Travel
Photos by Jason Matyas and MiguelVieira via Flickr Creative Commons
- Jeff Busby Campground
Friday April 10…11:00pm For some reason, it never got cold last night. I figured it would get chilly again, but I woke up in the middle of the night with too many covers on and checked the temperature and it was 23C (73F)! We got another early start...
- My Trip In Retrospect
I was going to do a whole long post recapping my recent cross country trip, but most of you followed it anyway. Of course I loved visiting with all the people - family, old friends, and new friends. But I will narrow this down to places. In...
- Aug 16, 2013, Itasca State Park
Judy and I had a wonderful visit to Itasca State Park, no doubt the biggest and best of Minnesota's State Parks. It features the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River! We spent some time viewing all the exhibits at the Visitors Centers...
- Blue Canoe: The Best Place To Eat In Elvis' Hometown Tupelo
For any music lover (and who doesn’t love music, right?) the Americana Music Triangle is a place of pilgrimage. Was it coincidence or destiny that in the tiny triangle between Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans nine distinct musical genres were born...
- Berlin On A Budget
Despite rapid gentrification, rising rents and an influx of big business into the once divided city, Europe's "capital of cool” is still a great place to take a bargain break. Historically rich, culturally vibrant and famous for its liberal attitudes,...
Travel
The Rich Soil of Mississippi
William Faulkner, Nobel prizewinner and author, once said, 'To understand the world, you must first understand Mississippi.' As one of the poorest and least developed states of America, Mississippi often ranks significantly below top tourist destinations such as New York, California and Florida. However, with its vibrant natural climate and turbulent history, the Magnolia State is perhaps one of the most diverse and interesting for an adventurous and curious traveller to the USA.
With its mammoth river, the ninth largest body of water in the world, coast line on to the Gulf of Mexico, sprawling delta, and tall forests of pines and virgin hardwood, there is much to satisfy a nature enthusiast. The state offers picnicking and fishing, hiking and biking, whether in the De Sota National Forest or Le Fleur's Bluff State Park. Alternatively, one can take an unhurried drive through the 444-mile stretch of road that snakes its way through the spectacular Natchez Trace Parkway, or perhaps even visit one of the expanding catfish or buffalo farms that are popping up throughout the state.
What Mississippi has to offer geographically, it matches culturally. The name of the state often conjures up images of some grimier aspects of the USA's history, such as white supremacy and the cotton plantations. Struggling to recover after the American Civil War, parts of Mississippi clung onto past practices well into the 20th century, allowing it to become a combustable hub of poor race relations in the 1960s, and lead to President John F. Kennedy placing it under martial law for a year. Though regrettable, such belligerence has allowed for a glimpse into parts of Mississippian 19th century life for today's inquisitive traveller. A lot of the splendid antebellum, plantation houses, many to be found in Natchez, are open to visitors, as is the famous 'Beauvoir' plantation, former home of the statesman Jefferson Davis, located in Bixoli. Off the beaten track one can travel to Oxford to see the simpler home of Faulkner, or the birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, humbler still.
From museums to walking tours, there are a variety of ways to appreciate the amount of artistic talent that the rich soil and humidity of Mississippi has produced. From Faulkner, who would return home from spells creating screenplays in Hollywood to overcome writer's block, to Tennessee Williams, who described the state as 'the beauty spot of creation, a dark wide spacious land that we can breathe in', Mississippi has produced some of the greatest artistic reflection in America's history. Musically, Mississippi gave birth to the blues, and later R&B. The state's capital, Jackson, with its current tag-line, 'City of Soul', is home to the celebrated Malaco Records and the Mississippi Delta Blues Museum. With its broad selection of word cuisines and burgeoning night-life, one might be forgiven for, on a trip to Mississippi, ardently singing the refrain made famous by Johnny Cash and June Carter;
"I'm goin' to Jackson, and that's a fact.
Yeah, we're goin' to Jackson, ain't never comin' back"As always with travelling to the States, before you worry yourself about coming back, you must think about getting there in the first place. To ensure that your trip to Mississippi begins smoothly, you are recommended to familiarise yourself with all visa and green card requirements regarding visiting the country.
About the Author: Ben Parsons is a half English, half German freelance writer. Based in Berlin, he counts travelling, meeting new people and trying out new cuisines as just some of his interests.
Photos by Jason Matyas and MiguelVieira via Flickr Creative Commons
- Jeff Busby Campground
Friday April 10…11:00pm For some reason, it never got cold last night. I figured it would get chilly again, but I woke up in the middle of the night with too many covers on and checked the temperature and it was 23C (73F)! We got another early start...
- My Trip In Retrospect
I was going to do a whole long post recapping my recent cross country trip, but most of you followed it anyway. Of course I loved visiting with all the people - family, old friends, and new friends. But I will narrow this down to places. In...
- Aug 16, 2013, Itasca State Park
Judy and I had a wonderful visit to Itasca State Park, no doubt the biggest and best of Minnesota's State Parks. It features the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi River! We spent some time viewing all the exhibits at the Visitors Centers...
- Blue Canoe: The Best Place To Eat In Elvis' Hometown Tupelo
For any music lover (and who doesn’t love music, right?) the Americana Music Triangle is a place of pilgrimage. Was it coincidence or destiny that in the tiny triangle between Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans nine distinct musical genres were born...
- Berlin On A Budget
Despite rapid gentrification, rising rents and an influx of big business into the once divided city, Europe's "capital of cool” is still a great place to take a bargain break. Historically rich, culturally vibrant and famous for its liberal attitudes,...