Experience JXN Outside
Are you seeking outdoor fun in the City With Soul?
We have a look at activities to keep you occupied and in the fresh air!
For additional spots to enjoy JXN’s outdoor scene, see the JXN Outdoor Recreation map, created by Andy Hilton.
Navigate the Pearl With Capital City Kayaks
If you’ve ever wanted to take a trip down the Pearl River or explore one of the oxbow lakes that surround it, try Capital City Kayak Adventures. Owned by Chris Lockhart, the company offers guided water tours and fun in and around Jackson.
“We’ll put in at Crystal Lake, paddle upriver or downstream and play around.”
Unsure? Don’t be. “We spend about 10 to 15 minutes getting acclimated,” he said. “(You)’ll be paddling like a pro after that! The average excursion is an hour and a half to two hours. For $30 a person, I provide everything (you) need. All you do is show up. You can bring your snacks and bring your dogs.”
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/museumtrail-getoutside.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=5e174e61767b7f9dbc1e95082403b287 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/museumtrail-getoutside.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=416c91d43d1b65d3e099bc449dbc8427 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/museumtrail-getoutside.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=c73452e1f3b1fcad586fa27f56223774 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/museumtrail-getoutside.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=f57b0eef65343f8aed63b43ef7a6d64e 1024w)
Bike, Walk or Run the Museum Trail
JXN’s Museum Trail, a 2.5-mile route that stretches from downtown through Belhaven and LeFleur East between some of the city’s most prominent museums, opened in late 2020.
The trail is for foot and non-motorized traffic only. Think walkers, runners, cyclists, strollers and children’s scooters. There are several points of entry through Belhaven Heights and Belhaven, most notably among them, at Belhaven Heights Park, at Moody Street, and at Harding Street. Most users park in the former lot of Dave’s Triple B off High Street on the south end. On the north end, users park under I-55 on Laurel Street or, at the LeFleur's Bluff Education and Tourism Complex to access the most recently completed section of trail, the Waterworks Connector.
An additional, rustic mountain bike and hiking trail runs alongside the paved museum trail, between Fortification Street and Belhaven Creek.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/safe-agmuseum-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=e58a1edea253889bdc65a8911f639fd5 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/safe-agmuseum-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=510d0d5a21c819d85ad342b0dfae2bac 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/safe-agmuseum-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=a844b8c880b622c25ceb1f3715252105 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/safe-agmuseum-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=033e77b8f13697b170bddee68fd462f1 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/safe-agmuseum-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=6bf24c62bb2ad8ba1532580fc35bf469 1170w)
Relive Small Town History at the Mississippi Ag Museum
From the 1820s until recent decades, Mississippi agriculture, and that of much of the South, was centered around the production of cotton.
One hundred years later, crossroad towns such as Small Town, Mississippi and the Fortenberry Farm – on display at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum – flourished as a combination of railroads, automobiles, agriculture, forestry and social developments converged. These small towns generally included a general store, filling station, cotton gin, sawmill, blacksmiths shop and grist mill, on display here along with a church, doctor’s office and school.
While there, don’t miss the agricultural and display gardens, the newly opened Children’s Barnyard and Antique Tractor displays and the manageable nature trail on the campus’s western edge.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Publicart-fondren2-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=687f4205117159962514f4f585048801 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Publicart-fondren2-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=afa8a09b7f75b964f9023076e612ab28 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Publicart-fondren2-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=1290e229f5bc0a4e0790e829560ac166 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Publicart-fondren2-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=c9e8373ca80e4e720bc36eb388fd250f 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Publicart-fondren2-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=c0603fce9b924e47781964a8e6891c44 1170w)
Explore the Creative Landscape with the JXN Public Art Map
Throughout Jackson, public art has become both more common and more widely celebrated. Our city has long been vibrant, but now, our streets, walls, and common spaces match our soul.
From Adrienne Dominick’s “Mama Rose Kitchen” on Farish Street to Shon Perryman’s “JXN Icons” across from the Two Museums’ plaza on North Street to longtime fixtures (literally) like the painted Downtown traffic signal boxes, the landscape is rich in color and creativity.
Jxn’s public art map showcases murals, sculpture and other interesting artistic finds with areas of concentration in Fondren, Midtown and Downtown Jackson.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/picnic.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=5d3f7d5a907a4dffe320eb74504c4510 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/picnic.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=b07d1dc46e39498be05427d506747cbf 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/picnic.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=a060fc27e411efb3dfa5d7aec2763e72 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/picnic.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9b3288f07455b6f5fdd0b93dc817a483 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/picnic.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=d9863463df9934f3603b6af5c628eaa4 1170w)
Pack a Picnic (and your walking shoes) for Jackson City Parks
Did you know that approximately 2,300 acres of land in the City of Jackson are composed of nearly three-dozen city parks? The areas include playgrounds, picnic grounds and jogging and walking paths.
Take a loop around the trails at Buddy Butts Park in South Jackson, Tougaloo Park in the Tougaloo community, Parham Bridges Park in LeFleur East or Fondren Park in West Fondren.
Most, if not all, parks offer picnic tables and benches, shade trees and, at some, pavilions (reservations and fees may apply).
The City of Jackson’s website has an interactive map with amenities and directions available.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=a5df9cdd17a8b8f9ea1fe9e589638fc7 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=5bc08cb14727630469767ed0f7e2c3e6 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=8f43ea70b2cce9035ecddf33b0c5b76b 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9fa11e255ad12d87fafedea15ab8ff01 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=0c7330894119cc9ca9bec019d28dfb2b 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=9b64e153895a84491c99d9ad73e8f1bb 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Playground-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=81106694e8479e6b467efcdd094e7004 1920w)
Play Around on Mississippi's Largest Playground at LeFleur's Bluff
Featuring a 21st century, 30,000-square-foot playground, the LeFleur's Bluff Education and Tourism Complex play structure - the largest playground in the state - is separated into different play areas based on age, for children ages 6 months to 12 years old. All structures on the playground promote physical activities, from providing greater freedom to run, jump, and climb to supporting reduced stress levels.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/marker_greyhound-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=fb6a9af8fc3c21a7fd4bb0358ef4e92d 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/marker_greyhound-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=a56cef0a42d584f364cda4227994995a 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/marker_greyhound-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=3d7d89b24860b545c72da5b89d9f6875 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/marker_greyhound-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=cf76f4ac01123dcd3e294047e186cd91 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/marker_greyhound-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=246f516c2b93ac9dd9ebf44b9512fbd7 1170w)
Learn About the Blues, Civil Rights on the “Trails”
Looking for a wealth of blues music heritage info? Visit all of Jackson’s blues markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail, “telling stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music.”
Markers for Malaco Records (3023 West Northside Drive), the Subway Lounge/Summers Hotel (JSU Parkway – 619 West Pearl Street) and the Alamo Theatre and Dorothy Moore (333 North Farish Street) are among them.
For more on the struggles of the Civil Rights era, explore the Mississippi Freedom Trail which provides a tour of sites that played a pivotal role in the movement. Among the first markers unveiled were the Medgar Evers Marker, located at his former home, now a museum, at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive, and at the former Greyhound Bus Station at 239 N. Lamar Street.
![hiking at LeFleur's Bluff State Park](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=96eabf7ea36c4f606d6e6d023269f516 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=13be43324502e7afe3c09c4ab62e02c3 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=7b1ccad772c9a1720ce9665d4d9fe875 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=5d31350fb157891d069ebf282e5068d1 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=34e6290ab7596f189642babb700c36e6 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=c15ee7075c0a77b5d9b9678ffff557a9 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/LeFleurs-Bluff-Park-hiking.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=4f9d9b940d53017feef82550521611b9 1920w)
Experience Nature at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park
An urban oasis in our own backyard, LeFleur’s Bluff State Park in LeFleur East “sits at the crux of present and past; of urban development and beckoning wild.”
In the park’s 305 picturesque acres of trails, forest, lakes, museums, and fairways, LeFleur’s Bluff is “a cloistered refuge from the chaos of modern existence.”
Hike the park to the tall staircase about a mile in, ascending to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Along the way, native vegetation awaits along with unfiltered views of the Pearl River, the same river explored by Louis LeFleur, Jackson’s original namesake, LeFleur’s Bluff.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/art-garden-MS-museum.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=437f2367b71282fed5ed981237120135 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/art-garden-MS-museum.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=dc3b89636597edaed15f2b090e6c6983 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/art-garden-MS-museum.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=e81e3fb9061a7f2c1382e2c804cc9e0a 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/art-garden-MS-museum.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=cbcfd211719a3d6b1bf134c5d710c6dc 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/art-garden-MS-museum.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=07387754e3e0c36c5435a38200784973 1170w)
Unwind on the Green at the Mississippi Museum of Art Garden
A 1.2 acre park located in the heart of Downtown Jackson awaits at The Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art.
Featuring a welcoming lawn, seasonal foliage, native garden beds, permanent art installations, soothing fountains, and outdoor terrace dining, this versatile, open, outdoor space is open to the public from daily during daylight hours.
The Museum has begun to host movie nights, concerts and other gatherings again following a pause during the height of COVID-19.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/flamingo-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=60142c28994a5ce071798b785260af67 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/flamingo-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=483b6146ff5b576257bdb32aaa1dcd48 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/flamingo-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=d862fc048c1662b877dba3261d861b5e 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/flamingo-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=66260656eda59686f8790087d51bd289 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/flamingo-1170x690.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=206062ac9b89d43d0e2a7181704e5b6e 1170w)
Let Your Wild Side Out at The Jackson Zoo
Providing visitors with a recreational and educational environment, dedicated to wildlife care and conservation, The Jackson Zoo welcomes guests and members Thursday-Sunday and $2 Tuesdays, 10 am-4 pm.
Founded in 1916 by the city's fire department, the original Zoo consisted of fireman’s pets: squirrels, deer, raccoons, alligators and rabbits.
Today's zoo puts priority on exhibits and daily care schedules, following standard protocols for constantly improving animal welfare, including saving species in danger of extinction all over the world, thanks to national and international Species Survival Programs.
Zoo tickets and additional guidelines can be found here.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/welty-garden.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=9f0c61d07f6765ee0c795e01358277fd 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/welty-garden.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=f6f8c1adbcd9b2949e9762e077f80580 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/welty-garden.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=b181139161ee3ecf350a2b529f33aa07 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/welty-garden.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=a2beec3d854b428876e00143afb36f64 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/welty-garden.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=0fcd41a3c0734ee2d6a97f2a14a9576a 1170w)
Frolic in the 1930s-era Garden of a Famed Writer at the Eudora Welty House
Most people know Eudora Welty as a writer, but she was also an avid gardener.
Her mother, Chestina, designed the garden in 1925. Until about 1945, she and Welty spent much time with hands in the soil, digging, planting, and weeding.
Both Welty’s prose and personal correspondence are rich with imagery from the natural world. She mentions more than 150 kinds of plants in her stories.
Tour the gardens for free at the Eudora Welty House Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m – 4 p.m. Utilize the free 20 minute audio tour to enhance your experience.