Best Small Towns in Mississippi
The best small towns in Mississippi are Oxford for Faulkner and the Square, Natchez for antebellum homes on the river, Clarksdale for the blues, Ocean Springs for Walter Anderson’s art and Vicksburg for Civil War history. Memphis and New Orleans are the usual starting points. Oxford is the easy first pick: Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak, is a short walk from the Square and Square Books. Here are 10 worth the trip, grouped by region.
- Best season: March–May and October–November
- Regions: Hill Country, Delta, River Country, Gulf Coast, Northeast Mississippi
- Closest big cities: Memphis, New Orleans, Jackson
| Town | Region | Best for | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford | Hill Country | literary history, bookstores, college weekends, civil rights history, food | Memphis (MEM), about 1 hr 15 min |
| Natchez | River Country | historic homes, American history, architecture, scenic drives, river views | Baton Rouge (BTR), about 1 hr 45 min |
| Clarksdale | Delta | blues music, live music nights, music history, festivals, road trips on Highway 61 | Memphis (MEM), about 1 hr 20 min |
| Ocean Springs | Gulf Coast | art lovers, beach days, biking, birding, festival weekends | Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT), about 30 min |
| Bay St. Louis | Gulf Coast | art walks, beach and harbor days, train trips, Blues Trail history | Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT), about 30 min |
| Vicksburg | River Country | Civil War history, museums, river views, road trips | Jackson (JAN), about 1 hr |
| Holly Springs | Hill Country | African American history, historic homes, blues history, birding | Memphis (MEM), about 50 min |
| Cleveland | Delta | music lovers, blues history, road trips, college town visits | Greenville (GLH), about 45 min |
| Columbus | Northeast Mississippi | historic homes, literary history, African American heritage, river walks | Golden Triangle Regional (GTR), about 25 min |
| Corinth | Northeast Mississippi | Civil War history, African American history, railroad history, road-trip food | Tupelo (TUP), about 1 hr |
Hill Country
1. Oxford
Oxford is the Lafayette County seat and home of the University of Mississippi, which opened in 1848. William Faulkner lived at Rowan Oak for more than 30 years, and Square Books has anchored the courthouse Square since 1979. It's a literary town with a free weekly radio show and a busy events calendar.
Pop. 25,416 (2020 Census) Lafayette County Founded 1837 Nearest airport: Memphis (MEM), about 1 hr 15 min Known for: Ole Miss, William Faulkner's Rowan Oak, Square Books, the courthouse Square
- Best for: literary history, bookstores, college weekends, civil rights history, food
- Don't miss: Rowan Oak; The Square and Square Books; The Lyceum and the Ole Miss campus
- Heads up: Rowan Oak and the University Museum are closed Mondays.
2. Holly Springs
Holly Springs is the Marshall County seat, founded in 1836 just south of Tennessee. It's the birthplace of Ida B. Wells, home of Rust College and a center of Hill Country blues. Antebellum houses, Hillcrest Cemetery and Strawberry Plains Audubon Center round it out.
Pop. 6,968 (2020 Census) Marshall County Founded 1836 Nearest airport: Memphis (MEM), about 50 min Known for: Ida B. Wells's birthplace, antebellum homes, Hillcrest Cemetery, Rust College, Hill Country blues
- Best for: African American history, historic homes, blues history, birding
- Don't miss: Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum; Hillcrest Cemetery; Antebellum home tours
- Heads up: Historic homes need 24 to 48 hours' notice, and many sites keep weekday-only hours.
River Country
3. Natchez
Natchez sits on a bluff above the Mississippi and was founded by the French as Fort Rosalie in 1716. It's known for antebellum mansions such as Melrose, Longwood and Stanton Hall, and for its spring and fall Pilgrimages. The Natchez Trace Parkway begins here.
Pop. 14,520 (2020 Census) Adams County Founded 1716 (as Fort Rosalie); incorporated 1803 Nearest airport: Baton Rouge (BTR), about 1 hr 45 min Known for: antebellum mansions, the Natchez Pilgrimage, the southern end of the Natchez Trace, Fort Rosalie
- Best for: historic homes, American history, architecture, scenic drives, river views
- Don't miss: Melrose; Longwood; Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
- Heads up: Most mansion tours need a ticket; book through Natchez Pilgrimage Tours or Recreation.gov for Melrose.
4. Vicksburg
Vicksburg sits on high bluffs over the Mississippi as the Warren County seat. Its national military park preserves the 1863 siege lines and the ironclad USS Cairo. Downtown has the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, a free river museum and 32 floodwall murals.
Pop. 21,573 (2020 Census) Warren County Founded 1811 (incorporated 1825) Nearest airport: Jackson (JAN), about 1 hr Known for: Siege of Vicksburg and the national military park, USS Cairo, first bottled Coca-Cola (1894), riverfront murals
- Best for: Civil War history, museums, river views, road trips
- Don't miss: Vicksburg National Military Park; Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum; Vicksburg Riverfront Murals
- Heads up: The military park charges a per-vehicle entrance fee and is open sunrise to sunset.
Delta
5. Clarksdale
Clarksdale is the Coahoma County seat in the Mississippi Delta and home ground for Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Son House. It has the state's oldest music museum, Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club and the famous Crossroads. The Juke Joint Festival fills downtown every April.
Pop. 14,903 (2020 Census) Coahoma County Founded 1848 (incorporated 1882) Nearest airport: Memphis (MEM), about 1 hr 20 min Known for: Delta blues, the Crossroads of 61 and 49, Delta Blues Museum, Ground Zero Blues Club, Juke Joint Festival
- Best for: blues music, live music nights, music history, festivals, road trips on Highway 61
- Don't miss: Delta Blues Museum; Ground Zero Blues Club; The Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49
- Heads up: Lodging sells out well ahead of the April Juke Joint Festival.
6. Cleveland
Cleveland is a Bolivar County seat and the home of Delta State University in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. It has the first GRAMMY Museum outside Los Angeles and four Blues Trail markers. Dockery Farms, often called the birthplace of the blues, is just east of town.
Pop. 11,199 (2020 Census) Bolivar County Founded 1869 (chartered 1886) Nearest airport: Greenville (GLH), about 45 min Known for: GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, Delta State University, Dockery Farms and the birth of the blues
- Best for: music lovers, blues history, road trips, college town visits
- Don't miss: GRAMMY Museum Mississippi; Dockery Farms; Martin & Sue King Railroad Heritage Museum
- Heads up: The GRAMMY Museum is closed Mondays; Dockery is a working farm, so stay on public areas.
Gulf Coast
7. Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs sits across Biloxi Bay from Biloxi, on the site of 1699 Fort Maurepas. It's the home of painter Walter Anderson, whose museum and family pottery anchor a live oak-shaded downtown. Davis Bayou on the Gulf Islands National Seashore is just east of town.
Pop. 18,429 (2020 Census) Jackson County Founded 1699 (Fort Maurepas); incorporated as a city 1892 Nearest airport: Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT), about 30 min Known for: Walter Anderson, Shearwater Pottery, Fort Maurepas (1699), Peter Anderson Festival
- Best for: art lovers, beach days, biking, birding, festival weekends
- Don't miss: Walter Anderson Museum of Art; Shearwater Pottery; Davis Bayou Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Heads up: The Community Center murals close for some private events; check the museum's closure dates.
8. Bay St. Louis
Bay St. Louis is the Hancock County seat on the west shore of the Bay of St. Louis. It rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina and now fills Old Town with shops, galleries and a monthly Second Saturday. Amtrak trains stop again at its 1929 depot.
Pop. 9,284 (2020 Census) Hancock County Nearest airport: Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT), about 30 min Known for: Old Town and Second Saturday, rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, 1929 L&N depot, Amtrak Mardi Gras Service stop
- Best for: art walks, beach and harbor days, train trips, Blues Trail history
- Don't miss: Old Town and Second Saturday; Historic L&N Train Depot; Bay St. Louis Municipal Harbor and Beach
- Heads up: The Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum is closed Sundays; 100 Men Hall opens for events and by appointment.
Northeast Mississippi
9. Columbus
Columbus is the Lowndes County seat on the Tombigbee River, and Tennessee Williams' first home is now its welcome center. Its antebellum homes survived the Civil War and open each spring during Pilgrimage. Friendship Cemetery, Catfish Alley and a 4.4-mile Riverwalk round it out.
Pop. 24,084 (2020 Census) Lowndes County Founded 1821 Nearest airport: Golden Triangle Regional (GTR), about 25 min Known for: Tennessee Williams' birthplace, antebellum homes and Spring Pilgrimage, Friendship Cemetery and early Memorial Day, Tenn-Tom Waterway
- Best for: historic homes, literary history, African American heritage, river walks
- Don't miss: Tennessee Williams House Museum & Welcome Center; Spring Pilgrimage; Friendship Cemetery
- Heads up: Many antebellum homes are private and open only during the April Pilgrimage.
10. Corinth
Corinth grew where two railroads crossed, which made it a Civil War prize in 1862. Today a free National Park Service interpretive center, the Contraband Camp and the national cemetery tell that story. Downtown adds the Crossroads Museum, the 1924 Coliseum Theatre and slugburgers.
Pop. 14,622 (2020 Census) Alcorn County Founded 1853 (incorporated 1856) Nearest airport: Tupelo (TUP), about 1 hr Known for: Civil War railroad crossroads, Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center (Shiloh NMP), Contraband Camp, slugburgers
- Best for: Civil War history, African American history, railroad history, road-trip food
- Don't miss: Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center; Corinth Contraband Camp; Crossroads Museum at the Historic Corinth Depot
- Heads up: The Civil War sites are spread out; use the Corinth Historic Driving Tour.
- March–April: Pilgrimage season, when Natchez and Columbus open historic homes. Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival also falls in spring. Book Natchez rooms well ahead of Pilgrimage weekends.
- October–November: Cooler days for Vicksburg’s battlefield and Oxford’s football weekends. Ocean Springs holds the Peter Anderson Festival the first weekend of November. Vicksburg’s park has more than 1,300 monuments and the Civil War gunboat USS Cairo.
- Summer: Hot and humid. The Gulf Coast towns are the best bet, and hurricane season runs through fall. Winter is mild on the coast and good for museums like the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.
What is the prettiest small town in Mississippi?
Natchez, with its antebellum mansions on the river bluffs. Ocean Springs and its live oak streets come a close second. Columbus has the second-largest collection of antebellum homes after Natchez.
What small towns in Mississippi are best for a weekend?
Oxford is the easiest weekend from Memphis. On the coast, pair Ocean Springs with Bay St. Louis. From New Orleans, Bay St. Louis is on Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service.
What is the smallest town in Mississippi worth visiting?
Holly Springs, with about 7,000 people, is the smallest on this list, with historic homes and Ida B. Wells history. Rust College, founded in 1866, sits in town.
What are the best Mississippi Delta towns for blues?
Start in Clarksdale for the Delta Blues Museum and live juke joints, then drive to Cleveland for the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club is in Clarksdale too.