Welcome to Mississippi

Latest News - The Mississippi Blues are a growing tourist attraction as Tom Foreman from CNN discovers.

Mississippi is home to world-class resorts, restaurants, scenic beaches and family friendly attractions, so it's no wonder they have millions of visitors every year. From the rolling hills to the Delta flatlands, from the coastal sands to the towering pines, you will always find something to do here.

From Civil War battlefields to the birthplace of the Delta blues, full of history, heritage, culture and beauty, Mississippi offers something for everybody. You’ll find live music all year round performed in authentic juke joints or intimate settings, as well as outdoor activities for all the family in breathtaking scenery. If you prefer the history of a grand antebellum bed & breakfast, the sophistication of a modern hotel or even the authenticity of a shotgun shack there is a wide variety of accommodation. Travel around following the Mississippi Blues Trail, the Natchez Trace Parkway or use our recommended driving routes. Make new discoveries and lasting memories in a state that’s defined by its people and places.

Be a modern day Tom Sawyer and travel the mighty Mississippi River in a dugout canoe and camp overnight on the shifting sandars that are wildlife havens. The sunset and sunrise have to be seen to be believed!

With an abundance of culture and heritage, just waiting to be discovered. Many renowned artists, writers and musicians have called Mississippi their home and their achievements have impacted the world. In fact, Mississipppi is known as the birthplace of America's music.

Whether it's the delicious Southern cuisine or a night out listening to the blues, come and see what Mississippi is all about.

Mississippi Hidden Gems:

• To really experience a taste of the Blues then spend the night in a sharecropper's shack and head to the Tallahatchie Flats. A set of original plantation cottages transported to a cotton field outside Greenwood in the Mississippi Delta.

• Oxford is a perfectly preserved small town with the sophisticated restaurants and shops of a big city and all the quirk and charm of a truly Southern town. Explore "The Square", still the centre of Oxford's commerce and activity and take in Nobel Prizewinner William Faulkner's home Rowan Oak, just minutes from the University of Mississippi's historic campus.

Mississippi Places to See:

• Be amazed at the all-new BB King Museum and Interpretive Centre in Indianola, Mississippi; a loving and highly entertaining tribute to a blues great.

• Discover more than 120 historical markers along the freshly minted Mississippi Blues Trail, an unforgettable journey into the land that spawned the single most important root source of modern popular music.