National park · 44 min west
Vicksburg National Military Park
16-mile tour road past the siege lines, monuments and the ironclad USS Cairo.
- Half day · Easy
- Tour road daily 8:30 am-5 pm
- National park entrance fee (under 16 free)
Day Trippin' › Mississippi › From Jackson, Mississippi
Day trips from Jackson, Mississippi
From Jackson, the Two Mississippi Museums, the Old Capitol and the Eudora Welty House are minutes away, the Museum of Natural Science under 10, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home about 10, Canton and the Petrified Forest under half an hour, and Vicksburg under 45. The best day trips from Jackson, by drive time.
143 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Jackson, Mississippi
- Roosevelt State Park 34 min east
- Vicksburg National Military Park 44 min west
- Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum 44 min west
- Lake Lincoln State Park 1 hr 1 min south
- B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center 1 hr 36 min north
- Poverty Point World Heritage Site 1 hr 40 min west
- Natchez 1 hr 48 min southwest
- Oxford 2 hr 32 min north
- French Quarter 2 hr 49 min south
- Ocean Springs 2 hr 50 min southeast
Within an hour from Jackson, Mississippi 9 spots
State park · 34 min east
Roosevelt State Park
CCC-built park on Shadow Lake by Bienville National Forest, with kayak rentals, a pool slide and a scenic overlook.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Mississippi State Parks day-use fee (per person)
Museum · 44 min west
Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum
Free Corps of Engineers museum on the river and how people live and work with it.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Mon-Sat 9 am-4 pm, Sun 1-4 pm
- Free
Small town · 44 min west
Vicksburg
Hilltop river city with a historic downtown and major Civil War sites.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free to wander
Hike · 29 min northwest
Mississippi Petrified Forest
Short trail past huge petrified logs millions of years old near Flora.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check)
- Admission charged (check)
Small town · 28 min north
Canton
Historic courthouse square used in many movies, plus big flea markets in spring and fall.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Museum · 44 min west
Old Court House Museum
Vicksburg's 1858 courthouse, packed with Civil War and local history.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Mon-Sat 8:30 am-4 pm; Sunday closed for now
- Small admission fee (check)
Lake · 36 min northeast
Ross Barnett Reservoir
The state's biggest drinking-water lake, with parks, boating, fishing and lakeside trails near Jackson.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Vehicle fee at parks on peak weekends and holidays (check)
1 to 2 hours from Jackson, Mississippi 39 spots
Small town · 1 hr 48 min southwest
Natchez
Historic river town with antebellum homes, river bluff views and great food.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round; Pilgrimage in spring and fall
- Free to wander; home tours charged
Museum · 1 hr 36 min north
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
The life and music of B.B. King, plus Delta history, in his hometown of Indianola.
- 2 hrs · Easy
- Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm
- Admission charged (check)
Historic site · 1 hr 40 min west
Poverty Point World Heritage Site
Huge earthworks built over 3,000 years ago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a museum, tram tours and a 2.6-mile trail.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Daily 9am-5pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's
- Age 7-61 $6, 62+ $4; tram/guided $10 / $8; 6 and under free (checked Nov 2026)
State park · 1 hr 1 min south
Lake Lincoln State Park
Quiet lake park near Wesson with fishing and camping.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Mississippi State Parks day-use fee (per person)
Bike trail · 1 hr 32 min southeast
Longleaf Trace
A 44-mile paved rail trail from Hattiesburg to Prentiss, with a separate horse trail.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Food town · 1 hr 34 min southeast
Hattiesburg
College town with a walkable downtown, a brewery scene and nearly 200 local places to eat.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Scenic drive · 1 hr 46 min southwest
Natchez Trace Parkway
Slow, scenic parkway that starts in Natchez and runs north across the state. Stop at mounds, swamps and old inns.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Wildlife · 1 hr 33 min west
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge
Deep bottomland forest that holds the state's largest population of Louisiana black bears.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Hours (check)
- Free (check)
2 to 3 hours from Jackson, Mississippi 86 spots
Small town · 2 hr 32 min north
Oxford
College town with a famous square, bookstores, great restaurants and Ole Miss.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Small town · 2 hr 50 min southeast
Ocean Springs
Artsy, walkable downtown under live oaks, with galleries, cafes and shops. One of the best small towns on the coast.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Historic site · 2 hr 49 min south
French Quarter
The oldest part of New Orleans, with Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street galleries and the French Market all in easy walking distance. You can cross the whole Quarter on foot in about 20 minutes.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round; best Oct-Apr
- Free to walk
Museum · 2 hr 47 min north
Delta Blues Museum
Blues history in Clarksdale, the town where the blues grew up.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm
- Adult $15, youth 7-16 $10, 6 and under free (checked Nov 2026)
Zoo · 2 hr 51 min south
Audubon Zoo
A big, shady zoo in Uptown with a Louisiana swamp area, giraffes, jaguars and plenty of room for kids to roam. Ride the St. Charles streetcar to get close.
- Half day · Easy
- Daily 10am-5pm; closed Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas
- Adult $30-$40, child/senior $25-$35, under 2 free (checked Nov 2026)
Historic site · 2 hr 54 min south
Oak Alley Plantation
Famous for its quarter-mile tunnel of 300-year-old live oaks leading to the big house. The site also covers the lives of the people enslaved there.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; hours (check)
- Adult $(check), child $(check)
Island · 2 hr 45 min southeast
Ship Island
A ferry ride from Gulfport to clear water, white sand and Fort Massachusetts. The best beach day on the Mississippi coast.
- Full day · Easy
- Ferry runs spring to fall only (about mid-March to early November in 2026)
- Ferry fare (check current price on msshipisland.com); fort tours free
Museum · 2 hr 47 min south
National WWII Museum
One of the best history museums in the country, with planes, personal stories and big immersive exhibits about World War II. Plan more time than you think.
- Half day · Easy
- Daily 9am-5pm; closed Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day
- Adult $37, students $27, under 5 free (checked Nov 2026)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 39201 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.