Whether you enjoy hiking, camping, playing golf, a nice walk on the beach or maybe the well-kept secret of playing disc golf we have it all in Mississippi.

The disc is like a Frisbee; only instead of tossing it to a person you try to toss it into a basket.  Everyone is trying it.  It’s the latest craze to hit the sporting world.  They even have a Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).  Members of that association are going to set up a course here at Pearl River County Welcome Center.  The course will be set up on Sunday, April 28^th from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.  If you want to have some fun, come on out and join us.

Please join us for our Spring Street Fair, if you happen to be in Picayune this weekend (April 6 & 7).  We will be open from 9:00am – 5:00 pm daily.  We will be displaying the finest Artisans in the South all along East & West Canal Street, North & South Main and Highway 11 South.  There will be Free LIVE entertainment, Children’s activities, arts, crafts, antiques and food vendors.  On Saturday, the Boulevard Cruisers Car Show & on Sunday, Fat Boyz Cycles/Motorcycle Show.

This April 13^th through 15^th, the 9^th annual Juke Joint Festival will be held in Clarksdale, MS. What is the Juke Joint Festival? It’s a positive event for everyone in Clarksdale. It’s good for families, businesses, musicians and tourists alike. The festival itself combines an international “blues festival” with a community-minded “small-town fair,” creating a strong and memorable event like no other in the universe. It’s organized by the Clarksdale Downtown Development Association (CDDA) and staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. This “half small-town fair, half blues festival” does more than simply entertain attendees -- though it definitely does that, too! It aims to educate and enlighten native Deltans and blues tourists alike through a series of performances, exhibits, and presentations involving music, art, storytelling, film, and children’s events. The event mixes visitors with locals and showcases the economic power of cultural tourism, turning average Deltans into ambassadors for the region. 

Clarksdale is just 90 minutes south of the Memphis International Airport and was once home to such blues greats as: Son House, John Lee Hooker, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, Earl Hooker, Lil Green, Big Jack Johnson and many many others.  This year’s festival is dedicated to Delta blues legend David "Honeyboy" Edwards was a regular performer at Juke Joint Festival.  He passed away on August 29, 2011 at 96 years old.

A family-friendly event, the festival also provides a bus service at night to discourage drinking and driving between music venues. All daytime Saturday events are all FREE while nighttime Saturday events all come for the price of a cheap, $15 wristband (which gets you unlimited rides on the blues shuttle bus and entry to almost 20 nighttime 'juke joint' venues). For more information, event listing and pictures from past festivals go to www.jukejointfestival.com

Or go to http://visitclarksdale.com/ for more information on Clarksdale itself.

April is Golf Month throughout the state of Mississippi.  Golf courses all over the state are opening their doors and encouraging people to come and enjoy a round on the links by offering special deals and giveaways all through the month.  So grab your clubs and head to your local course, or take a day trip across the state to one you’ve never played and start working on your swing!  If you don’t have time to play 18 holes, then some other ideas could be to schedule lessons or just head out to the driving range for half an hour.  Golf is a great sport to share with the whole family or one you can play by yourself and unwind from a week at the office.

Golf in Mississippi is divided into five regions throughout the state:

The Hills Region- Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern corner of the state, it has the highest elevation of any of the regions.

The Delta Region- Defined by its wide open of cotton, it’s remarkably flat and contains some of the most fertile soil in the country, as evidenced by the plush, green fairways and greens.

The Capital/River Region- This region is a large mix of glaring contrasts, from wide-open flatlands, to water-laden fairways and rolling terrain with large undulating greens. 

The Pines Region- A soothing blend of rolling countryside, towering hardwoods and trickling streams.  This region also contains three of the highest rated courses in the state (Old Waverly and the two courses at Dancing Rabbit).

The Costal Region- Offering a wide variety of trees, marshes, lakes and winding streams combined with gently rolling hills, The Coastal Region plays host to several hundred amateur golfers at the International Golf & Blues Experience annually.

For more information on Mississippi’s award winning golf courses, visit our website’s golf page, here.

Make your way to Natchez this weekend for the annual Great Mississippi River Balloon Race, October 14-16! Known as Mississippi’s most exciting hot air balloon race weekend, this year’s event features two balloon flights each day, weather permitting and kicks off with a Balloon Glow and fireworks on Friday night! Pilots compete as they fly over the cities of Natchez, Vidalia, and the mighty Mississippi River. The festivities continue all weekend long with a stage full of chart topping musicians including Tonic, Randy Houser, Ingram Hill, Guitar Shorty, Brint Anderson's The Cosimo Effect, The Last Waltz Ensemble, Honey Island Swamp Band and Mark Adam Miller!

The festival itself takes place on the grounds of Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens, On Broadway Street in historic downtown Natchez. Here’s what to expect: (All times are approximate.)

Friday, October 14, 2011
 - 7:00 a.m. - Media Balloon Flight* sponsored by American Medical Response and Community Coffee
 - 6:00 p.m. - Gates open for the Bicentennial Gardens Balloon Glow 
 - 7:00 p.m. - Fireworks sponsored by The City of Natchez and The City of Vidalia
 - 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Live Music by The Cosimo Effect

Saturday, October 15, 2011
 - 7:00 a.m. - Morning Balloon flight* sponsored by American Medical Response and Community Coffee
 - 11:00 a.m. - Gates Open
 - 12:00 - Missippi Roots (yes, that's how they spell it!) 
 - 1:45pm - Honey Island Swamp Band 
 - 3:30 - Guitar Shorty - Afternoon Balloon Flight* 
 - 5:30 - The Last Waltz Ensemble 
 - 7:30 -Ingram Hill
 - 9:30 - Tonic

Sunday, October 16, 2011
 - 7:00 a.m. - Morning Balloon flight* sponsored by American Medical Response and Community Coffee
 - 12:00 -  Noon Gates Open
 - 1:00 p.m. - The Concordia Parish Talented Music Program
 - 2:45 - Mark Adam Miller
 - 4:00 - Afternoon Balloon Flight*
 - 4:30 - Randy Houser

Get Your Tickets Now! See you there!