JACKSON — •   Part of our weekly Day-Tripper series, providing readers information on interesting places to go and fun things to do within easy driving distance of Jones County.



It’s one of the most traveled thoroughfares in Jackson, but if you’re looking to travel back in time and then fast forward for a present-day adventure, then Lakeland Drive is the place to go for an action-packed day trip.

The highly-acclaimed Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and adjacent Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum are perfect destinations for those looking to learn about the past, present and future in the areas of the state’s agriculture growth and sports achievements.  

Choosing this area, also home to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and is the future home of the Mississippi Children’s Museum scheduled to open in the fall, is something a growing number of visitors are doing when seeking affordable summertime entertainment, said Kelly Shannon, media relations director for the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“There are so many non-traditional and truly unique spaces and places throughout Jackson, but especially in this area, including historic sites, museums, restaurants and arts venues that can add a cultural twist to your visit,” said Shannon. “Both museums really contain the best of the past and the present and are places that every Mississippians needs to visit.”

Mississippi’s Agricultural and Forestry Museum, located at 1150 Lakeland Dr., offers visitors a chance to walk across a wooden bridge and step back in time into a bygone era as they learn about Mississippi’s agriculture and forestry legacy.

Guided tours that explore various museums such as the Heritage Exhibit Center, the National Agricultural Aviation Museum, the Fitzgerald Collection, the Ethnic Heritage Center and the Forestry Auditorium provide an up-close look at these buildings spread throughout the grounds.

In Small Town Mississippi, the General Store offers visitors a shopping experience like no where else in the state. In this unbelievably-accurate replica of a 1930s general store, visitors can purchase cold bottled Coca-Colas, Moon Pies, old-fashion candy, toys, and souvenirs. On display are many artifacts and displays from that retail era. The store also specializes in Mississippi Gift Baskets and sells food products and crafts.

Other recreated buildings that bring the past to life include a sugarcane mill, sawmill, school house, church, cotton gin, cabin, veterinary office, oil well, doctor’s office, farm implement shed, blacksmith shop, grist mill and filling station.

Additional areas for touring are the herb and rose gardens, farmstead, forest study trail and children’s carousel.

After working up an appetite walking through the grounds, the Museum Café offers modern-day meals in a cozy, sit-down restaurant.

The museum is open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m.-5p.m. General admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for ages 5 to 18 and $1 for ages 3 to 4.

Just a short walk away from the Agricultural and Forestry Museum and adjacent to Smith-Wills Stadium is Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Over 21,000 square feet is devoted to preserving the athletic endeavors of Mississippi’s most outstanding athletes.

The museum employs advanced media technology to create an exhilarating sensory experience for visitors, not only from Mississippi but from across the country and around the world. And since its official opening on July 4, 1996, the Museum has hosted visitors from every state in the Union and from dozens of foreign countries.

The museum is especially concerned about keeping memories alive among the young people of today and tomorrow, said executive director Michael Rubenstein.

“By the time a youngster born in 2001 is 10 years old, it will have been 24 years since Walter Payton ran with a football, and 27 years since Archie Manning threw one, much less since earlier legends like Jake Gibbs, Bailey Howell and Dizzy Dean performed their athletic feats,” said Rubenstein. “That’s Jurassic Park for kids in the year 2011 unless we feature these sports heroes in a modern, hands-on format youngsters can relate to.”

Sports events are combinations of sight, sound, and motion. Likewise, the exhibits in the museum are combinations of sight, sound and motion. Interactive kiosks dot the museum. During their self-directed experience, visitors can retrieve archival footage, interviews and achievement data at their own pace with just the touch of a finger. The museum is designed for visitors to learn by doing, listening and reading.

Rubenstein said since its opening, existing exhibits have been updated and new exhibits and galleries have been added. From the sandlot to the Super Bowl, the museum is a living, breathing testament to the competitive spirit; a $4.5 million state-of-the-art facility reflecting, tracing and re-telling the stories of which sports legends are made.

Museum hours are Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. General admission for adults (18 and older) is $5. Seniors (age 60 +) pay $3.50; students (age 6-17) are charged $3.50 and children (age 5 & under) are admitted free. A group rate of $3 can be arranged for groups of 12 or more.