As we approach the unveiling of the 150th Mississippi Blues Trail next Tuesday, two new blues trail markers were erected in the Mississippi Delta this week.

On Thursday, February 16, Tommy McClennan was recognized with a marker at W. Broadway and N. Water Streets in Yazoo City. McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America's most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan's most notable numbers were “Bottle It Up and Go,” “Cross Cut Saw,” “Travelin’ Highway Man,” “Deep Blue Sea Blues,” “Whiskey Head Woman” and “New Highway No. 51 Blues.” McClennan, famed for his raucous, uninhibited singing and guitar playing, frequented the Water Street section of Yazoo City when he lived on the nearby J. F. Sligh plantation.

Pianist, vocalist and songwriter Mose Allison also received a blues trail marker in his hometown of Tippo. Allison performed at the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University earlier this week and was the recipient of the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Arts Commission during a ceremony in Jackson. Allison was born on November 11, 1927, in his grandfather’s farmhouse on the island in Tippo Bayou, about three miles from town. In 1956, Allison moved to New York City, where he soon achieved acclaim as a jazz artist. His music always retained a strong blues influence though, and in addition to covering the songs of Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, Allison authored blues standards, including “Parchman Farm.”

Join us as we celebrate the unveiling of the150th Mississippi Blues marker on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, honoring Furry Lewis. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the intersection of Lamar Street and Carrollton Avenue in Greenwood, Miss. A reception will be held at the Crystal Grill immediately following the unveiling ceremony.

It’s History Month in Mississippi, and the state’s 13 Welcome Centers are offering travelers a glimpse into the True South’s history and heritage with special programs throughout the month of February.  

Today, the DeSoto County Welcome Center hosted Black History Day and treated visitors to a unique combination of fun and history. The program featured down-home cooking, quilt demonstrations, praise dancing, door prizes and live entertainment from local performer, Stephanie Norvell. Representatives from the DeSoto County Tourism office were also on hand to help with the activities. Throughout the month, the site will also present door prize drawings, map displays of nearby historical sites and video footage on the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. All activities will feature community members to give visitors an authentic slice of Mississippi history.

In Alcorn County, the Welcome Center will host African American art displays and poetry readings during February. The Woodville Hospitality Station is offering “Free for All” History passes to local historical sites.

Each Welcome Center is celebrating History Month with its own special programs and displays. In addition, free coffee, clean restrooms, maps, brochures, hotel reservation assistance and friendly, knowledgeable staff are available every day to help you discover your True South. Stop by and experience genuine southern hospitality!

Want to know about the Welcome Centers? Go to http://www.visitmississippi.org/welcome-centers.aspx.

On Saturday, January 28, 2012, “Appetite for Jackson” kicks off from 2-9 p.m., in The Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The inaugural food festival celebrates the City of Jackson and its cultural and culinary excellence.

The event will feature live music and showcase an array of local restaurants and their culinary delights, including Parlor Market, Underground 119, Peaches, Lumpkins Barbeque, the King Edward Grill, The Palette Café by Viking and many more. Live music from local bands will rock out The Art Garden throughout the day. Admission is free; food plates from participating restaurants are available for $5. Craft beer will be available for sale from Capital City Beverages.

The Travel Channel’s show, “Appetite For Life,” will feature the festival on an upcoming episode. The show’s host, Andrew Zimmern, will be appearing at the festival and at various VIP events.

Event sponsors include: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, Mississippi Museum of Art, Downtown Jackson Partners, WLBT, Underground 119, Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau and Cathead Vodka.

For more information on this event, visit the official website, become a fan on Facebook or follow the event on Twitter.

The bestselling novel “The Help”, now a major motion picture, is set in the Greater Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson Mississippi. The novel’s author, Kathryn Stockett, is a native of Jackson and of Belhaven, one of Mississippi’s most intact historic neighborhoods.



With the popularity of the book and now the movie in theatres nationwide, women across the country want to walk the streets where Skeeter, Aibileen, Miss Hilly, Elizabeth, Stuart and more walked. As the area has changed dramatically over the years, many ofthe places in the book have not. The Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau have made getting a glimpse and walking this historic neighborhood the newest attraction in Jackson with their Driving Tours. Download the tour and drive the streets of Belhaven and see the neighborhood that brought “The Help” to life!



Click here to download the PDF document, map included! Click here to download the PDF of the combined Part I and Part II tours. This tour shows the relationship between actual places in Greater Belhaven and the text of "The Help".



If you want to see the points within this tour on a map, check out the combined tour for The Help in Belhaven Neighborhood Tour and The Help in Jackson Driving Tour via Google Maps. Want this tour to go on your smartphone? It can easily be viewed in Google Maps for smartphones. Click here for the map.

The Stennis Space Center experience is not one with an age limitation. Young and old alike are in for an experience that is out of this world at the award-winning StenniSphere in Stennis Space Center, MS! Tours of StenniSphere depart from the Launch Pad at the Hancock County Welcome Center west of Bay St. Louis, Miss., on I-10 at Exit 2– just 48 miles west of Biloxi and 45 miles east of New Orleans. Visitors 18 and older must have a valid photo ID in their possession. International visitors must provide a valid passport. Start your experience by walking beneath an Apollo-era Lunar Lander before viewing exhibits and interactive videos in the Launch Pad.



Now it’s time to board a shuttle bus to StenniSphere where everyone experiences a 25-minute narrated tour through the 125,000-acre acoustical buffer zone to America's largest rocket test complex where Space Shuttle Main Engines are tested! This test complex is 14,000 square feet of exciting displays featuring real rocket engines, scale models of spacecraft, a Navy exhibit, unique presentations and the Rocketeria Diner. StenniSphere’s outdoor exhibits give visitors the rare opportunity to see real rocket engines used in America’s space program. See a Space Shuttle Main Engine used to get the shuttle into orbit! Get close up to a J2 engine used on the second stage of the Saturn V rocket! Touch a real F1 engine, designed as a booster engine for the first stage of the Saturn V vehicle for the Apollo program! See a model of the Saturn V rocket! Walk up to a real Learjet, used in NASA’s remote sensing program! …And more!



In StenniSphere's Test Control Center, you become a rocket test conductor and test fire a Space Shuttle Main Engine. View an engine test through aperiscope just like the scientists do at Stennis Space Center. Check out a hands-on exhibit of Space Shuttle engine parts that have actually flown in space.Try your hand at landing a Space Shuttle! You’re in the pilot’s seat in a replica of the Space Shuttle cockpit. Observe your fellow crew members at work in the payload bay.The International Space Station exhibit demonstrates how astronauts live and work in space. Try your hand in the glove box and see how astronauts sleep. This exhibit is a scale replica of a module on the real International Space Station. See the International Space Station from you rhometown as it orbits overhead.



The StenniSphere is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm (Last Bus Departs at 2pm). The Rocketeria is closed on Saturdays but the picnic area is available. Field trips and charter tours are welcome and you may schedule tours for Monday-Saturday by calling 1-800-237-1821.