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Visit Mississippi and experience a trip filled with history, beauty, fun

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Visit Mississippi and experience a trip filled with history, beauty, fun

If you are traveling to Mississippi, there is no shortage of activities to take part in during your travels. 

Mississippi is filled with ravishing natural beauty and museums where you can take a deeper dive into history. 

In Mississippi, there is something for everyone, from scenic hikes to testing your luck at the blackjack table at one of the state’s numerous casinos. 

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Use this guide as inspiration for stops to make during your trip to Mississippi. 

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  1. Visit one of the state’s many museums
  2. Head to the casino
  3. Relax on Biloxi Beach
  4. Visit Vicksburg National Military Park
  5. See Windsor Ruins
  6. Go to Longwood
  7. Drive the Natchez Trace Parkway
  8. Take kids to Mississippi Aquarium
  9. Go to the birthplace of Elvis Presley

Mississippi is home to many different attractions tourists enjoy, like a large aquarium and the house where Elvis Presley was born. (Getty Images)

1. Visit one of the state’s many museums

Mississippi is home to many different museums throughout the state. 

One popular one to visit is the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. 

The Delta Blues Museum is the state’s oldest music museum, according to its website. The museum is filled with exhibits that explore the history of blues music. Check the museum’s website to see the exhibits that will be running during your visit. 

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Another museum located in Mississippi is the GRAMMY Museum. This museum can be found in Cleveland. The 28,000-square-foot museum has more than 24 exhibits that cover different music genres, from rock to hip-hop to country, according to its website. 

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2. Head to the casino

Mississippi has many different luxurious casinos throughout the state where you can play slot machines and table games. 

One of the most popular to visit is Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi. In addition to the games you can play, there are also many dining opportunities and a hotel on-site if you want to stay at the casino. 

There is live entertainment at the casino, too, so be sure to check in and see who will be playing prior to your visit.

3. Relax on Biloxi Beach

Biloxi Beach is a popular tourist attraction in Mississippi. 

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You can take a walk in the sand along the beach after visiting Beau Rivage Casino. 

While at the beach, you can also enjoy many of the main fishing spots and grab a bite at one of the delicious seafood restaurants by the beach.

For great views of the beach 24 hours a day, stay at one of the many beachside hotels with quick access to the sandy shore. 

Biloxi Beach in Mississippi

Biloxi Beach is a great fishing spot in Mississippi. (Barry Lewis/InPictures via Getty Images)

4. Visit Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park is full of Civil War history. The Vicksburg campaign was a success for the Union Army, according to History.com, and one of the longest campaigns of the Civil War.

The Vicksburg Campaign began in 1862 and continued until July 4, 1863, with the Confederate surrender, according to the National Parks Service. 

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Today, you can visit Vicksburg National Military Park and see the 1,325 historic monuments and markers that fill the location, according to NationalParks.org.

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You can also find a restored Union gunboat, the USS Cairo, here and the Vicksburg National Cemetery. 

5. See Windsor Ruins

Not far from Port Gibson is Windsor Ruins. 

This location is where the Windsor plantation once stood but was destroyed by a fire in 1890, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. 

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Today, there are 23 columns left standing.

Windsor Ruins in Mississippi

The Windsor Ruins is a free destination you can visit on your vacation. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

You may recognize the ruins from the movies they have been featured in: “Raintree County” and “Ghost of Mississippi.” 

Guests can visit the ruins during operating hours at no cost.

6. Go to Longwood

Longwood is a mansion in Natchez.

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The mansion is unique in its octagonal shape and an attraction that many tourists make time to see while they are visiting the state.

Guests can take a tour of Longwood seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to the Visit Natchez website.

7. Drive the Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile scenic road that runs through three different U.S. states: Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. 

Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi

Take a scenic drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway during your trip to Mississippi. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

There are many places to hike or bike along the trail. 

If you enjoy camping, there are numerous places to pitch a tent on the trail after a long day of hiking or driving. 

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8. Take kids to Mississippi Aquarium

The Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport is a great destination for kids and adults alike. 

This aquarium provides hours of family fun with so much to see during your visit. 

 

This aquarium features an alligator habitat, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, a freshwater river and a touch pool for guests to get up-close to horseshoe crabs, baby sharks and more. 

For an additional cost, guests can also book special encounters with dolphins, penguins and others. 

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9. Go to the birthplace of Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo on Jan. 8, 1935. 

If you are a fan of the King of Rock and Roll, stop at the two-room house where Presley was born. 

When the house was originally built by his father, $180 was used to put together the home, according to Visit Mississippi. 

The house is now part of the 15-acre Elvis Presley Park. 

Here you can also find the “Elvis at 13” statue, a popular photo stop on the property, and Presley’s childhood church. 

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Southeast

Former federal prosecutor in death row case speaks on Biden commuting murderer's sentence: 'My heart aches'

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Former federal prosecutor in death row case speaks on Biden commuting murderer's sentence: 'My heart aches'

A former federal prosecutor in the case that sent a man to death row says it is difficult to see a “remorseless murderer” be relieved of his sentence following President Biden’s decision on Monday to commute nearly all federal inmates facing execution.

Brandon Council, of North Carolina, was sentenced to death by a federal jury on Oct. 3, 2019, after he was found guilty of killing two women who worked at a South Carolina bank during a robbery in 2017. 

Council was one of the 37 convicted murderers who will now spend life in prison without parole after Biden reclassified their death sentences.

Derek Shoemake, former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina and one of the federal prosecutors in the case against Council, told Fox News Digital it was “one of the greatest professional honors” of his life to pursue justice for victims Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn Skeen, 36, and his heart aches for their families following Biden’s decision.

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Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn (Katie) Skeen, 36, were killed in cold blood by Brandon Council while he robbed a South Carolina bank in 2017. (Derek Shoemake)

“Donna and Katie were amazing women, wonderful mothers, and beacons of light in their community. Today my thoughts and prayers are with their families, and my heart aches for them as they process this news,” Shoemake said in a statement.

He also said his thoughts and prayers are with the team who “worked for more than a year” getting justice for Major and Skeen, “ensuring a remorseless murderer received a sentence that spoke to the horrific nature of his senseless crimes.”

Brandon Council mugshot

Brandon Council is one of 37 federal death row inmates who escaped execution following President Biden’s decision to commute their sentences. (DeathPenaltyInfo.org)

Council entered CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, on Aug. 21, 2017, with the intention of robbing the business and killing its employees, according to a 2017 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina (USAO-SC).

After making it inside, Council shot Major, who was the bank teller, multiple times with a revolver, the USAO-SC said at the time. He then ran into Skeen’s office, where she worked as the bank’s manager, and shot her multiple times while she hid under her desk. 

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Before fleeing the bank, he stole keys to both victims’ cars, their bank cards and more than $15,000 in cash. He took one of the vehicles to a motel he was staying at, packed his luggage and drove off.

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“It is difficult to see a sentence wiped away from 400 miles away after it was legally imposed by a jury of men and women from South Carolina who spent weeks listening to evidence, deliberating, and carefully deciding the appropriate punishment,” Shoemake said.

He also said it hurts that the victims’ families “will celebrate yet another Christmas without their loved ones,” while Council is among the 37 federally convicted murderers “celebrating a political victory.”

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Most federal death row inmates were housed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Most federal death row inmates were housed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Shoemake said his focus is not on the political debate surrounding Biden’s commutations, but on the “legacy of love, family, and faith” that Major and Skeen embodied.

“I pray for their families, as I so often do, and I pray for all the victims’ families impacted today,” he said.

In a White House statement announcing the commutations on Monday, Biden said he condemns the murderers and their “despicable acts,” and he grieves for the victims and families who have suffered “unimaginable and irreparable loss,” but he “cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”

Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 convicted murderers on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. He left Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers (left), Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof (middle) and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right). (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, from left, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, FBI via AP)

Only three inmates remain on federal death row as Biden’s presidency nears its end. They are Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

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Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

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Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

George Washington University law professor Jonthan Turley said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was “wrong” to bring the Georgia election interference case against President-elect Trump after a Georgia court disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting the case on Thursday.

GEORGIA APPEAL COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

JONATHAN TURLEY: The immediate impact of this decision is overwhelming in terms of Willis herself. I mean, this court is basically saying that these cases are not supposed to be sort of vanity projects. You know, you were told by the lower court that you created this appearance of impropriety and the question for the court is why you didn’t remove yourself. Many of us at the time said that most prosecutors would have seen that their continuation of the case was harming the case and harming the public interest. Willis simply refused to give up the ghost and insisted that she wanted to be the lead in this. 

She was wrong to bring the case against Trump. You know, there are some viable claims here. You know, she charged some people with unlawful entry or access to restricted areas. Those are not particularly serious crimes, but they are crimes. She was wrong to go after Trump on this basis. She clearly wanted to engage in lawfare, and that’s one of the reasons why she wouldn’t give up the case. You know, when this issue was first raised, many of us wrote at the time that the correct move was to remove yourself. You selected a former lover as the lead counsel. That violated, in my view, core ethical requirements. He was ultimately disqualified by the court. But Judge McAfee gave her a chance to do the right thing. He said, look, this is your conduct is wrong here and you can remove yourself. Well, he was talking to the wrong person. She had no interest in removing herself. I mean, lawfare is only valuable if you’re the lead warrior, and she was not going to give up that position. 

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Fani Willis — the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia — previously said the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

The court did not toss Trump’s indictment entirely, but Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office now have “no authority to proceed.”

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he said, “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.” 

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Trump said the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

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Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein told MSNBC on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s reputation was “damaged” after a court disqualified her and her office from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in the election interference case against him.

“Her reputation is damaged, right? This was an unforced error as we said earlier, and, you know, this was all of her own doing, and now it unravels or might unravel one of the signature cases, not just of her career, but in Georgia. It leaves her damaged and it will be interesting to see what case she tries to make when she is expected to appeal this to the Georgia Supreme Court,” Bluestein told MSNBC’s Ana Caberra when asked about what was next for Willis.

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump and co-defendants in her election interference case. The court did not toss the indictment but declared that Willis and her team now have “no authority to proceed.” 

Bluestein noted that Willis had just won re-election in Georgia and that it wasn’t a surprise because Fulton County is a Democratic stronghold.

Reporter tells MSNBC Fani Willis’ reputation is damaged after she was disqualified from prosecuting the case against Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

Bluestein said, “It is expected to be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, but this is a really decisive order against Fani Willis being able to continue this case.”

Willis, who was spearheading the sweeping prosection case against Trump, came under fire after she was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecute the case.

Wade was ultimately forced to step down from the prosecution team.

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty) (Alyssa Pointer)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

Trump additionally said that the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

Catherine Christian, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, also weighed in on the disqualification on MSNBC.

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“But usually appellate courts defer to the lower court, the trial judge, who fashioned a remedy. He said Nathan Wade, the man she was having an affair with, had to leave so the office could stay, and this court has said, nope. This court said that Judge MacAfee did not really appreciate that her decision-making wasn’t just the indictment. It was who to charge, how to charge it, and that’s at the time when this alleged romantic relationship was going on, and they said that also was one of the reasons why they think it’s more than an appearance of impropriety. It’s a conflict of interest, and not just her, the entire office is disqualified,” Christian said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fani Willis’ office for comment.

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