After visiting Louisiana, I’m feeling really inspired to look into what it might be like to visit some of the neighboring states. I’ve been on the Mississippi but I’ve never been to Mississippi. I thought it would be a great state to explore next.
One thing that immediately caught my attention was the juxtaposition of the Louisiana swamp aesthetic and the Mississippi coastal aesthetic. I’m sure if I dug a little deeper there is a reason for the very different branding but as a person from the West, Louisiana reads Alabama and Mississippi gives Carolina. Does that make sense to anyone else? Just me?
Regardless, here’s some fun looking things to do when I make it to Mississippi!
Unique Attractions
First up, Mississippi seems to have a pretty good spread of unique attractions and it seems to be a pretty well-rounded place in regards to tourism. Mammy’s Cupboard is one place that I am simply enamored with. It’s equal parts roadside attraction and charming. I can’t help but wonder if “cupboard” is a double entendre considering its a restaurant inside her skirt. Their menu has a relatively small selection but they do make their sourdough in house. I’m not really a peanut butter and jelly fan, either, but I’ve never seen it on a menu so I’d also probably have to order that (just to say I did).
Another unique place I’d like to visit is what National Geographic has dubbed the “Time Capsule of the South” – the McRaven house. I must admit, I didn’t find this particular house while looking for historical tours. They actually have a pretty significant paranormal reputation. One usually does follow the other, however. According to their website, the house had 2 additions over 3 distinct time periods, during which they did not update the rest of the house. The result? You can see representation of each period essentially untouched. As for ghosts, its rumored to have multiple active spirits, possibly being those of the former occupants Mary Elizabeth Howard, Andrew Glass, and John Bobb. As a result, they are considered one of the most haunted sites in Mississippi!
Natural Attractions
Mississippi has no shortage of natural attractions for one to explore. I know I mentioned at the top that they tend to lean less into being swampy than Louisiana does, but I’d be remiss to not mention the cypress swamp located on the Natchez Trace Parkway. You can find it at milepost 122. It also serves as the trailhead for the Yockanookany Section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. There’s a boardwalk going over the swamp and sometimes you can also find alligators lounging in the area. The whole trail looks gorgeous! With the entire thing spanning 23 miles (north and south) there’s no shortage of places to explore.
In addition to milepost 122, the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail has plenty of other unique sections and a wide variety of historic moments to relive. One such section is actually multiple different ones that fall under the same category – sunken trace. Milepost 41.5 is one such section of Old Trace. You can find another section at Milepost 350.5.
The difference between them tells you just how long this Natchez Trace Parkway is – 444 miles in total. Its a scenic drive roughly following the path of the historic Natchez Trace with various places of interest marked along the way. The National Scenic Trail has over 60 miles of trailway along the Parkway where you can hike and explore. Not sure what a “trace” means? It’s just another word for a trail, and in this particular case, a 10,000 year old trail traveled by indigenous peoples following wild animals who had already forged their own game trails. Really cool and really old!
Another gorgeous place I’d love to have the pleasure to visit is Clark Creek State Park. It hosts some of my favorite natural formations, waterfalls, and quite a few – about 50. They range in size from 10 feet to about 30 feet in height. This could be considered modest, but I keep room for all shapes and sizes! Waterfalls are a main attraction, but there are also trails to explore the 700 acres that the park includes, too. This area actually serves as a great habitat for a recovering species in the area, the black bear, and is even called ‘home’ by a rare land snail (pretty neat if snails are your thing!).
Paranormal Attractions
You might not think I do a great job of limiting the amount of time I spend talking about ghosts, but I promise I really try to limit the amount of haunted attractions I write about. Honestly, though, Mississippi had a lot more haunted locations that seem a lot more haunted than most. So blame it on me, Mississippi, or their PR but here goes some of the coolest sounding paranormal attractions I came across.
Let’s start out with a three word ghost story: Haunted Deer Island.
Yes, you heard that right. Haunted. Deer. Island. Just off the coast of Biloxi, Mississippi sits a barrier island and coastal preserve known as Deer Island. It’s a beautiful, undeveloped location to see wildlife like dolphins, crabs, and various sea birds. And apparently, a headless ghost pirate with a mysterious blue orb as a buddy – perhaps his head and not a buddy at all? That would be the infamous ghost of deer island and the Firewater Ghost. That’s really all I know, but that’s also all I needed to know. You can’t tell me “headless ghost pirate” and expect me to not be interested.
The next ghost also has a pretty cool moniker and apparently that’s all it takes. This one is known as Bloody Sarah and you can find her at the Franklin Cemetery in Gautier. According to lore, she is said to dart out in front of cars to scare their drivers, who are then said to hear her laughter at her prank. It’s not just her at Franklin Cemetery, though. A man named Hal, who is said to have killed his daughter Cheryl Anne, is rumored to steal things from other’s graves and place them onto his own. His daughter is also reportedly seen near her father’s grave. I can only hope its because she is seeking otherworldly vengeance on him for killing her!
Now, now…my next haunted locale sounds absolutely unhinged. Cue Old Man Stuckey. Legend has it that Stuckey is part of the Dalton Gang who was left behind in Mississippi. He then turned to luring passersby to his inn, where he would kill them in their sleep and steal their valuables. Twenty victims later he would be caught and hanged for his crimes. It’s reported that you might see his lantern along the river below Stuckey’s bridge, Old Man Stucky swinging by his neck from the bridge, or if you’re unlucky enough, experience being pushed off the bridge by his vengeful ghost. I couldn’t find any hard facts on the narrative, but it is classic spooky.
There’s plenty to see and do in the Magnolia State. It seems quite charming and with plenty of outdoor adventures available. I’m also thinking it does seem to be pretty haunted. What do you think? Interested in visiting? And what would you like to see more of on these lists – outdoorsy, food, paranormal?
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