City of Meridian

Around Town Carousels Abound

Around Town Carousels Abound is an amazingly fun outdoor public art project. There are over 50 brightly decorated carousel horses created by the talented hands of local and regional artists, each with their own theme and story. The horses have been sponsored by businesses and individuals and placed in prominent locations around the city. All proceeds from the project benefit Hope Village for Children.
The location and description of each horse are available at the Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau, 212 Constitution Avenue, or by calling 1-888-868-7720.
www.hopevillagems.org

Bonita Lakes

This city-owned 3,300-acre park is situated on three lakes and includes Long Creek Reservoir and Lakeview Golf Course. The beautiful, relatively primitive park features nature trails, jogging and walking track, horseback riding, picnic facilities, boat ramps and fishing.
Open year-round 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
Entrance is free.
Rentals are available – Call 601-485-1920 to make your reservation for a Shelter Pavilion (2 available), the Grove Area, the Boat Launch, or the Island.
Bonita Lakes is located at 418 Lake Dr. Meridian, MS 39301

Causeyville General Store

This general store and gristmill, opened in 1895, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stone-ground corn meal is produced on the premises. For more than 90 years, hoop cheese has been sliced for customers on site. The gristmill operates for the public only on Saturdays. The store also features a musical museum.
Admission is Free.
Open year-round Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Take Highway 19 South, approximately 7 miles; watch for state highway sign indicating a right turn to Causeyville and follow signs, approximately 5 miles.

Dunn's Falls

Located in Enterprise, this 65-foot waterfall was once used as a power source for a gristmill and for the manufacture of Stetson hats. Historic Carrol Richardson Gristmill is open for tours. Area features include a natural wildlife refuge, picnic areas, barbecue grills, gristmill pond, hiking and swimming area. Open year-round.
Hours: October 1st – April 30th Open Wednesday – Sunday 9am – 6pm; May 1st – September 30th Open Wednesday – Sunday 11am – 7pm
Admission: $1/person; children under 6 free. Twenty percent discount to groups of 20 or more.
Directions: Take I-59 South to Savoy exit.
Email: phwd@datasync.com

Frank W. Williams Home

Frank W. Williams built this circa-1886 home as a wedding present for his wife, Mamie. Built in the Queen Anne style of the Victorian period, the house was moved to the present site in 1979. Today, visitors can tour its Colonial-style atmosphere.
Winter Hours (January, February, March) Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. until 3  p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
Regular Hours (April-Thanksgiving)
Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Thanksgiving-New Year's (Special Holiday Tours) Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Special arrangements for group tours and special events on request.
Tour Prices: $10 for both houses, $5 for one house, special rates for groups of 10 or more, senior citizen discount over 55, children $5 for two houses, $3 for one house, children under 3 admitted free.
www.merrehope.com
From I-20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian.
Turn left on 8th Street, then right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

MSU Riley Center for Education & Performing Arts

In fall of 2006 and after a $25 million renovation, the curtain rose on a star attraction in downtown Meridian -- the Riley Center for Education & Performing Arts. Incorporating the historic Grand Opera House and Marks Rothenberg Building, the Riley Center hosts a variety of arts and entertainment presentations, educational programs, conferences and meetings. Operated by Mississippi State University, the Riley Center provides a special place for social interaction, to enjoy the arts and further individual growth and learning that all residents can be proud to call their own. For more information, visit www.msurileycenter.com or MSU Riley Center Overview (pdf format).

Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater

This beautiful theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1928 in the Moorish Revival style and opened as a movie house. At the time, it was one of the largest stages in the United States, second only to the Roxie Theater in New York City. Housed in the theater is one of only two pipe organs of its kind to exist today. The sound produced by this Robert Morton pipe organ is equivalent to that of a 100-piece symphony orchestra. The pipe organ is really three organs in one, with more than 778 pipes currently undergoing restoration. The Temple, used for vaudeville and movies in the past, is now used year-round for area events, live stage shows, plays and concerts. Free tours are available upon request, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. From I-20/59, take 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian; turn left on 8th Street and go two blocks to corner of 8th Street and 24th Avenue.

Highland Park

This historic park was built by the city in 1908 as a premier streetcar park. Home to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum and the Dentzel antique carousel, it also includes a swimming pool, a duck pond, a recreation center, tennis courts, baseball and softball fields. Open year-round. Admission is free. From I-20/59, take 22nd Avenue exit; turn left on 8th Street; follow signs to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum.

Highland Park Dentzel Carousel

In operation since 1909, the carousel is a National Historic Landmark and the world's only two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in existence. Manufactured between 1892 and 1899 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the carousel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Original oil paintings of museum quality adorn the top crown of the carousel. All animals are meticulously hand-carved of bass and poplar wood. Open daily 1-5 p.m. during June and July. Open 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during April-May and August-October, and on Saturdays only from November to March. Rides are 50 cents per person. The carousel is also available for private parties and events. From I-20/59, follow signs to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. Located in Highland Park.
Click here for more information.

Jimmie Rodgers Museum

The Father of Country Music, "the Singing Brakeman," was born and reared in the Meridian area. The museum contains the original guitar of Jimmie Rodgers and other memorabilia of his life and career, as well as railroad equipment from the steam engine era. Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tours can be arranged by appointment by calling (601) 485-1808, (601) 917-4344 or Lauderdale County Tourism at (601) 482-8001. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $5 for adults; children under 10 are free.
From I-20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian. Turn left on 8th Street and follow the signs located in Highland Park.
www.jimmierodgers.com

Key Brothers Aviation Pictorial Exhibit

Dedicated to the memory of the Key brothers, this pictorial museum is located in the terminal of the Meridian Airport. The Key brothers, Meridian residents, set a world's endurance flight record in 1935. The museum contains a review of the history of aviation.
Open year-round. Admission is free. From I-20/59 take the airport exit.

Lake Okatibbee

This beautiful 3,800-acre lake offers boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing. Twitley Branch Campground provides campsites for trailers/RVs and groups. Total number of campsites (reservation & non-reservation) is 67 plus 3 group campsites. Reservation period: March 1-October 31 (note: campground open year-round). User fees: $12 for standard trailer/RV site; group sites range $30-$60 (note: $2 administrative fee).
Golden Age & Golden Access Card honored.

Lakeview Municipal Golf Course

This 18-hole, par-70 public course has a driving range, three putting greens, a snack bar and carts. Open seven days a week 7 a.m.-dusk. For 18 holes, Monday-Friday, $10; weekends $12. Monthly fees: age 55 and over $25/month, under 55 $35/month. $50 start-up fee for monthly dues.
Click here for more information.

Lauderdale Co. Dept. of Archives & History

This fully certified archives and record center holds records of more than 100 families in research rooms and offers more than 90 publications including indexes, church histories, abstracted newspaper articles, marriage records and more.
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fee for some books.
Located on the second floor of the County Courthouse Annex at 410 Constitution Avenue; (601) 482-9752.

Little Mardi Gras

Young revelers celebrate at downtown Meridian's Little Mardi Gras. For more information contact East Mississippi Business Development Corporation (EMBDC) at (601) 693-1306.

Meridian/Lauderdale Co. Public Library

Here you'll find general library services, including excellent regional genealogy collection. Non-resident library cards are available for $15. Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
http://www.meridian.lib.ms.us

Meridian Museum of Art

Since its opening in 1970, the Meridian Museum of Art has served the people of Meridian, East Mississippi and West Alabama as the region's premier public museum. Housed in a nationally listed landmark building, the museum offers more free programming than any other museum in the state, with over thirty exhibitions annually. These range from traditionally decorative arts to ethnographic and tribal materials, photography, crafts and artworks by contemporary Mississippi and Alabama artists. These regional artists are also featured in the growing permanent collection, along with a fine collection of 18th- and 19th-century English portraits, 20th-century American photography, sculpture, works on paper and contemporary decorative arts. Special classes and programs encourage participation by the Meridian Community College, as well as city and county schools in Lauderdale County and the entire bi-state area. Open Wednesday - Saturday 11a.m. - 5 p.m. and Tuesdays by appointment. Admission is free.
From I-20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian. Turn left on 8th Street to 25th Avenue. Turn left; go one block.
www.meridianmuseum.org

Merrehope

This stately 20-room Victorian mansion features unusual woodwork, handsome columns, mantels and stairways. It is one of fewer than six buildings left standing after Gen. Tecumseh Sherman's campaign in February 1864. Merrehope was beautifully restored and furnished in 1968 by the Meridian Restorations Foundations, Inc..
Winter Hours (January, February, March) Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. until 3  p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
Regular Hours (April-Thanksgiving)
Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Thanksgiving-New Year's (Special Holiday Tours) Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Special arrangements for group tours and special events on request.
Tour Prices: $10 for both houses, $5 for one house, special rates for groups of 10 or more, senior citizen discount over 55, children $5 for two houses, $3 for one house, children under 3 admitted free.
www.merrehope.com
From I-20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian.
Turn left on 8th Street, then right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center

The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center, a multimillion-dollar development, will feature a Hall of Fame honoring Mississippi artists, an outdoor amphitheatre, an indoor concert hall and an artists-in-residence village. This ambitious project will celebrate the achievements of Mississippi's many creative geniuses and provide a forum to nurture future generations of writers, musicians, actors, dancers and other artists.
http://www.msarts.org

Monument Park

This small park, located on 23rd Avenue between Fourth and Front streets, is a historic urban space that had become overgrown and dilapidated. Mayor Barry assembled a team of volunteers to take on the renovation as a beautification project. Through a series of work days involving the EMBDC's Image Committee, the park took shape with a series of flower beds, a vegetable garden, a picnic table, an outdoor grill, an arbor and park benches strategically placed for enjoyment.

Funding for Monument Park renovations was provided in part through a Keep America Beautiful Waste Management Target City Grant and by donations by community residents.  Additionally, many local businesses donated materials and labor.  Funds from the Brick Paver Program will supplement continued renovation and maintenance for Monument Park.

Monument Park Brick Paver order forms are available at the City of Meridian's Cultural Affairs Division and on this website.

Threefoot Arts Festival

A dazzling array of arts at annual Threefoot Arts Festival runs the gamut from sculpting to basketry and oil painting to belly dancing. The festival usually takes place the first Saturday in April. For more information contact Meridian Council for the Arts at (601) 693-2787 or Casey Null at (601) 485-1944.
www.meridianarts.org

Planet Playground

This 10,000-square foot playground was built totally by volunteers. Open 24 hours, with free admission, it's fun for the whole family. Located 1 3/4 miles north of North Hills Street, just off Highway 39 North.

Peavey Visitor Center

The Hartley Peavey museum contains artifacts of the beginning of Peavey Electronics Corporation and its founder, Hartley Peavey. Included is a display and demo of current products such as guitars, amplifiers and keyboards. Located on 42 acres of former U.S. Department of Agriculture Experiment Station, this center is housed in one of the original buildings built in 1931 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other buildings on the site include the original caretaker's lodge and the greenhouse.
Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday; admission is free.

Rose Hill Cemetery

This historic cemetery contains the monuments of John Ball and Lewis Ragsdale, founders of the City of Meridian. It also contains the graves of the King and Queen of the Gypsies, Emil and Kelly Mitchell. Over 20,000 people were in Meridian for the funeral of the Queen. Open all year. Admission is free. From I-20/59, take the 22nd Avenue exit; turn left on 8th street, and then left at 40th Avenue.

Sam Dale Historical Site

This two-acre, day-use area is built around a memorial to General Sam Dale, a 19th-century frontiersman and patriot. The focal point here is a statue of Sam Dale by Harry D. Reeks of Ocean Springs. The area offers four picnic shelters, but no rest rooms or camping. Admission is free.
Located 15 miles north of Meridian off Highway 39; (601) 364-2120.