Mississippi

A long, quiet country road in northern Mississippi does not look like the start of an adventure. Then a llama plants itself in front of…

A plain storefront on a busy Mississippi road does not look like much from the parking lot. Step inside, though, and you might leave with…

The building looked like any big metal arena from the parking lot, nothing fancy, nothing flashy. Then the lights dropped, the crowd roared, and a…

October in Mississippi has a way of slipping past while you are still hunting for jackets and costume ideas. Some of the best fall memories…

A wrong turn on a back road in Mississippi once led me to a hand-painted sign, a pile of pumpkins, and a wall of corn…

A low roadside building with a walk-up window does not look like much from the highway in Mississippi. Then you notice the parked cars, the…

A plain building off a busy coastal road in Mississippi does not look like the kind of place that eats up an entire afternoon. Then…

Some of the best lunches start with a plain storefront and a growling stomach. In Mississippi, there is a small cafe where the hummus is…

Some towns hang a wreath on the courthouse and call it Christmas. Then there is a little river city in Mississippi where old mansions fill…

You can walk and walk into the water here, and it still barely reaches your knees. That surprise is what makes this stretch of sand…

A giant rocket lying beside a Mississippi interstate is not something you expect to see on a regular drive. Curiosity won, and the exit ramp…

Some of the best stops on a Mississippi road trip are the ones you almost drive past. A pale Victorian house on a quiet street…

A gravel road, a few rows of trees, and suddenly bright orange fruit glowing against a blue autumn sky. That was the surprise waiting on…

The road kept getting quieter, the trees kept getting taller, and the phone signal faded to nothing somewhere in rural Mississippi. Just when it felt…

I pulled off a busy Mississippi interstate expecting a quick stretch of the legs and a vending machine snack. Instead, I found a quiet lake…

I only meant to grab one pair of sneakers on a quick stop in central Mississippi. Four hours later, my bags were heavy, my stomach…

Some of the best meals I have ever eaten came from places I almost drove right past. In Mississippi, the humble country buffet is where…

I only meant to grab a quick bite on a cold December night in Mississippi, but a glowing glow on the horizon pulled me off…

The plan was simple: duck inside for ten minutes, look at a few old things, then go find something to eat. Three hours later, my…

You pull off an old two-lane road in Mississippi just to stretch your legs, and suddenly you are standing in front of a brick storefront…

I only pulled into that parking lot because I was looking for a different store, and I was hungry enough to stop anywhere. Inside, glass…

I only stopped for directions, but the smell of warm sugar and toasted pecans kept me standing at the counter far longer than planned. Across…

I only stopped because my stomach was growling and an old two-story house had a parking spot out front. Inside, the smell of fried chicken…

Some of the best nights outdoors start with no plan at all, just a full tank of gas and a tent rolled up in the…

Some of the best weekends start with a wrong turn and an empty stomach. Somewhere in the green hills of north Mississippi, a quiet main…

A gravel lot, a small sign, and a trail fading into the pines rarely look like much from the road. Yet some of the best…

I only meant to grab a coffee, but a bakery case full of glossy cakes pulled me through the wrong door. The surprise came when…

I only pulled over to stretch my legs, expecting a quick look and nothing more. Instead, a wooden walkway carried me straight out over dark,…

I pulled off a quiet road in south Mississippi expecting a short stretch of the legs and not much more. Instead, I found tall pines…

The best lunch I ever had in Mississippi came on a plastic tray, with a square of cornbread balanced on top of the greens. Nobody…

Somewhere between two busy Mississippi cities, a quick exit off the interstate leads into tall pines and total calm. You might pull in just to…

A low brick-and-fence kind of building in southwest Mississippi does not look like much from the parking lot. Step inside, though, and you might find…

A plain brick storefront in Mississippi does not look like much from the curb, and that is exactly how it fools you. Step inside, though,…

I only meant to grab a quick bite along the Mississippi coast, but a white tower by the highway kept pulling my eyes away from…

I almost drove right past it, a tiny walk-up building on a quiet Mississippi Gulf Coast street that looked more like a shed than a…

A goat’s lips feel a little like velvet and a little like a vacuum cleaner, and you only learn that by holding out a handful…

I pulled off a quiet Delta road in Mississippi expecting a quick look and a stretch of my legs. Two hours later, I was still…

I once pulled off a Mississippi back road for gas and came back to the car holding a warm loaf I had not planned to…

Some of the best surprises in Mississippi hide behind plain roadside signs and quiet parking lots. You pull in expecting nothing special, and then you…

The best road trip stops in Mississippi are often the ones you almost drive right past. A plain storefront, a hand-painted sign, and suddenly you…

You do not need a big budget to have a great fall weekend in Mississippi. Some of the best autumn days happen at quiet parks…

Some of the best meals start with a plain building on a two-lane road and a growling stomach. You pull over and expect nothing more…

Some of the best afternoons start with a quick stop you almost skipped. A plain storefront along a busy Mississippi highway can hold racks of…

The first time you smell a freshly cut tree in a cold Mississippi field, the store lot never feels the same again. Across the state,…

A dented can of green beans tastes exactly the same as a perfect one, and that simple truth has saved Mississippi families a lot of…

I only meant to stop for a quick snack and a stretch of the legs somewhere in northeast Mississippi. Then a bright, six-foot guitar painted…

Flat cotton fields, a quiet two-lane highway, and then a little downtown with brick buildings and colorful murals painted on the walls. Nothing about it…

Most people think of the Natchez Trace as a slow, pretty drive with no billboards and lots of trees. Then you pull off at a…

Some of the best meals start with a wrong turn and an empty stomach. Picture a small blue and white building on a quiet street…

Some of the best mornings start with a wrong turn and a growling stomach. In Mississippi, a plain strip-mall door or a tiny downtown cafe…

Some of the best meals in Mississippi happen at places you might drive right past without a second look. A plain roadside building or a…

The door looked like any other storefront in a quiet Mississippi shopping strip, and I almost kept walking. Then the smell of garlic, butter, and…

The first time I walked out of a small meat counter in Mississippi with a full cooler and change still in my pocket, I felt…

A casserole dish for four dollars sounds like a small thing, until it saves your Thanksgiving table. Across Mississippi, church thrift shops quietly stock sweaters,…

Some of the best treats in Mississippi hide behind plain storefronts you would drive right past. I almost did, until the idea of a single…

I only meant to grab a quick snack on a cool October evening in Mississippi, but the smell of powdered sugar pulled me off course….

We only meant to grab a quick snack by the water, but a small boat tied up near the beach kept pulling our eyes back….

I only planned to stretch my legs and maybe find a snack before getting back on the road through Mississippi. Then a handsome old building…

I went looking for a quick roadside stop in Mississippi and somehow ended up spending a whole afternoon watching a tiger nap in the shade….

You might drive right past it and never guess that hundreds of tails are wagging behind those walls. In Mississippi, one plain building on a…