|
|
|||||||||||||
| See your town like a tourist | ||||||||||||||
| Rediscover treasures in your home city this summer |
||||||||||||||
| Published: Jul/Aug 2003 |
||||||||||||||
| By Don Redman Associate Editor |
||||||||||||||
I spent a few years of childhood growing up in nearby Pearl, Miss., and so my first forays back to the Jackson area as an adult were spent rediscovering places I explored as a child. Historic buildings and churches My father had a business on State Street and many of my early memories are based on the days I spent with him, virtually living at the Old Capitol Museum at 100 S. State St. The building, now a National Historic Landmark, served as the state Capitol from 1839 to 1903, when the new Capitol was opened. The Old Capitol Museum features permanent and changing exhibits on topics including the Civil War, Reconstruction and Civil Rights. I also recommend touring the Governor’s Mansion at 300 E. Capitol St. and Jackson City Hall at 219 S. President St., both fine examples of 1840s Greek Revival architecture. The new Capitol at 400 High Street, built in 1903 in the Beaux-Arts style, contains stained glass and marble from around the world. While much of Jackson was burned down during the Civil War (hence the city’s nickname, Chimneyville), there are a number of pre-war structures still standing, including the circa 1846 Oaks House Museum at 823 N. Jefferson St., and the Manship House Museum located at 420 E. Fortification St. Other opulent homes include the Virden-Patton, Sims and Joseph Henry Morris houses located in the 500 block of North State Street. There are a number of nationally registered historical districts worth exploring scattered throughout Jackson, including Belhaven (Bellevue Place, North Jefferson, Madison, and Morningside streets). Religion has played an important role in Jackson’s history. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral, located at 305 E. Capitol St., and Old Mount Helm Baptist Church, 300 E. Church St., are worth exploring. Fairly new to the city is the International Museum of Muslim Cultures at 117 East Pascagoula St., which currently features the exhibit, “Islamic Moorish Spain.” Galleries and museums Art fuels the soul and Jackson has no shortage of venues. The Mississippi Museum of Art at 201 E. Pascagoula St. is the perfect starting point for taking in the arts. Don’t miss the Municipal Art Gallery at 839 N. State St. and the Chimneyville Crafts Gallery, 1150 Lakeland Drive at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. The Agriculture and Forestry Museum is a good launching pad for a nature and sciences tour of Jackson. Other sites on the tour must include the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science at 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson Zoological Park, Russell C. Davis Planetarium at 201 E. Pascagoula St., and the spectacular Mynelle Gardens at 4736 Clinton Boulevard. Dining and lodging choices And if religion and art feeds the soul, neither compare to the role of food in not only nourishing the body, but the spirit as well. There are obviously scores of choices for dining in Jackson, but here are a few. If you’re looking for soul food, your best bet is Bully’s Restaurant at 3118 Livingston Road. Home-style food and great blues music can also be had at the 930 Blues Café located at 930 N. Congress St. Overnight accommodations can be a real treat in Jackson, especially if you choose to stay at one of the several bed-and-breakfast inns, like the AAA Four Diamond properties Millsaps Buie House, 628 N. State St., and Fairview Inn, 734 Fairview St. No matter how much time you have, exploring Jackson is a capital idea. |
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Copyright © 1999 - 2007 AAA Traveler Magazine | 12901 N. Forty Dr. | St. Louis, MO 63141 |
||||||||||||||
