Mississippi Destination Guide

Mississippi Transportation

Jackson International Airport is the only major airport in the state and has direct flights from cities like Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati and Memphis. Visitors coming from other cities will probably have to take a connecting flight.

Jackson is also the hub of Mississippi’s highway system. Interstate 55 runs north/south from Memphis, while I-20 runs east/west through Houston and Birmingham. They intersect in Jackson. To get to Mississippi’s coast from the airport, you’ll take Highway 49 south from Jackson and head all the way to Gulfport. Here you’ll be a short drive along scenic Highway 90 from Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis and Biloxi. As it does through Louisiana and Alabama, I-10 runs along the coast making it the ideal route if you’re driving from California, Florida or any neighboring coastal area.

Mississippi FAQ

1. Where can you find the best golf in Mississippi?

Golf along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is where the most golfers visit each year. Cities like Gulfport, Gautier, Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis are home to Mississippi’s ritziest new courses. Arnold Palmer’s The Bridges at Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis is a perfect example. Named for the wooden bridges that carry you over 17 acres of lakes and 14 acres of marshland, The Bridges may seem like golf on a series of islands. Greens and landing areas are generous, but cross bunkers and all that wet stuff can cause trouble.

2. Is there gambling in Mississippi?

Along the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast there is. Mississippi’s legislature approved riverboat casinos in 1990. Casinos are allowed to be open 24 hours a day and most allow you to play with chips from another casino. Biloxi is the gambling center of the Gulf Coast, while Tunica, on the Mississippi River, is the casino center of Northern Mississippi. Tunica is rapidly becoming one of the most popular destinations in the South.

3. What casinos are in Tunica?

Being the third largest gaming resort destination in the US, Tunica has lured some big name casinos to its relatively small river city. Bally’s, Sheraton and Harrah’s all have casino-resorts located in Tunica. But the area’s largest and most popular casino is the Grand Casino. It is the largest gaming establishment between Las Vegas and Atlantic City. It also offers over 1,300 luxury hotel rooms and four distinctly themed gaming areas. Full service spa, indoor trap and clay shooting center and trademark hospitality make Grand Casino Tunica a distinctively southern treat.

4. What course shouldn’t I miss if I travel to Mississippi?

If you make it further north, stop in Philadelphia and play The Azaleas Course at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club. Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate designed The Azaleas and The Oaks Course, but it’s the former that has received the most attention since opening in 1997. The Azaleas plays up to 7,128 from the championship tees and has very tricky, rolling greens. Framed by red-clay cliffs, pine and oak trees and 10,000 azaleas, this course is easily the prettiest in the state come springtime.

5. What else is there to do in Mississippi?

Mississippi is a dream destination for Civil War buffs. West of Jackson, there are numerous sites showing Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s march on Vicksburg. Together, places like Snyder’s Bluff, Big Black River Bridge and Champion Hill tell the complete story of the Battle at Vicksburg, which became one of the Union’s most important victories.