Mississippi conjures images of Civil War and civil rights, Southern hospitality and cuisine, antebellum mansions, writers such as William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and John Grisham, and plenty
of music.
It is with the sounds that arose from the Delta cotton fields, influencing genres from gospel to rock ’n’ roll, that the state has chosen to forge ahead with a fresh identity. Signs on highways and at welcome centers proclaim, the "Birthplace of America’s Music," a branding launched less than two years ago. With more than 100 markers dispersed through the state, the Mississippi Blues Trail began four years ago is nearing completion. Now the Mississippi Country Music Trail project is under way.
Whether attendees are keen on music or other cultural draws, there are plenty of unique experiences awaiting groups in inland Mississippi, not to mention a variety of new developments.
Jackson
Jackson has 10 Blues Trail markers and is going further in celebrating and resurrecting the sounds of the South with the upcoming Farish Street Entertainment District. In restored and renovated buildings of the district, the city is aiming to open the first of a dozen blues and jazz clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues in February—Black History Month.
The new district is on the north side of the 2-year-old Jackson Convention Complex, which also adjoins the Arts District to the east and is a final piece in the planned rejuvenation of its downtown hub.
"Our city is experiencing a rebirth that continues to bring energy and excitement to the capital," says Shun Hatten, vice president of sales for the Jackson CVB. "We are affordable and have everything a meeting planner needs to host a successful meeting. The options are endless. Accessibility is a deciding factor for many meeting planners, and the convention complex promises this. It is an easy walk to great hotels and many restaurants and attractions."
Near the convention complex are the 2,362-seat Thalia Mara Hall (the city’s municipal auditorium), the Davis Planetarium and the Mississippi Museum of Art, all of which are off-site group options. Another choice is the Old Capitol Museum, which reopened in 2009 following a renovation after damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Of downtown’s dozen hotels, four with 700-plus rooms are within walking distance of the convention complex. Two of the four are historical landmarks that completed transformations in 2009. Built in 1928, The Clarion Hotel The Roberts Walthall underwent a rebranding and a $12 million renovation. And the King Edward Hotel, opened in 1923 and shuttered since 1967, became the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown following a $90 million restoration and expansion.
Other meetings-friendly properties nearby include the Jackson Marriott and the Old Capitol Inn.
Three miles from the convention complex in Lefleur’s Bluff State Park is the city’s newest attraction: the 40,000-square-foot Mississippi Children’s Museum. The park is also home to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. All three venues offer event space.
Meridian/Lauderdale County
Located 90 miles east of Jackson, Meridian was founded in the 1860s as a railroad center. It was the birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers, the "Singing Brakeman" and "Father of Country Music."
Last May, the first marker of the new Mississippi Country Music Trail was placed in a Meridian church cemetery, the first of 30 planned for the state.
Meridian is home to nine historic districts, a Mississippi State University (MSU) campus and the Naval Air Station Meridian jet training facility.
Its primary meeting space debuted four years ago in the historic downtown. Two adjacent buildings dating to 1889 were restored to become the MSU Riley Center, operated by the university. Components include the 900-seat Grand Opera House and a 30,000-square-foot conference facility built in a former department store.
"Many downtown buildings have been renovated," says Suzy Johnson, executive director at the Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau. "We encourage groups to book to coincide with performances at the Riley Center or our Temple Theater and Meridian Little Theater."
She adds that MSU’s Business School, slated to open in two years close to the Riley Center, is expected to bring a lot more people to the area.
The city has more than 1,700 hotel rooms all within 10 minutes of downtown. Its two major meetings hotels—a Drury Inn and a Hilton Garden Inn—were joined by a third last year with the opening of the Holiday Inn Meridian.
Off-site meetings options include the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, the Meridian Railroad Museum next to Union Station and the Meridian Museum of Art.
Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg, the site of several historic music recordings, has its own marker on the Blues Trail. Also known as the "Hub City," it got its start with the railroads, beginning in the 1880s, and is home to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi.
The city’s Lake Terrace Convention Center, with 68,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, is located in a 32-acre park.
Minutes from the center, the historic downtown boasts group-ready options such as the 1,000-seat Saenger Theater, the 1910 Historic Train Depot and the Hattiesburg Cultural Center.
"We have a thriving downtown that’s a big draw, with unique shops, locally owned restaurants and a wonderful collection of art galleries," says Kristie Farley, deputy director at Visit Hattiesburg. "And we’re affordable. You get a lot for the dollar, and many attractions are free."
Half a dozen brand-name hotels have meeting space, including the Holiday Inn and the Ramada Inn on the Hill.
Groups can also meet at the Thad Cochran Center on the USM campus and the Forrest County Multi Purpose Center.
The newest attraction is the meetings-friendly African American Military History Museum at Fort Shelby.
Vicksburg
Overlooking the Mississippi River 45 miles west of Jackson, Vicksburg has four Blues Trail markers, and it is defined both by its Civil War history and its casinos.
It is home to the 1,858-acre Vicksburg National Military Park and the Vicksburg National Cemetery, which together provide a 16-mile tour route.
Vicksburg Convention Center on the downtown waterfront has more than 50,000 square feet of function space.
Adjacent to the center is the Horizon Casino Hotel, one of five waterfront casino hotels, all of which have meeting and event space. Others include Ameristar, Diamond Jacks, River Walk and Rainbow.
Among the other meetings options are downtown’s Old Court House Museum and mansions such as Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn, Cedar Grove Mansion Inn and Duff Green Mansion.
Vicksburg is planning events for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which begins this April.
Meanwhile, two new adjacent museums are slated to open in Catfish Row Art Park in downtown in 2012. Work has started on the $16 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Interpretive Center of the lower Mississippi, and planning is under way for the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad depot, which will become a transportation museum.
Starkville/Greenwood
Set 90 miles apart, Starkville and Greenwood are situated along Highway 82.
The college town of Starkville is home to Mississippi State University, where the Starkville CVB promotes MSU’s 30-plus meeting facilities.
Expanded three years ago, MSU’s Colvard Student Union includes a 1,100-capacity auditorium and an amphitheater. The campus also has the 10,000-seat Humphrey Coliseum and two adjoining venues, the Hunter Henry Alumni Center and the Bost Extension Center.
"Our revitalized and eclectic downtown is a big draw," says Jennifer Glaze, CVB vice president of tourism. "We have good restaurants, art galleries, an active arts council, theater and symphony."
The MSU campus and downtown are about one mile apart, with the historic residential Cotton District in between.
Starkville has a dozen hotels totaling 1,000 rooms, and its newest is a Hilton Garden Inn that opened in 2009 with 2,900 square feet of meeting space. Another major group venue is the Mississippi Horsepark.
Greenwood, with a history as a cotton shipping port, is located where the rolling hills meet the flatlands of the Delta and two rivers connect to form the Yazoo. It has seven Blues Trail markers, including Robert Johnson’s gravesite.
Venue choices in Greenwood include the Leflore County Civic Center and the Leflore County Agri-Center.
Downtown is home to the appliance manufacturer Viking Range Corp., headquartered in restored buildings on Cotton Row. Here, the company operates the Viking Cooking School and the Alluvian, an upscale boutique hotel built in 1917 and restored seven years ago. It has banquet space for up to 60.
Hotels with meeting space include a Ramada Inn, a Hampton Inn and a Comfort Suites that opened in 2010.
"Our two main draws for groups are the Viking Cooking School and the blues," says Paige Hunt, executive director of the Greenwood CVB, who adds that the majority of larger groups average 250 to 300 people.
Filmed mostly in Greenwood last July through October, a new DreamWorks Studios movie called The Help will debut in August. Based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel of the same name, it is set in Mississippi in the 1960s.
According to Hunt, the movie boosted summer business, and the CVB is developing a group tour of the movie sites.
"It was filmed here because Greenwood is still very historic," she says.
