Exploring Mississippi's Story Through Connected Museums

Jackson, Mississippi's Museum Trail offers visitors a rare chance to experience the state's natural beauty, complex history, and cultural impact in one thoughtfully connected destination. Located between LeFleur's Bluff State Park and downtown Jackson, the trail places some of Mississippi's most important museums just minutes from downtown, making it an easy and worthwhile adventure for travelers.

Starting Your Journey

The trail begins at the Northeast Jackson Baseball Fields (1399 Lakeland Drive). Wander through the former golf course toward the Mississippi Children's Museum, a wonderland of S.T.E.A.M. activities where families can explore interactive exhibits and simply have fun. Just outside, kids can explore Mississippi's largest ADA accessible playground. The next-door Mississippi Museum of Natural Science introduces visitors to the landscapes and wildlife that define the state, with interactive exhibits and aquariums highlighting Mississippi's rivers, forests, and wetlands. Adjacent outdoor walking paths lead through wooded areas and alongside peaceful lakes, dinosaurs, and great opportunities for birding.

The 3.5-Mile Trail Experience

Take the journey further, down a paved and wooded path at The Waterworks Connector. As an active byway, bikers, joggers, and runners feel right at home as they move past bright murals, historical neighborhoods, and the entrance to a network of well-maintained mountain bike trails. A seemingly hidden path even leads the more adventurous on a trail to an area on the Pearl River known to locals as Belhaven Beach. As the trail continues south, visitors have the opportunity to utilize free fitness equipment at the Keith Haring Outdoor Fitness Court in Belhaven Heights Park before the trail terminates between the fairgrounds, the farmer's market, and two of the most significant cultural institutions in the South.

Mississippi's Civil Rights and History Museums

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum offers a powerful, immersive experience that explores the individuals, events, and movements that shaped the civil rights era. Through personal stories and historic moments, the museum presents a clear and honest look at Mississippi's role in a national struggle for equality.

Adjacent to the Civil Rights Museum, the Museum of Mississippi History provides a broader narrative, tracing the state's story from Indigenous cultures and early settlement through modern times. Together, these museums give visitors a deeper understanding of Mississippi's past and present, all within a single visit.

The Capitol Green Connector: Taking the Trail Downtown

The Capitol Green Connector carries the Museum Trail beyond its current end and directly into downtown, a new green corridor linking museums, neighborhoods, landmarks, and civic spaces across the city’s cultural core and dotted with public art.

This phase connects the existing trail to the Old Capitol Museum, the Two Mississippi Museums, the historic GM&O Depot, and Hal & Mal’s. Future phases will continue to the Mississippi Museum of Art in the Arts District, then on to the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, adding even more of Jackson’s cultural institutions to a trail that lives up to its name.

The Museum Trail Continues to Grow

The Museum Trail experience is expanding. Ground has been broken on a pedestrian bridge over Lakeland Drive, which will safely connect LeFleur's Bluff museums to the downtown trail system.

Planning Your Museum Trail Visit

What makes The Museum Trail especially appealing for visitors is its accessibility. The museums are clustered together, allowing visitors to move easily between them without long drives or crowded schedules. Green spaces, picnic areas, and nearby attractions make it simple to turn a museum visit into a full day of exploration. And, The Museum Trail has multiple entry and exit points, so people visiting can enjoy as much or as little of the trail as they would like.