Benjamin took a solo trip to Mississippi over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Starting in the north, he drove to Tishomingo State Park and hiked the Outcroppings Trail, crossed the historic swinging bridge, and saw the Pioneer Cabin. He then drove the Natchez Trace Parkway to Tupelo, stopping along the way to see the Tenn-Tom Waterway, the Old Trace, graves of Unknown Confederate Soldiers, and the Pharr Mounds. Benjamin also hiked a portion of the Blackland Prairie section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail near Tupelo. Driving south to the Gulf Coast, and through part of De Soto National Forest, he then spent a night at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi.
The next day, Benjamin toured the Davis Bayou Unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Then, he spent some time taking photos of the Biloxi Lighthouse, beach, and ocean. After touring the neighboring visitor center (where he learned Biloxi is the birthplace of Barq's Root Beer), he then drove along the coast to Gulfport and then back north to Jackson.
While in the Jackson area, Benjamin visited the Mississippi State Capitol and the newly designated Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Just north of Jackson, he hiked the nature trail at Mississippi Petrified Forest. This peaceful park showcased many impressive examples of petrified wood. His final night of the trip was spent in Southaven, where he enjoyed a nice meal at El Agave Mexican Restaurant.
We drove to Tupelo and visited Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield and Tupelo National Battlefield. We then drove the Natchez Trace Parkway south to Jackson. Along the way, we followed the path of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail and made several stops at various parks, overlooks, and even hiked through a cypress swamp.
In Jackson, we saw the Mississippi State Capitol Building before driving west to Vicksburg where we spent the night at the Ameristar Casino & Hotel. The next morning, we toured Vicksburg National Military Park.
In the park, we drove the loop road to see all the monuments, visited the Vicksburg National Cemetery, and toured the ironclad USS Cairo Museum. Leaving Vicksburg, we drove south to Biloxi and the coast.