Mississippi National Parks

NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD SITE 

Brices Cross Roads Baldwyn, MS 

The Confederate victory at Brices Cross Roads was a significant victory for Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, but its long term effect on the war proved costly for the Confederates. Brices Cross Roads is an excellent example of winning the battle, but losing the war. 

NATIONAL SEASHORE 

Gulf Islands Gulf Breeze, Florida and Ocean Springs, Mississippi , FL, MS 

What is it that entices people to the sea? Poet John Masefield wrote, “I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.” Millions of visitors are drawn to the islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico for the white sandy beaches, the aquamarine waters, a boat ride, a camping spot, a tour of an old fort, or a place to fish.

NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA 

Mississippi Delta The Blues, Welty, Wright, Williams, Civil War and Civil Rights, The Great Flood, Bogues and Bayous, Plantations, The Great Migration, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Soul Food, King Cotton, The River, Precision Agriculture, Catfish, Gospel, Immigrants’ Stories, Highway 61, Segregation, Integration, Share Cropping, Freedom Songs, Freedom Summer, Folk Tales, Swamp Forests, Hunting Clubs, and surprisingly, hot tamale The River bore the alluvial plain that is the Mississippi Delta, and the Delta bore fruit

NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA 

Mississippi Gulf 

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is a culturally, historically, and environmentally distinctive region where many chapters in the national story have been written. The bounties of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s natural resources have brought people to this area from all over the world. The modern culture of the Coast consists of a multi-ethnic gumbo of people and traditions. 

NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA 

Mississippi Hills 

See the birthplace where Elvis made his entrance to the world stage … Walk among the nation’s most extensive remaining Civil War earthworks from one of the largest sieges in the Western Hemisphere, at the Crossroads of the Confederacy … There’s so much to see and do in the Mississippi Hills. Faulkner once said he could spend a lifetime writing about it—you could spend a lifetime exploring it. Discover our stories. Experience our culture. 

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

Natchez Natchez, MS 

Discover the history of all the peoples of Natchez, Mississippi, from European settlement, African enslavement, the American cotton economy, to the Civil Rights struggle on the lower Mississippi River. 

PARKWAY Natchez 

Trace the states of AL, MS, TN 

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive through three states. It roughly follows the “Old Natchez Trace” a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, “Kaintucks,” European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents. Today, people can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping along the parkway. 

NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL 

Natchez Trace Tupelo, AL, MS, TN 

The 450-mile foot trail that became known as the Natchez Trace was the lifeline through the Old Southwest. You can experience portions of that journey the way earlier travelers did – on foot. Today there are five separate trails totaling over 60 miles and they are administered by the Natchez Trace Parkway.

NATIONAL MILITARY PARK 

Shiloh Shiloh, TN, MS 

Visit the sites of the most epic struggle in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than in all of America’s previous wars combined. Explore both the Shiloh and Corinth battlefields to discover the impact of this struggle on the soldiers and on the nation. 

NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD 

Tupelo Tupelo, MS 

In July, 1864, Union forces, including men from the United States Colored Troops, marched into Tupelo, Mississippi. Disorganized Confederate soldiers fought fiercely but could not overpower the federal troops. Neither side could claim a clear victory, but Union troops had succeeded in their main goal: keeping the Confederates away from Union railroads in Tennessee. 

NATIONAL MILITARY PARK 

Vicksburg Vicksburg, MS, LA 

To Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Vicksburg was the “nailhead that holds the South’s two halves together.” President Abraham Lincoln remarked “Vicksburg is the key” to victory, and could be the north’s lifeline into the south. As the federals closed in on the Fortress City, they were met by a ring of forts with over 170 cannon. The resulting battle would determine the war’s outcome.