Monday, November 10, 2008

The Great Mississippi Tour - visits to ghostly haunts

By Penelope SanMateo

Do you want to take a tour of Mississippi that includes the scary things to do there such as the "Candlelight Ghost Tour" during Halloween week in Vicksburg or the Ghosts and Legends tour in Columbus? If ghosts aren't your thing how about going to Noxubee and seeing the restored 1907 jail with it's operative gallows? If you want beauty rather than ghosts and scary things then maybe you should visit the Magnolia mansion which was built in 1850 with the antebellum architecture features showcasing the exquisite mahogany staircase and the stunning furnishings of the time. You can visit the mansion in Aberdeen.

So what is in Pickensville? The Tom Bevill Visitors Center and Museum. Here you can see exhibits on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The replica of an antebellum plantation mansion serves as the museum and visitor center.

Your Mississippi tour can have some noise, dirt and fun at the Columbus Speedway just 7 miles east of Columbus. The 3/10 mile, high banked, clay oval track will offer you the opportunity to see some great racing and, of course, eat a hot dog or two. What can be better than a little hot dog, noise and dirt all mixed together?

Black History Month in Columbus shows off the African-American Heritage with driving tours from the different locations in town. There is a celebration downtown on the weekend with Friday being a night of music, food and stories on Catfish Alley. The driving tours are held at 9, and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. On Saturdays the tour is free.

Magnolia is a small community that you will want to make sure you visit while on your Mississippi tourism vacation. This small town is home to three of Mississippi's premier Queen Anne residences and an antebellum Greek Revival cottage as part of the Southtown Historic District. The Myrtle Street District is a typical neighborhood from the turn of the century and will transport you back in time by just looking at the simplicity of this area. Both of these districts are on the National Historic Register.

To get there Magnolia can be reached by Interstate 55, north or south, at exit 10, from the east on Highway 48 from Hattiesburg, Ms., and from the west on Highway 24 from Liberty, Ms. - 15431

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