Jackson Things to Do

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An outdoor courtyard in the War Memorial Building honors Mississippi's war veterans. The carved sarcophagus in the center is a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, DC.

If you're going to the Old Capitol Museum, swing by this memorial - it's next door.

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The Mississippi Museum of Art is a feast for the eyes - both indoors and outdoors. The main art exhibits are inside the building, and you can also walk through the beautiful art gardens outside. I especially enjoyed seeing the works of Mississippi artists and photographers that depicted their state during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

The museum also houses a collection of pre-Columbian ceramics from Peru.

Don't miss William Dunlap's panoramic mural off the lobby. Modeled after historic cycloramas, it shows the Blue Ridge region of Virginia and the Civil War battlefield at Sharpsburg, Maryland and is meant to be viewed in the round.

The Palette Cafe is a great little place to have lunch - see my restaurant tips.

General admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students. Closed Mondays.

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This beautifully restored 1839 building was once the Mississippi State Capitol. Although that function has now been transferred to the New Capitol Building, the Old Capitol is now a very engaging museum.

The exhibits are geared towards children (and adults with short attention spans!), so they are eye-catching and hands-on. There are recordings to listen to - dramatic readings and re-creations of debates - models to examine, buttons to push, charts to flip.

This is a fun and educational spot for the whole family. Who knew that Mississippi was the first US state to give married women the right to own property? In the rest of the country in 1839, a woman's husband automatically took possession of her property upon their marriage. You go, Mississippi!

Admission is free. Closed Mondays. No flash photography allowed.

If you've ever read books by American author Eudora Welty (1909-2001) or are interested in her work, I recommend setting aside a couple of hours to visit the Eudora Welty House in the treesy Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson.

The tour begins in the visitor center next door with a short film about her life (I had no idea before that she was a photographer as well as a writer), then it winds through the two-story family home where Welty lived for most of her life, and ends in the rose garden. It's a very Southern tour - gentle voices and unhurried pace, but packed full of folksy anecdotes about Eudora, her friends and family. I enjoyed learning more about this talented, humorous woman and her life.

Adults $5, students $3. Open Tuesday - Friday; tours at: 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Visitors must be able to walk up stairs.

this massive marble memorial honors the men and women of mississippi who fought in our nation's wars. this memorial was built in 1940 and has been recently renovated. in the center of the memorial are metal reliefs of some civil war battles. an interesting place to visit next to the old capitol.

jacson has two capitols, the old and new. pictured is the old capitol that was built in 1839. this building served as mississippi's capitol untill 1903 when the new capitol was completed. this beautiful greek revival building was designed by architect william nichols. the old state capitol is now open to the public after being closed for repairs due to hurricane katrina in 2005. for more information see the attached web site.

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eudora welty was born in jackson in 1909 and after william faulkner is considered mississippi's best novelist. in 1925 welty's parents built a tudor revival style house in the belhaven neighborhood just north of downtown. in this house she wrote her famous short stories and the pulitzer prize winning novel "the optimist's daughter". the house has an interesting collection of art, books, and period furnishings. for those interested in literature and southern culture the welty house is a must see sight in jacskon. the eudora welty house is open to the public by appointment only. for tour reservations call 601-353-7762.

located on the north side of the new capitol is the second u.s.s. mississippi monument. the fiqurehead of the second u.s.s. mississippi was presented to the state by the u.s. navy department in 1909. the second u.s.s. mississippi was built in 1903 and served the u.s navy until 1914. the u.s.s. mississippi was transfered to the royal hellenic navy and was renamed the lemnos. the lemnos was sunk by a german bomber in 1941.

located at the south entrance to the new state capitol is the womans confederate monument. this monument honors the ladies, mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters of confederate solders who fought in the civil war. this is a very unique civil war monument.

the original first baptist church was built in 1843 using slave labor. this building was home to jackson's baptist congregation until 1893. after 1893 the building served as an apartment building and the headquarters of the american life insurance company. today the original baptist church is owned by the galloway united methodist church and is used for a day care center.