to your guide to the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area. Bounded by Interstate 55 to the west and Highway 14 to the south, the region is filled with vibrant communities that share a common geography and history. We invite you to learn about our rich and diverse culture, as well as our people, places, and defining moments. This website highlights the historic, cultural, natural, scenic, and recreational treasures of the Mississippi Hills. Explore our heritage. Explore the hills.
Columbus: One of America’s ‘Distinctive
Destinations’
On February 7, 2008, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation named Columbus, Mississippi
one of its 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destinations. “Columbus will undoubtedly
surprise you with its diverse and abundant cultural resources,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. “As
one of the best kept secrets in the state of Mississippi, it is an unrivaled destination
for anyone who enjoys Southern architecture, savors down-home cooking, and seeks
an escape to the great outdoors.”
The birthplace of prize-winning playwright,
Tennessee Williams, Columbus is home to three National Register Historic
Districts that boast an impressive 676 properties. While other cities were ravaged during the
Civil War, Columbus
was a “hospital town,” leaving the antebellum and Victorian homes—along with
their contents—spared. Tours of these architectural gems abound. Whether taking a guided walking tour or
winding through the scenic area by car, visitors are able to experience 19th
century living first-hand.
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Oxford: The Epicenter of Southern Culture
It’s hard to say what future anthropologists will make of the ceremony held in a clearing known only as “The Grove”… How they will explain the mad pre-dawn race, a competition with its own system of rules and etiquette that leads, as quick as an eye blink, as inexorable as a line from Faulkner, to a city of tents mushrooming under the moonlight.
Electric lights hung by morning, the air thickening with the smell of charring grills and smoking barbeque—fare that may be plopped on paper plates, or served with panache on fine bone china. Massive crowds of young and old, some in khakis, but many in pearls and heels, champagne flutes in hand. All for a game involving a small spherical object made of pigskin.
And then there is that cheer... Hotty Toddy?
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