9 Coolest Mississippi Towns For A Summer Vacation In 2026
On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, you'll find communities like Ocean Springs along white-sand beachfronts with lively downtowns to explore. Inland, cities like Clarksdale offer a slower pace and community festivals to explore the defining art movements that shaped the region. These nine towns offer the right mix of outdoor access, live music, and local history to fill a week of summer.
Ocean Springs
Sitting on the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Ocean Springs has an active arts community and just the right amount of beaches to create the perfect balance of fun and relaxation for a summer getaway. The Davis Bayou Area features multiple facilities to view local wildlife, including walking trails and the Davis Bayou Fishing Pier for a slow morning of fishing. To enjoy the views of the coastline community, head down to the white sands of Front Beach, which typically has shallow waters and is uncrowded. Fort Maurepas Park offers more fun outdoors with space for picnicking.
Stepping away from the shoreline, you'll get to experience the art community that defines Ocean Springs' downtown area. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art has been a staple of the arts scene since its establishment in 1991 and celebrates the artistic legacy of the Anderson family. The museum also offers an immersive experience at the Traveler Cafe & Art space, where you can view art while sipping coffee. Smaller galleries and studios also call Ocean Springs home, like Hillyer House Artisan Gallery, which has been operating on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 1970, and is the perfect stop to absorb the thriving local arts scene.
Bay St. Louis
If you're planning to stay outdoors and enjoy the warm weather on the coastline, the beaches, restaurants, and festivals in nearby Bay St. Louis give you the chance to unwind. The Bay St. Louis public beach is known for being less crowded, offering more space and privacy for families looking for a relaxing beach day to build sandcastles and play in the waters of the Gulf Coast. Afterward, a trip to eat at Cuz's Old Town Oyster Bar & Grill in the city's Old Town district is the right place to get a fresh seafood platter.
The Old Town district also has a host of shops when you're ready to get off the beach and explore the community downtown. Sit for a show at the Bay Saint Louis Little Theatre, a Mississippi landmark that was incorporated back in 1946. Local merchants line the streets downtown and come together to celebrate the artists' community. Bay Elements sells a collection of unique Bay St. Louis antiques, furniture, and other gifts to bring some of the bay back home. The annual Frida Fest in July celebrates the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and the diverse city community with a look-alike contest and Kahlo-themed creations in local businesses, an experience you can't get anywhere else.
New Albany
If your goal was to get outside this summer, then New Albany has parks and trails ripe for exploration. The city is known for being on the Tallahatchie River, which you can see from the walking trails of New Albany's largest park, known as the Park Along the River. You can keep your step count up on the 43-mile-long Tanglefoot Trail, which offers views of forests and farmland. Whether you choose to hike on foot or bike your way down the trail, be sure to stop at the Tanglefoot Trailhead Plaza to kick off your journey right by picking up a treat at Brain Freeze Frozen Yogurt. Moving away from the forested hiking trails, downtown New Albany's mural trail guides you past local businesses with colorful mural art from local painters. Gaze at the nature mural on the side of Nico's restaurant or the symbolic artwork at the historic Jockey Yard.
Natchez
Heading inland to Natchez, sightseeing in the historic downtown area by day and taking part in the city's lively nightlife and festivals gives visitors a breezy sense of Southern culture. Tours of local mid-19th-century house museums, such as Magnolia Hall and the famous Longwood property, offer a glimpse of luxurious Southern life that will fascinate history buffs.
Modern fun is also factored into the vacation equation in Natchez. The Pub at Dunleith Historic Inn is a spot to have a drink in your hand and listen to live music. Settled along the Mississippi River, the Magnolia Bluffs Casino offers a gaming room and a sports bar to watch live matches with a crowd of fellow sports fanatics and a host of booked DJs to complete the party atmosphere. Summer festivals bring extra energy to the streets, perfect for vacationers searching for more than just relaxation. In July, the Natchez Food and Wine Festival partners with local establishments for pop-up tastings around town, and a weekend of touring the city while tasting the best of Southern hospitality.
Vicksburg
In western Mississippi, there's more history and local culture to discover in Vicksburg's renowned museums, which highlight its significance in the American Civil War. Take advantage of the warm weather; any of the five Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trails will lead you to 35 historical markers throughout downtown. Touring the area's historic homes, including the Cedar Grove Tour Home or the McRaven Tour Home, whose architecture is a window into the old South that you won't find anywhere else.
You won't be disappointed by Vicksburg's thriving arts scene, either. Galleries are a combination of preserved artwork and new creations by living artists, shaping the city's identity. Travel down Levee Street and take in the abstract and lifelike Riverfront Murals painted along the floodwall. One of the state's oldest independent art galleries, The Attic Gallery, also calls Vicksburg home and exhibits handcrafted pottery and jewelry, as well as fine art pieces. The Vicksburg National Military Park also has to earn a spot on any art lover's travel list. The park features almost 1400 monuments and memorials, including 12 bronze statues and 95 relief portraits honoring soldiers and sailors in the Civil War.
Clarksdale
If you're more interested in exploring music than military history during your vacation, Clarksdale is the right fit. The city is right in the Mississippi Delta and is renowned for its blues music culture. You can go deeper into this history at the Delta Blues Museum. It's the oldest music museum in Mississippi and continues to preserve a unique collection of instruments, costumes, recordings, and more artifacts celebrating the era of the Delta Blues genre. Landmarks like the Crossroads marker at the intersection of Highways 61 and 49 are picture-worthy spots.
Since the town is all about music, it makes sense that it also offers plenty of opportunities to catch live music. The BAM (Birthplace of American Music) Festival in June honors the roots of blues music with events in over 10 venues in downtown Clarksdale. Get together with the community and feel the music's vibes. Similarly, the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival in August has been a community staple since its 1988 launch and is a relaxed weekend featuring local and traveling performers.
Cleveland
A short drive in from Clarksdale will bring you to nearby Cleveland, a city with its own booming art community thanks to its lively college-town feel. Delta State University's campus plays an essential role in the community's arts scene, which makes its facilities must-stop locations on your vacation to make the most of your time in the Delta. Concerts and Broadway show tours are regularly held at the award-winning Bologna Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1995. The center's summer movie series screens family-friendly entertainment at an affordable price, making it a family vacation all ages can enjoy. Also on campus is the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden, where visitors are encouraged to tour the collection of 30 pieces of art installations.
Beyond the Delta State campus, Cleveland is a highly art-centric community, as evidenced by its local businesses and museums. The GRAMMY Museum Mississippi celebrates the state's history of shaping Southern and American music through immersive, hands-on exhibits that let you interact with the museum. If you're in the mood for souvenir shopping before heading back home, the nearby Peter's Pottery in Mound Bayou sells ovenware, animals, pitchers, and other specialty pottery pieces to fill your home with authentic, handcrafted art made from Mississippi mud.
Oxford
Oxford is another university town where you can balance downtime with hopping into lively crowds at local festivities. The University of Mississippi campus is not just a place for students; it also features areas like the Grove, a 10-acre park. Here you can lie back on a picnic blanket and experience the Summer Sunset Series, where live music acts perform for free on Sunday evenings. Alternatively, a quiet stroll around the grounds and gardens of Rowan Oak, the home of novelist and screenwriter William Faulkner until his death in 1962, will give you a sense of where the legend got his inspiration for his work.
In downtown Oxford, the Square will be the place you get to do most of your vacation shopping and experience nightlife. If Faulkner's Rowan Oak estate fascinated you, head to Square Books, which has been serving the literary community through book signings and reading events since 1979. The Library Sports Bar is the largest bar in Oxford and attracts a lively social scene that flocks to the establishment for good live entertainment and sports viewing.
Laurel
Laurel has a distinctive downtown area featured on HGTV's Home Town. A mix of outdoor recreation spots and art culture attracts viewers to the spot in Jones County. Mason Memorial Park spans over 25 acres. From the walking trails to the children's playground, the grounds offer something for everyone who wants to stay active on vacation. Elsewhere, the community Laurel Little Theatre puts on shows with the help of community actors and directors. Art is clearly an important part of the community, as seen at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, which features a range of exhibits spanning from Japanese woodblock art to 20th-century American paintings. Both locations are great places to experience the diverse community that makes Laurel a perfect filming location.
Planning A Cooler Mississippi Summer
Southern culture and bayou landscapes make any vacation in Mississippi unforgettable, but these small communities bring an extra cool factor to the hot summer weather. A simple stroll outside is enhanced at the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden, where the spirit of the local art community thrives on college campuses. There's never a moment of boredom when you tap into the Mississippi Delta's rich music scene, with frequent live performances and sites like the Delta Blues Museum entertaining crowds of locals and tourists coming to visit. You'll come away with a new appreciation of the culture and a couple of new spots to book your next vacation stay.
