From sports greats to live blues and genteel antebellum homes, planners will find plenty of ways to give groups a first-hand experience of Mississippi’s rich character.
At the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (601.982.8264; www.msfame.com) in Jackson, groups can take advantage of the facility’s Trustmark Conference Center or hold events in the museum itself. Delegates can interact with touch-screen displays to pull up info and even interviews with Brett Favre, Archie Manning, Jerry Rice, and Dizzy Dean. To really get that game day feel, planners can arrange a tailgate party for attendees, which includes food and a tour of the museum.
Look into the heart and soul of Mississippi and you’ll find the blues. There are lots of great places for live blues in the state, but the king of them all is Clarksdale’s Ground Zero Blues Club (662.621.9009; www.groundzerobluesclub.com), which features down-home food plus live music—from local, unknown musicians to national headline acts. The club has been mentioned by major media, including CNN, USA Today, Esquire Japan, and Food & Wine. Reservations are required for groups, which can make a day of it by first visiting the Delta Blues Museum, located just next door.
With tall white columns, sweeping staircases and manicured gardens, the stately plantation homes of Natchez will bring out the Scarlett O’Hara in anyone. Both Dunleith Plantation(601.446.8500; www.dunleith.com) and Monmouth Plantation (601.442.5852; www.monmouthplantation.com) serve as full-service historic inns, with a small complement of rooms and exquisite dining, and they also make the ultimate setting for receptions or dinner parties.
Sure, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan grabbed most of the summer’s headlines, but there was still room for one new celebrity. Oliver the Monkey made his media debut when he picked the lock on his cage and escaped from the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo (662.844.8709; www.tupelobuffalopark.com) earlier this year. Known on various news shows, including The Colbert Report, as the “monkey on the lam,” Oliver left the park an unknown but returned a star. Delegates can visit Oliver or take a tour aboard the Monster Bison Bus, which takes participants out to see Charlie the Camel, Big John the Buffalo and others. A large pavilion is available for corporate events, and group rates are available.
