Whenever someone mentioned Jackson, Mississippi to me the first thing that popped into my mind was the song, Uptown Funk, by Bruno Mars. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what was available in Jackson. My son attends the 2nd largest college in the state and it’s located in a place called Starkville. And the name fits. There is not much to do any place around Starkville. Would Jackson be different? We surprised my son with a birthday weekend in Jackon and found, to my surprise, Jackson is packed with fun activities to satisfy the entire family. Here are five must-visit sites in Jackson, Mississippi.
We visited Jackson, MS, entirely on our own. All attractions were paid for by us.
5 Family Friendly Activities in Jackson, Mississippi
1. Old State Capital Museum. This building served as the state capital from 1839 until 1903. The classic Greek Revival building is a marvel of classic architecture. The tour is self-guided so you can take as little or as long as you would like to explore. The museum workers are very helpful and took the time to answer any questions we had. The museum delves into the history of Mississippi with exhibits and audio tracks. In the judicial chamber, there is an exhibit for kids allowing them to make the verdict on actual court cases from the state. They can compare their verdict to the actual outcome of the trial. It would be a great discussion for homeschooling families. While you are in the area, check out the street art located nearby and walk by the Governor’s Mansion. Cost: Free
2. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum. This museum consists of two parts; an indoor museum and an outdoor museum. The indoor museum explains the history of agriculture and forestry in the state and includes several interactive exhibits for the kids. The staff is very knowledgeable and are happy to answer questions or explain the history. The outdoor museum was my favorite. It consisted of old building from around the state and was laid out in several sections. One section included the pioneer portion and had cabins and various outbuilding to explore. Another part was set up as a town that looked to be straight from the set of Little House on the Prairie. As a history buff, it was fun to explore the general store and other structures. My favorite was the former jail, which had -once upon a time when the building was in its original position- been used as the birthing center for the town cat, Jezebel. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm. Admission is charged.
3. Lefleur’s Bluff State Park. This is a great spot in the middle of the city for some quick down time. There is a beautiful lake for fishing and a few scenic hiking trails. There is a small playground, along with plenty of picnic tables and grills. It’s the perfect place for a picnic or to allow the kids to blow off some steam. Parents can sit by the lake and relax while the children play. Admission is $4 per car, with an extra charge for over 6 people in a vehicle.
4. Mississippi Farmer’s Market– Want to get a real taste of the cuisine in Mississippi? Stop by the Mississippi Farmer’s Market, open each Saturday from 9 am until 2 pm. You’ll find 32 stalls in over 18,000 square feet packed with farmers, artisans, and crafters from all over the state. We visited in the dead of winter and still found an amazing dairy farm who sold some of the best fresh milk I’ve had. During peak seasons, the market features cooking demonstrations from culinary schools and chefs from area restaurants, live entertainment, senior citizen and children activities. Some booths offer free samples to allow you to taste the wares before purchasing too. Cost: Admission is free, reasonable prices on items inside the market. Tip: Get to the market early as some of the booths sell out quickly.
5. Rooster’s Restaurant – This restaurant was recommended by locals and, after our visit, I could see why. It’s a small space located at Fondren corner in downtown so we had to park in a lot across the street. When the owner heard us mention it was our first visit, he stepped over to explain the concept to us. Their food is prepared daily, in-house, from their fresh buns down to their salad dressing. They work with local produce markets and do no use artificial ingredients. I had the “Stupid Burger,” which included double patties, Monterey Jack cheese, caramelized onions, Applewood smoked bacon and garlic mayo. I tried the small and still could only eat half of it before I was way too full. I did save some room to sample the banana pudding and suggest everyone else do the same! Rooster’s is closed on Sunday.
Tips: If you visit in the summer, it’s hot and humid. Prepare for the weather with lots of cool clothing and keep plenty of water on hand.
They also have mosquitos. They’re not quite the size of golf balls, but those suckers are pretty large. Take insect repellent.
There are many more places in Jackson, Mississippi we plan to visit in the future. Most of the attractions are centrally located and several are close together, making it easy to visit them all. Jackson is also an easy city to navigate and has a good traffic flow. In other words, you can drive through town easily without getting stuck in traffic.
Have you visited Jackson? Do you have a favorite place to recommend?
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I’ve never been to Jackson, Mississippi before. These definitely sound like some fun things to do though!
I’ve never been to Mississippi, I would love to experience the deep south. I love doing all of the tourist things when in a new town. Thanks for sharing.
Those sound like really nice places to visit. I will have to keep these in mind when visiting.
I haven’t been to Mississippi. I think it would be a nice place to visit though. It’s def. a potential spot for us!
I’ve visited Mississippi once and loved it. Looking at your post makes me wish I could go back now.
Thanks for sharing this destination. There looks like there is a nice list of fun things to do there.
Mississippi is a place I have never been to before but would love to visit. Jackson looks like it has awesome places to explore. The museums are places my family enjoys visiting. Thanks for sharing the information.
Adding this to our must visit list! Thank you for sharing these tips!
Wow. I love reading about so many places to visit away from the usual, crowded tourist spots. I would love to visit the Farmer’s market and Rooster’s restaurant first. 🙂
I never thought there would be so much to do in Mississippi. I have never been but would love to visit, although I am not a fan of mosquitos!
I am hoping to be in Mississippi this summer. I will have to see if I can stop in Jackson and check a few of these out.
I have never been to Jackson but it sounds like a great spot. I would love to road trip through Mississippi.
I have never been to Mississippi. These sound like places worth seeing too. Love your photos.
This sounds like a place that I would love to visit. Any place that has a farmer’s market is okay by me. I will have to make it a point to visit Jackson someday.
I have never been to Mississippi, but it sounds like there are lots of great places to check out with the family. This would make for a fun road trip! Looks like you had a chance to see a lot of cool places.
While we’ve never been to Mississippi, the kids enjoy museums and I especially like that the Old State Capital Museum is self-guided because then we can take our time and spend as little or as much time in an exhibit if we want. All of the sites sound intriguing, but can I just say, I want that “Stupid Burger”! It looks fantastic. We’ll definitely need to plan a vacation out that way.
I’ve never been to Mississippi, but would love to check it out. This is a great list of things to see and do down there.
I think I would go to any single one of these places. I have never been to Mississippi and eventually I’d like to get there and now I know where I like to go.
I’m a museum buff! I would love to visit all of the museums you shared in this post. I love learning about the history behind each city or town. I would also love to meet Jezebel! I love the idea of a cat that is beloved by the town.
I’m definitely in for a visit to Roosters in Jackson! Looks like there’s lots to do and lots of history to see.
I’ve never been here in a long time and it would be nice to visit. I’m sure I’m going to have lots of fun in that Farmer’s Market! It’s really nice and quiet in Jackson.
I’ve only been to Mississippi once before, but it wasn’t for sight-seeing. Actually, I don’t even remember what I visited for.
Next time we are traveling in that direction, we will plan a stop in Jackson. We both enjoy visiting historical sites, especially in the south where the heritage and history is so rich.
I must admit that I never knew that there were so many things going on in Jackson Mississippi! I guess that means we are going to have to take a trip down south!
Jackson Mississippi is one place we have never visited. Nice you found so many great activities to keep you busy while visiting you son at college. The food looks delicious and the weather seemed perfect.
That hamburger is my everything right now! Even at this time in the morning! I believe I visited Mississippi when I was a very small girl but I don’t remember. There’s pictures though! And I’m all about hot and humid weather because I’m in Canada and we suffer through our brutal cold winters!
Hey, that old jail is pretty cool. I’d love to take a trip with the family to Jackson. We enjoy exploring towns with unique history like this. Thanks for the heads up.
LeFleur’s Bluff looks like a ton of fun. I love getting out in nature and exploring. I’d love to explore Jackson in general. It’s got a cool vibe.
I would love to go hang out in Jackson for a few days. There’s actually a lot more to do there than I would have thought. Thanks!
If I ever make it to Jackson, I am heading to Rooster’s first. Jackson sounds like a fun place to visit.