Farm Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Columbus to Starkville ...... 22

Arrive in Columbus, Mississippi, in the late morning and enjoy a hardy Southern-style lunch at a local restaurant. Afterward, tour some of the most beautiful gardens typical of the 1860's. Walk along footpaths that are the signature of each gardener who lived here in the past.

Visit the Ole Country Bakery in nearby Brooksville, a not to be missed stop, where they serve traditional Mennonite bakery goods, pastries, and their specialty "Po Boy" sandwiches. As you travel to Starkville, stop at Pinedale Farm, which parades a collection of barnyard and exotic animals, situated on the site of a 1930's dairy farm.
At Mississippi State University in Starkville, learn about

research conducted at this land-grant institution that impacts freshwater shrimp cultivation, wine making, cheese making, tree farming. and cotton and wheat production. Catch a special event on campus in the evening.

Day 2

Starkville to Greenwood ... 06
After a hardy Mississippi breakfast, drive to Greenwood's Cottonlandia Museum and experience the history of the Mississippi River Delta, over the past 70 million years. The next stop is Florewood River Plantation State Park, a living-history rnuseum of antebellum life-styles.

Your afternoon "Cotton-Pickin' Tour" begins with a walk down historic Cotton Row, the second-largest cotton exchange in the U.S. Next, you'll see a cotton gin and implements of a modern, working plantation. Have,.some fun picking your own cotton for souvenirs or a Mississippi "floral" arrangement. Tonight enjoy a relaxing dinner at one of the. fine local restaurants.

Day 3

Greenwood to Indianola ....... 29

Catfish has a fascinating story as a top new Mississippi crop. In Indianola, tour a worwing catfish farm. Enjoy a gourmet catfish lunch before driving to Greenville, "The Silicon Valley of Agriculture." This area is rich in agriculture and boasts the largest USDA research facility east of the Mississippi.

Day 4

Indianola to Greenville ........ 24
Greenville to Yazoo City ...... 71
Yazoo City to Jackson .......... 47
Total miles for the day .........142

This morning travel to Yazoo City for tours of hill farms at the Delta's edge. Cotton, soybeans, sorghum, cattle and hog farms abound in this area. Down the road is Jackson, Mississippi's capital city. Visit the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry/National Agricultural Aviation Museum, complete with a re-creation of "Small Town, Mississippi," as it would have existed in the 1920s with a working farm, mill, general store and much more.

Day 5

Jackson to Gulfport .......... 157

Travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and have lunch overlooking the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This afternoon, visit the Seafood Industry Museum and the J. L. Scott Marine Education Center to learn about the growth and evelopment of the seafood industry on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. You may even want to take an adventure cruise on a shrimp boat.

Tonight enjoy the delicious seafood at one of the local restaurants before experiencing the nightlife, including the excitment of casino gaming.