True Blood

Deep in the heart of Mississippi lies the city of Jackson where unbeknownst to the average citizen, vampires, werewolves, and others delight in the City with Soul. How is this so? Just check out the third installment of Charlaine Harris’s popular Southern Vampire Series, Club Dead .

Not familiar with the book? You may know it better as the award-winning HBO series True Blood . In search of her boyfriend Bill Compton, Sookie Stackhouse finds herself in Jackson with the help of werewolf Alcide Herveaux. Now in the hands of the Vampire King of Mississippi, Sookie must find a way set Bill free and bring him back home to Shreveport where he belongs. But can it be done?

Take a trip through HBO’s award-winning television show True Blood  and find your inner vampire in the City with Soul. Though great for the Halloween season, you can sink your teeth in to this itinerary anytime.

  • Start at the elegant Old Capitol Museum  (100 S. State Street; parking at the rear of the building) and get a glimpse of the building's civic history any day Tuesday through Sunday.  Best of all, it’s free to the public. During the month of October each year, one of the Old Capitol's most famous residents is on display for the popular "Mummy Returns" exhibit.  Is it real?
  • Back on State Street, drive north under the arch of First Baptist Church Jackson, and turn left on to High Street, passing the sights Sookie first saw in the city. A block from the corner of High and State Street , the New Capitol building  features the gold eagle once admired by Sookie in Club Dead . Harris also wrote that Alcide’s apartment, where Sookie took refuge during her stay, is near this intersection.
  • Take a right on to West Street to Greenwood Cemetery  where Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty, six Confederate brigadier generals, over 100 soldiers, and past governors of Mississippi have been buried. The haunting statues and gravestones are open to the public while the vampires are in doors, from dawn to dusk.
  • From the cemetery, drive south again on West Street and follow the right curve to Lamar Street.  Turn right at the Jackson Marriott on to Amite Street , the famed street of the fictional Club Dead. Take a left at Mill Street to Union Station  where Sookie and Alcide parked and walked to Club Dead.
  • If you’re in need of a bite (to eat, that is), turn left on to Capitol and eat at the local favorite Mayflower Café  (123 W Capitol St.), the restaurant where Sookie and Alcide dined before their night at Club Dead.
  • Thirsty for a sip of your own “True Blood?” Get a True Bloody Mary and a great meal at Hal and Mal’s  (200 S. Commerce), another haunt of Sookie and Alcide on their trip to the City with Soul.
  • There are plenty of great Jackson clubs for children of the night.  Find a favorite haunt at http://jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/music/