Off the Couch: 5 Great Adventures in JXN

It took a pandemic to make it possible, but Netflix fatigue is real.

From nefarious zoo owners to basketball’s greatest team, we’ve covered a lot of ground. But now, it’s time to get out again and safely cover some ground of our own.

JXN Icons Mural. Image: Tate Nations

In Jackson, Mississippi, you’ll find adventures—from the rivers and trails to historic homes and bookstores, and in bedazzling craft workshops, offbeat emporiums, and just about everywhere else.

For a memory of your own making, for thrills worth living through, turn off your preferred streaming device and set your sights on these 5 great adventures in Jackson, Mississippi.

“Mama Roses Kitchen” by Adrianne Dominick, a public mural from the Fertile Ground Project, located on Farish Street.

Jackson’s Open-Air Mural Museum

The character of a city is sometimes easy to behold. In Jackson, public street art has become the primary mode of expression for the city’s artists and everyday folk.

From the JXN Icons mural—celebrating such legendary locals as Eudora Welty and Medgar Evers—to the collaborative mural between Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T and Gulf Coast artist Birdcap, Jackson’s downtown serves as an open-air museum of local flavor and color.

Drawing from its Civil Rights past, its community quirkiness, and its rich literary history, Jackson’s murals offer a vibrant path through the city.

A fall scene with fishing docks in the foreground and a lake in the background
LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. Image: McMurtray Photography

LeFleur’s Bluff State Park

In what other modern urban centers can you find 305 acres of pristine trails, forests, lakes, and campgrounds tucked lovingly against the city itself?

LeFleur’s Bluff is a bit of prehistory preserved mere steps from the city beyond. Here, visitors can camp overnight on primitive grounds, explore 200-year-old trade routes up and down the Pearl River, or even play a round of disc golf.

Egrets, geese, ducks, and owls adorn the treetops and blue skies above the waterways, while cypress swamps and onsite natural history museums beckon you to explore a little deeper and a little further.

A stately Tudor home amidst lush trees.
The Eudora Welty House.

Eudora Welty House and Garden

At the most intact literary house in the United States, visitors can celebrate one of the South’s greatest voices. Eudora Welty—a lifelong Jackson resident—grew up reading avidly, gardening avidly, and entertaining with similar zeal.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter, Eudora Welty enjoyed a long, celebrated career while putting her city and her home on America’s map.

Today, visitors can take a lettered walk through the author’s home and garden to get a glimpse inside one of the most important Southern writers of the 20th Century.

Pearl River Glass. Image: Find It in Fondren

Pearl River Glass Studio

What started as a single artist’s desire to broaden the appeal and sensibilities of stained glass has since become the center of an art world revolution. Pearl River Glass Studio—now 45 years in the making—specializes in stained class applications both big and small.

The 10,000-square-foot facility is open for tours so that visitors can glimpse the scope and artistry necessary to bend light into abstract expressions and statements of the sun’s glory.

Pearl River’s work can be found all over the world, but by stopping in to visit, you can take a little piece away with you for your home.

Two people in an orange kayak floating on water.
Image: Capital City Kayaks

Capital City Kayaks

What better way could there be to celebrate getting off your couch? Offering guided and independent tours along the Pearl River waterways year-round, Capital City Kayaks has what you need to get back in touch with nature.

Amateurs and experts will find appropriate waterways, equipment, and guidance from Capital City at truly affordable rates. Learn about the ecology of the waterways, the handling of your kayak, and the historical significance of the same routes you’ll be paddling through.

See Jackson as you’d never thought possible—from the unbroken waters surrounding it.

Press “Play” on Real Life

Jackson is full of opportunities. Drop the remote, shake off the potato chips, and escape the monotony of home for an adventure in Mississippi’s capital city!

Our commitment to social distancing and public health safety keeps everyone safe—locals and cherished visitors alike. Learn more at visitjackson.com/safertravel.

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