SAVORING A PIECE OF STATE HISTORY

Day 1

Mississippi has been central to our nation’s history for centuries. Learn about prehistoric Mississippi and the ancients that once lived here. Explore the state’s role in the civil rights movement for justice and equality at two state-ofthe-art museums. Immerse yourself in Mississippi’s rich music history and heritage. Discover the impact the Great River had on Mississippi life and commerce. In the “key” city of Vicksburg, learn about the Civil War battle that broke the South’s back.

Arrive at Jackson at the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Learn about the event that brought about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Medgar had a prominent role in the civil rights movement.

George’s Museum Café at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum is a popular lunch spot serving cafeteria-style fare.

Begin your afternoon with a stop at the Old Capitol Museum, which served as Mississippi’s statehouse from 1839 until 1903. While the museum has been restored to its original splendor, modern interactive multimedia exhibits tell the building’s history and events that took place there.

Check-in at your Jackson host hotel. Tonight, it’s a Pizza Party at Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint.

Day 2

Breakfast and hotel checkout.

Mississippi’s rich music history is on full display at Malaco Music Group. Known as “The Last Soul Company,” Malaco Music Group has been the leading independent recorder of contemporary Southern R&B, soul and gospel since 1968. The studio is available for your group’s history-making recording debut.

Much of Mississippi’s history can be seen at the Mississippi Museum of Art and its Mississippi Art & Artist Gallery. Guided student tours by an MMA Teaching Fellow can be formatted to your particular curriculum need.

Lunch is at Cultivation Food Hall. More than half a dozen vendors feature everything from wraps, salads and hoagies at Midland Bistro to Southern and American classics at Uncle Ray’s. Students will experience prehistoric Mississippi to the present day at the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, also known as Two Mississippi Museums. Standards of learning are emphasized for grades 3-6 and 7-12. Depart for nearby Ridgeland and enjoy dinner at Cock of the Walk, a Mississippi original with a menu of Southern favorites.

Continue to Vicksburg and check-in at your hotel.

Day 3

Breakfast and hotel checkout.

At the Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum and Interpretive Center, you’ll see how the Mighty Mississippi has impacted lives and trade over time. The museum is filled with interactive exhibits.

Next is a visit to Vicksburg’s most historic building, the Old Courthouse Museum. A National Historic Landmark, the museum is filled with items of historical significance, including a Civil War collection believed to be the largest in the South.

Lunch is at McAlister’s Deli, known for its handcrafted sandwiches and oversized spuds.

Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site where a great Civil War battle was fought from March 25 to July 4, 1863. A licensed battlefield guide is available to provide an in-depth tour. Visit the park’s monuments, memorials and USS Cairo Museum.