Mississippi
Where can you go from Jackson by train? Curious Mississippi answers
Editor’s note: This is the latest edition of Curious Mississippi, a service to the readers of the Clarion Ledger. Other questions answered by Curious Mississippi included road safety, potholes, cicadas and the international nature of the Jackson airport. Last week, we answered the question of why Mississippi roads are brown. Readers can submit questions by email to CuriousMississippi@ClarionLedger.com and editors will pick out the best and reporters will answer them in an upcoming edition.
Looking to take a trip from Jackson? The city’s Amtrak station located in Union Station allows travelers to take a train to a handful of different destinations via a direct route.
However, there are downsides when opting for a train ride.
Getting North and South by train from Jackson is relatively easy. Going East or West, and you are out of luck.
Three major cities with direct routes by train from Jackson include New Orleans, Memphis and Chicago. A trip to New Orleans in your own car takes just under three hours compared to the four-and-a-half-hour train ride from Union Station. A car drive to Memphis takes about one and a half hours less than a train ride. A plane ride to Chicago is significantly shorter and comparative in price.
So, why opt for a train over a plane or automobile?
Some find trains a romanticized mode of transportation, offering a unique experience not found when sitting on a plane or car or bus. Trains often offer passengers with more room and leisurely views of the surrounding scenery. Train stations and trains themselves are also often easier to navigate for those with disabilities.
Jackson resident Khalilah Wright and her daughter Chandler Wright waited in Union Station Tuesday afternoon for the evening train heading to Chicago, where they had moved from four years ago. Khalilah said they opted for a train ride because Chandler doesn’t like planes.
Khalilah said she and her family travel to Chicago often. She takes a plane when traveling with her husband and train when traveling with her daughter. While both have advantages and disadvantages, Khalilah said riding the train provides more bonding time with Chandler because they can chat while waiting in the station and during the longer ride.
The train is “nice and relaxing,” Khalilah said, and she enjoys the views from the train cars with large windows. She also said a train is a much better option for her mother, who is disabled, to travel to Jackson from Chicago.
Like plane tickets, Amtrak ticket prices vary depending on upgrades and when you book the ticket. Read on to find out which cities you can reach directly from the Jackson Amtrak station. These “direct routes” refer to the cities to which you can buy a one-way or round-trip ticket. There are often several stations in between Jackson and these final destinations, so they are not considered “non-stop” routes.
How to get to Chicago by train
A trip to Chicago from Jackson by an Amtrak train takes about 15 to 16 hours. Overnight rides are offered so you can board the train at 6 p.m. and arrive in the Windy City by 10 a.m. the next morning.
A one-way ticket to Chicago from Jackson for one adult will set you back about $150 to $200 for a coach ticket or anywhere from $300 to $900 for a private room with a restroom and shower.
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How to get to New Orleans by train
A train ride to New Orleans from the Jackson Amtrak station takes around four and half hours. A round trip is feasible for a quick weekend get away.
A ticket for a single adult one-way is about $50 to $60 for a coach ticket or about $100-$150 for a private room with a restroom or sink.
How to get to Memphis by train
Memphis is also a good option for a weekend trip. A train ride from the Amtrak Jackson station to the Memphis station clocks in at just over four and a half hours.
Tickets cost anywhere from about $30 to $50 for a single adult coach ticket or from $100 to $300 for a private room.
Recent answers by Curious Mississippi: Curious Mississippi: Why is car registration so expensive in MS and even more so in Jackson?
Where else can I go by train from Jackson?
There are several other stops on the direct route from Jackson. The stations on this route are not the only Mississippi stations. There is a line that runs from New Orleans connecting stations in Picayune, Hattiesburg, Laurel and Meridian before continuing through Alabama.
Here are all the cities with Amtrak stations on the direct route to and from Jackson, starting with New Orleans and heading north ending with Chicago:
- New Orleans
- Hammond, Louisiana
- McComb, Mississippi
- Brookhaven, Mississippi
- Hazlehurst, Mississippi
- Jackson
- Yazoo City, Mississippi
- Greenwood, Mississippi
- Marks, Mississippi
- Memphis
- Newbern-Dyersburg, Tennessee
- Fulton, Kentucky
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Centralia, Illinois
- Mattoon, Illinois
- Effingham, Illinois
- Champaign-Urbana , Illinois
- Kankakee, Illinois
- Homewood, Illinois
- Chicago
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com
Mississippi
Good Housekeeping names 23 best city vacations. See why Jackson made the list
AAA forecast record number of Americans to travel Thanksgiving holiday
AAA’s Thanksgiving travel forecast has plenty of tips for travelers preparing for getaways this holiday. A more local forecast will come Nov. 20.
Looking for new places to go, explore? Jackson, Mississippi, is one of 23 cities that Good Housekeeping named the best city vacations for 2026. Whether you should add the City with Soul to your travel bucket list or live nearby and need to get a different view of local history and attractions, there’s something here for you.
Good Housekeeping pointed out that the city has a range of fun and educational experiences, “the state capital is far from one-note. A vibrant music and culinary scene gives this vacation spot an appealing rhythm.”
To pick the best travel destinations for cities, tours, cruises, resorts and more, Good Housekeeping worked with 125 testers to pick the best of the best. They worked with experts and consumers to evaluate trips, experiences and services around the world.
“Music flows from historic venues and neighborhood stages, and the culinary scene is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most diverse and dynamic in the South. From family-friendly attractions and engaging museums to lively festivals and a thriving arts community, Jackson offers travelers an experience that is authentic, soulful, and entirely its own,” Visit Jackson wrote in a news release.
Each tester shared photos and video from their trip and filled out a detailed survey. The considered things like value, attractions, available lodging and safety.
Jackson checked the right boxes. Here’s what the tester said about their trip and the three placed to visit or stay that Good Housekeeping says you “won’t want to miss.”
What can I do in Jackson? Good Housekeeping has suggestions
Good Housekeeping highlighted three specific places to visit that highlight the City with Soul’s place in Civil Rights history and show how it’s a creative, vibrant community:
Medgar & Myrlie Evers monument highlights Civil Rights icons
At the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, Visit Jackson says you can walk “in the footsteps of legends.”
“The city was — and remains — the beating heart of the American civil rights movement, inviting visitors to engage deeply with this legacy through powerful landmarks,” Visit Jackson wrote.
Medgar and Myrlie Evers worked together in the American Civil Rights Movement. Medgar, the NAACP field secretary for Mississippi, was assassinated at their home on June. 12, 1963. His death, the first slaying of a national leader in the movement, helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Mylie Evers-Williams has also served as chair for the NAACP and published books about Civil Rights. She worked for more than 30 years to get justice for her husband.
Learn about Mississippi, Civil Rights history
Two Mississippi Museums have immersive exhibits that help people understand how the decisions of the past affect the state today, and Good Housekeeping specifically highlighted the Civil Rights museum.
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum shows how leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer and James Meredith continue to influence change. From the struggle for freedom to looking at modern Black empowerment, exhibits inform and ask visitors what comes next for us.
“Visiting the city’s Mississippi Civil Rights Museum was an incredibly moving experience for me,” said the Good Housekeeping tester, a Black mom of two.
She said the best bit of the trip came from the museum. “The gumbo I ordered at the museum’s Nissan Café was by far one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in my life!”
The Museum of Mississippi History also takes you through 15,000 years, from mound builders to juke joints. Exhibits introduce you to the first people who lived here; walk through eras including the Civil War and Reconstruction; and take a look at the creative soul of the state.
Stay in historic Jackson property
The Good Housekeeping tester stayed at The Orchid Bed & Breakfast. Mississippi’s first Black-owned bed and breakfast is on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was built in 1888 for the founder of Millsaps College. According to the B&B’s website, Webster Millsaps served in the Confederate army, and his family owned enslaved people in Copiah County.
Owners Jason and Katrice Thomson have renovated and restored the home. Ten of the 11 rooms are named after strong women in their families, according to the website. The 11th, Lily, is “dedicated to all of the other Black women—known and unknown—who have made a significant impact on our lives, our communities, and our great state.”
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Traffic stop uncovers 9 kilos of cocaine in car batteries on Mississippi River levee
ST. JAMES PARISH, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents, working with deputies from St. Charles and St. John parishes, seized nine kilograms of suspected cocaine during a Nov. 14 traffic stop along the Mississippi River levee system in St. James Parish.
Agents were patrolling the levee when they stopped a vehicle and called for assistance from a St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy with a drug-sniffing dog. The canine alerted to possible narcotics inside the vehicle, and officers detained the driver and moved him to a St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office facility.
Search warrants were secured for the vehicle. During the search, LDWF agents and deputies from both parishes found two large vehicle batteries on the rear floorboard. Inside each battery, they discovered four compressed blocks of suspected cocaine that had been epoxied and sealed into the casing.
A test of powder from one of the blocks indicated a presumptive positive result for cocaine.
Agents arrested the driver and seized both the vehicle and the narcotics. Because of the quantity recovered, authorities contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The driver was booked for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
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Mississippi
Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Nov. 17, 2025
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 17, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Nov. 17 drawing
04-15-25-28-33
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from Nov. 17 drawing
Midday: 3-2-4, FB: 8
Evening: 4-7-3, FB: 5
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from Nov. 17 drawing
Midday: 2-3-2-6, FB: 8
Evening: 7-1-2-8, FB: 5
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from Nov. 17 drawing
Midday: 04
Evening: 05
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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