Music and arts is the taproot of Mississippi's rich cultural environment. Known as the "Birthplace of America's Music," Mississippi provides visitors with musical experiences in multiple genres. Whether you are seeking soul-filled gospel or blues, foot-stomping old-time string music, or stimulating jazz and symphony, Mississippi is the one stop for your listening pleasure. And their literary, visual and performing arts are a great reason to make your way to the Magnolia State, too.

Mississippi has plenty of fun outdoor activities for the visitor looking to explore the state's rich agricultural history. Navigate a corn maze, stay in a sharecropper's shack, go shrimping on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, or pick your own fruits and vegetables, just to name a few options. Their agriculture and its great heritage have not only flourished over the years, but have also produced a growing Agritourism industry exhibiting some of the most enticing and diverse attractions in the South. Where once cotton was king, now industries such as catfish farming and buffalo ranches, along with family farms, are springing up to extend Mississippi's warm southern hospitality as they welcome visitors.

From catfish to comeback sauce, from tamales to traditional Southern sweets, from shrimp to slugburgers to sweet potatoes, Mississippi's culinary heritage has food to please every palate. Mississippi is home to James Beard award-winning chefs and noted national food writers, as well as some of the best home cooks to be found anywhere. Its culinary heritage is as diverse as the geographical regions of the state.