What’s new in Mississippi

No other place embodies the heart and soul of the true South like Mississippi: From the Gulf Coast to the Delta, Mississippi has produced many of the world’s most renowned musical artists of all time. Tupelo, in the northeast, is where Elvis Presley was born and raised, and Meridian, the current home of Peavey Electronics was once the home to “The Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers. The flat fertile area of the Delta, along the Mississippi river in the northwest, is rich in cotton, catfish and music. Here, blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, BB King, John Lee Hooker began their remarkable careers. The Mississippi Blues Trail and Mississippi Country Music Trail are unforgettable journeys into the land that birthed the blues and inspired the twang. Hundreds of markers are scattered across Mississippi providing the perfect soundtrack to a Southern road trip. Here’s what to look out for in Mississippi in 2022: New in February: Hotel Tupelo, Tupelo Hotel Tupelo will be a four-story 80-room boutique hotel which will include a local restaurant concept along with ample meeting room space. The hotel will include two suites facing Main Street and the Fairgrounds Park with its statue of Tupelo’s most famous son: Elvis Presley. New this April to September: A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration at Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson The historic phenomenon known as the Great Migration saw more than six million African Americans leave the South for cities across the United States at the start of the 20th century and well into the 1970s. This incredible movement of people transformed nearly every aspect of Black life, in both rural towns and urban metropolises. The impact of the Great Migration spurred a flourishing Black culture and also established a new cadre of artists, writers, musicians, and makers. With this project, a group of intergenerational artists with ancestral ties to the South research and reflect on their personal histories and migration narratives through the lens of their contemporary practices. New this July to September: The Negro Motorist Green Book at Museum of Mississippi History, Jackson The Negro Motorist Green Book, an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian, Candacy Taylor, offers an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class and evidence of a vibrant business class. New Viking River Cruises on the Lower Mississippi River Step on board the newest and most modern ship on the Mississippi with all outside staterooms, private verandas, spacious public areas and the signature, clean Scandinavian design, reimagined for the Mississippi River. A variety of itineraries are available combining Mississippi with New Orleans and Memphis.