HAILSTATEBEAT: The Kind-Of Guide To Jackson For MSU Fans

An old man seated on a chair at the front of the room, wearing a beat up hat and playing lead guitar, smiled at me when he caught me bouncing my shoulders and snapping my fingers to the tune he was picking between songs. As I smiled back and walked in to find a place to watch the show, the melody changed and the woman standing at the microphone next to him began singing an upbeat, bluesy version of one of my favorites, the Ben E. King classic Stand By Me.

My smile grew as I meandered to an open space in the rear of the room and came to a very clear realization.

I have made a huge mistake.

Not by going to Blue Monday at Hal Mal's, I don't mean. Attending the blues-fueled open mic night was, in fact, an opportunity to rectify the mistake I have made over and over for the better part of this decade.

I travel to Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, at least half a dozen times per year. And nearly every single time, I go in for a single event, then come straight back home to Starkville. In doing this, I have now learned, I erred greatly.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of Jackson's new slogan, The City With Soul, but after an intensive dive into Jackson's past, present and future, the picture is a bit clearer. Jackson doesn't just have soul of its own. It has the soul of Mississippi, the soul of one of the most overlooked and underappreciated parts of the country. Though I suppose being overlooked isn't always a bad thing – it keeps the wait for a table at the restaurants shorter.

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But Jackson is home to so many things that make Mississippi and her people what they are. That certainly starts with great food, music and art, but it goes deeper than the obvious. Jackson is a convergence of and a memorial to the history, the successes, the hardships, the many rights and the many wrongs of the state.

At the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, there is no blind eye turned to the heartbreaking past the city was home to, and just as importantly, it celebrates the inspiring moments and achievements of the civil rights movement, something our state was at the very heart of. No Mississippian could make that visit and be unmoved.

For that alone, I should have spent more time exploring my capital city, but beyond all the history, man – Jackson is just fun. I'm there all the time for Mississippi State-related events, be it basketball games, the Central Mississippi Extravaganza, the Conerly Trophy, Ferriss Trophy, Howell trophy or Gillom Trophy – shoutout to four-time winner Victoria Vivians. This week, I'll be there again for the Governor's Cup, pitting MSU vs Ole Miss at Trustmark Park with nothing but pride on the line in the annual non-conference matchup.

And all this time, I could have been having a ball by coming early or staying late, or perhaps even both. I've missed out on life – and stomach – altering milkshakes at Fine and Dandy. I've missed out on chocolate croissants and macchiatos at La Brioche. I've missed out on shopping in Fondren, strawberry cheesecake popsicles at Deep South Pops, crawfish boils and yard games at Cathead Distillery, and crab meat-stuffed peppers at Ironhorse Grill, home to a Mexican-southern menu where the Rio Grande meets the Mighty Mississippi.

I could have been having chicken and waffles on the red-checkered tablecloths at Sugar's Place. I could have been taking in pre-game meals at Manship, a wood-fire kitchen that's everything a bustling downtown restaurant should be, with the added benefit of house-made pimento cheese. I could have been throwing pitches, recording my own version of famous radio calls and learning about the last legal heavyweight bare-knuckle boxing match in American history, all by wandering the halls of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

And I could have had easy access to all of it by staying at The Westin downtown.

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And all of that came on only barely two days of exploring, hardly managing to make a dent in the list of places I wanted to visit. With each stop came the realization that there was much more happening than I first knew or expected.

Perhaps my favorite was the Cathead Distillery, and not for the obvious reasons. I enjoyed learning the stories behind Mississippi's first legal distillery. I had no idea where the name even came from, which meant I had never heard of the at-once popular and obscure artist James "Son" Thomas, an old Mississippi blues musician and sculptor who designed and created items he called "Cat Heads," named for the original blues musicians who used to refer to each other in friendly terms as "cats."

He's worth a Google.

Similarly, Cathead – like the city in which it resides – is worth a visit.

I started this venture with the goal of just finding things and places I could recommend to Mississippi State fans when they're in town for any of the many events happening each year, and I do believe that much has been accomplished. But very quickly, I discovered that a city bustling with life, brimming with history and practically bursting at the seams of my now-expanding waistline with great food and drinks, has been waiting for me this whole time.

The look in the old man's eye when he caught me dancing was a kind one, letting me know that not only was it OK to have a little fun, it was encouraged. The soul of his city is a welcoming one. I stand by Jackson.

Mississippi State University Athletics

HAILSTATEBEAT: The Kind-Of Guide To Jackson For MSU Fans

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