5 Hidden Gems In Mississippi, According To A Native Mississippian

What is it about our home states that makes them speak to us like no other place? At this point in my life I've lived in Alabama longer than I lived in Mississippi, but the Hospitality State will always feel like home to me. While most travelers flock to our quaint college towns, dine decadently in our state capital, or get their Vegas fix at Gulf Coast casinos, the wild parts of Mississippi are the ones that speak to me the most. These are my five favorite ways to explore and enjoy the hidden beauty of my home state.

Drive the Natchez Trace

It feels like I spent my entire childhood on this winding, tree-tunneled road—it was the fastest way from our home in Jackson to visit my paternal grandparents in Tupelo. Although it starts in Tennessee and skips across the northwest corner of Alabama, the majority of the 444-mile Natchez Trace meanders through Mississippi. Draping across the state from northeast at Tupelo to southwest at Natchez, this now-driveable National Park was first walked by the people from the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations 10,000 years ago. Dotted with historic sites and landmarks, it’s a beautiful, serene journey that brings to mind the Sunday drives of yesteryear. Keep an eye out for foxes, coyotes, and plenty of deer.

Swim at Sardis Lake

A short drive down the highway from the quaint town of Oxford is beautiful Sardis Lake, a nearly 100,000-acre man-made reservoir that is one of the largest lakes in the state. I spent summers here with my maternal grandmother's family, eating breakfast on screen porches, learning to ski on the mirror-smooth lake, and eating homemade peach ice cream in the evenings. Sadly the John W. Kyle State Park that surrounds part the lake has seen better days, it does offer some rustic cabins for overnight guests. There’s not much to eat around the lake, so be sure to stop in Oxford and check our best bites.

Explore a Petrified Forest

Thirty minutes north of the capital city of Jackson is Flora, Mississippi, a small Southern town with an ancient secret—it’s home to one of only two petrified forests east of the Mississippi River. Privately owned, the Mississippi Petrified Forest was formed more than 36 million years ago and is open for exploring year-round. In addition to accessing a museum featuring fossils and dinosaur footprints, guests can take a leisurely stroll through the living woods and see fallen primeval forest that turned to stone eons ago. I was (and still am) a huge rock nerd, and this was always my favorite school field trip.

Hike Tishomingo State Park

Mississippi is known for being a fairly flat state, but nobody told the Tishomingo State Park. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, this forested wonderland is crisscrossed by creeks and riddled with towering rock formations that make you feel like you’re exploring the mountains. Visit in the fall for beautiful foliage, and don't miss the swinging bridge.

Wander Horn Island

Fifteen miles offshore from quaint Ocean Springs sits Horn Island, Mississippi’s most beautiful barrier island. Just 10 miles long and barely a mile across, this wild island is a Designated National Wildlife wonderland populated by birds, alligators, and ospreys—no humans. If you can’t book a trip through Ethotera, hop a ferry to nearby Ship Island for a day of beach fun on this more accessible barrier island. While you’re in Ocean Springs, don’t miss the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, and be sure to stop at Tatonut for the best donuts in Mississippi.