horseshoes.
Governor's Mansion
300 E
Capitol St
Jackson,
MS 39201
(601)
359-3175
Open
Tue-Fri 9:30am-11am
In January
1833, the Mississippi legislature appropriated funds to build a capitol building
and a "suitable house for the Governor." Delayed by the Panic of 1837 and the
ensuing Depression, construction of the Governor's Mansion was not begun until
1839, the same year that the Capitol building was completed. Architect William
Nichols (1780-1853), a native of Bath, England,designed the Mansion.
Architectural historians consider the Mississippi Governor's Mansion to be one
of the finest surviving examples of the Greek revival style in the United
States.
Mississippi Museum Of Art
201 E
Pascagoula
Jackson,
MS 39201
(601)
960-1515
Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Sunday from noon; closed holidays
Exhibitions of 19th- and 20th-century works by local, regional, national, and
international artists. The museum's collection includes African-American folk
art; photographs. Special exhibitions; sculpture garden; hands-on children's
gallery; restaurant, gallery programs, films; instruction, sales gallery.
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
(601)
354-7303
2148
Riverside Dr
Jackson,
MS 39202
Monday-Friday 8- 5; Saturday 9- 5; Sunday 1- 5.
The
striking expanses of glass and octagonal skylights set the tone at this
state-of-the-art facility. Life-size habitat displays include a 100,000-gallon
aquarium system that houses over 200 species of native fish, reptiles,
amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates. A 1,700-square foot greenhouse is home to
alligators, turtles, and fish. A lush native plant garden, and over 2.5 miles
of walking trails wind through the 300-acre natural area, extending the
experience to the outdoors. Outdoor exhibits feature The Liberty Garden honoring
the memory of those who perished on September 11, 2001 and The Millennium Grove
which insures the perpetuation of America's famous and historic species of
trees.
Jackson
Mynelle Gardens
(601)
960-1894
4736
Clinton Blvd
Jackson,
MS 39209
Hours:
12-5:15 March-October; (8-4:15 November-February)
Mynelle
Gardens typifies the southern garden. It began as a private garden created by
Mynelle Westbrook Hayward and was acquired by the City of Jackson in 1973. It
is a seven acre collage of distinctive gardens, with winding pathways, cascading
pools, and uniquely designed bridges which lead across a pond to an island
oasis. It is also a wildlife sanctuary and a haven for songbirds.
Mynelle Gardens is accessible to the handicapped.
Oaks
House Museum
823 N
Jefferson St
Jackson,
MS 39202
(601)
353-9339
Open
Tuesday-Saturday 10-3.
This Greek
revival cottage, built of hand-hewn timber by James H. Boyd, former mayor of
Jackson, was occupied by General Sherman during the siege of 1863. Now owned by
the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, the museum is furnished with
period furniture throughout, including a sofa from Abraham Lincoln's law office
in Springfield, Illinois.
Old
Capitol Museum
100 S.
State St
Jackson,
MS
8:00am -
5:00pm, Monday - Friday; 9:30am - 4:30pm, Saturday and 12:30pm - 4:30pm, Sunday.
Built in
1833 and used as the state seat of government until 1903, this building is a
National Historic Landmark. One of the country's most elegant examples of Greek
revival architecture, the museum houses exhibits that detail every significant
period of Mississippi's history. It also features the first permanent exhibit in
the country on the Civil Rights Movement.
