My Mississippi Manifest Destiny: A 41 Post Series

Six months ago I hopped in my car, drove south on Interstate 57, and began my second travel blogging series. I meant to do a summary post in August, but the recently concluded presidential campaign took too much of my time.

My first was My Kansas Kronikles, that journey took place in July, 2007. I picked Kansas for a couple of reasons. It was the only Midwestern state I hadn't visited. And Thomas Frank, who wrote What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. Frank made the claim in that book that Kansas is the nation's least popular vacation destination.

I found plenty of things to do there, as I did in Mississippi.

Why Mississippi? Like Kansas, I hadn't been to the Magnolia State. And as I started to do research for this trip, I learned there are a lot of worthwhile places to see.

And great people to talk to. When you meet a Mississippian, you've met a friend. Howard Hite, a salesperson at Tupelo Hardware--where Elvis Presley purchased his firs guitar--and Dorothy Love Turk, who gave me a guided tour of the Jim Henson museum in Leland, were the first among equals.

Okay, it's easy for me to write..."Oh, those Mississippi people are so nice." Travel writers, who are generally sycophants for the tourism industry, pen such statements all of the time.

But I offer proof: Mississippi, which usually ranks near the bottom in state income rankings, regularly tops the lists of the most generous states in regards to charitable giving.

If you are a history buff--Mississippi is for you. Several Civil War battles took place there, I visited two of those battlefields, Corinth and Vicksburg. Indian mounds are scattered throughout the state.

If you love music, Mississippi is also for you. Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, and spent his early years there. Numerous blues artists trace their roots to the Delta region. Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music, was born in Meridian.

Are you a nature lover? Mississippi is for you too. The Natchez Trace Parkway takes drivers through endless pine forests, a cypress swamp, the Pearl River, and fields of wildflowers.

Of course the western boundary of the Magnolia State is the Mississippi River. I didn't make it there, but southeastern Mississippi reaches the Gulf of Mexico.

Dedications:

Of great assistance to me was Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick's book, Mississippi Off the Beaten Path. The trip would still have been enjoyable without it, but not as much so.

Appreciation goes to Levois of It's My Mind for recommending that I visit the Delta town of Mound Bayou, the first municipality in Mississippi founded by freed slaves.

Thanks also to the local and state government officials who offered me encouragement as posted entries about my trip. I hope my efforts sends people, and their wallets, your way.

Below are my prior 41 posts of "My Mississippi Manifest Destiny." As I did during my Kansas trip, I ventured a across the state line a few times.

Take your time and review the posts at your leisure. I will have this entry on my blog roll.

Previous My Mississippi Manifest Destiny posts:

Metropolis
Lincoln and Kentucky
The Varsity Theatre in Martin, Tennessee
Carl Perkins
Corinth
Coca-Cola museums
Prison laborer in Louisiana
Teddy Bear
Churches
What Mike Espy is up to these days
Mound Bayou, a town founded by freed slaves
Blues Trail
Johnny Cash's boyhood home
Jonesboro, site of the third Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Shiloh posts:

Shiloh Part One
Shiloh Part Two
Shiloh Part Three
Shiloh Part Four

Tupelo posts:

$aving$ in Tupelo
Elvis Presley's birthplace
Where Elvis bought his first guitar
The Battle of Tupelo

Natchez Trace posts:

The Natchez Trace Part One
The Natchez Trace Part Two, Indian Mounds
The Natchez Trace Part Three
The Natchez Trace Part Four, Ghost Town
Logging

Natchez posts:

The Father of Waters
Natchez Part One
Natchez Part Two, Forks of the Road
Natchez Part Three

Vicksburg posts:

Vicksburg Battlefield, Part One
Vicksburg Battlefield, Part Two, State Memorials
Vicksburg Battlefield, Part Three, Illinois Memorial
Vicksburg Battlefield, Part Four, The USS Cairo
Vicksburg Battlefield Part Five
Mississippi River at Vicksburg
Memorial Day tribute to our ally Australia
Memorial Day--a time to remember

Leland posts:

Highway 61 Blues Museum
Leland's Blues Murals
Birthplace of Kermit the Frog

Clarksdale posts:

Clarksdale, Home of the Delta Blues
Robert Johnson's Crossroads
Clarksdale's Old Greyhound Station

Cairo posts:

Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Cairo, Illinois--Slum Town
Cairo's better side

Technorati tags: byways travel travel blog history photography photos Mississippi River culture Mississippi Natchez Trace