Courtesy of Visit Mississippi
Dubbed the “Hub City” on account of its central location, Hattiesburg, Mississippi is within easy driving distance of much of the Gulf South. A college town with a big-city feel, Hattiesburg offers a trove of art, dining, and outdoor options.
What to See and Do:
In the heart of Hattiesburg, tour the University of Southern Mississippi’s three-hundred-acre campus, making stops at the All-American Rose Garden and the USM Museum of Art. Zoom over to the Hattiesburg Zoo within Kamper Park to encounter more than one hundred wildlife species while learning about ecological preservation. For some local history, take a lazy lap through the residential grandeur of the city’s historic district, or follow the Freedom Summer Trail, which offers a guided audio tour featuring firsthand oral history anecdotes of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Sarah Ellen Gillespie Museum of Art at William Carey University provides visitors with a comprehensive introduction to notable Mississippi artists of the twentieth century, while the Oddfellows Gallery downtown specializes in fine art from regional artists. To really get into Hattiesburg’s burgeoning arts scene, hop onto the city’s newly unveiled Public Art Trail, which leads the way to nearly forty permanent sculptures and murals installed around town. The city’s downtown district is also home to The Lucky Rabbit, a popular flea market featured on HGTV’s Home Town, the East 6th Street Museum District, and offbeat options for good food, fun, history, and shopping around every corner.
Outdoorsy types should surely check out the nature trail at Longleaf Trace, which follows the route of a former railroad line. The famous Okatoma Creek (you may know it as “Mississippi’s white water creek”) offers canoers, kayakers, and floaters a picturesque three-to-four hour paddle route through the pristine stream's sandbars, waterfalls, shoals, bluffs, and high banks, with boat rentals and primitive camping offered by Okatoma Outdoor Post.
Where to Eat (and Wander):
With a robust craft beer scene, see what’s on tap at local breweries like Southern Prohibition Brewery and Colludium Brewing Co. As far as cuisine goes, the Hatties[BURGER] Trail is your go-to guide for mouthwatering burgers around town, highlighting more than thirty local restaurants including The Porter Public House and Ed’s Burger Joint—the mega-popular brainchild of famed author and chef, Robert St. John. Depot Kitchen & Market is renowned for its refined southern-style eats and specialty coffees, but make sure to save room for dessert in order to sample a slice of decadent, homemade cheesecake from Cotton Blues Cheesecake Company.
Where to Stay:
The city has more than thirty hotels to extend your stay, as well as two locally-owned B&Bs: Camellia House Bed & Breakfast, a lofty two-story home that doubles as a secluded event space set among towering pine trees, and The Bay Bed & Breakfast, a beautifully restored home right in the heart of the historic district.
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