Adventures & Misadventures Abroad: Jackson, Mississippi

This trip has been so freeing. With the storm that came up, we had no problem changing our route. We had not followed our usual pattern of planning every single detail. I am loving it. Jackson has proved to be quite interesting. We could have spent more time here. We are obviously in a neighborhood not imagined by the grocery clerk in Hattiesburg. We have had no need for guns, have heard no gunshots. In fact all the black security guards and police have been nothing but kind and helpful. Our plan today was to see Jackson's Old Capitol, its old Capitol and the brand new Civil Rights museum. We drove there so finding a parking place was a challenge. There were very few tourists here - but a lot of closed roads as the State Fair is in progress. And it is located just behind all of the things we wanted to see. After many false turns we finally found the entrance to the garage for the museums. There is a guard in a vehicle right at the entrance. He says, " How can I help you find the right parking? What are you wanting to see?" We said, "We want to see the museums." He replies, "Well, you are in the right place - go straight into the parking garage in front." Now, if we had said we were going to the state fair, he would have directed us a completely different direction. But he would have been just as polite.

We did not tell the guard that we were going to visit the old state capitol and the new one first. Not sure what he would have said. But the parking garage was almost completely empty - so no problems for us. The first building we saw had something to do with the National Guard.

Next on to the old capitol which is now a museum to showcase how it was.

I loved the grand staircase.

At one point they had a keeper of the Capitol. And because of the difficulty of finding lodging he (because it was always he) was allowed to sleep in his office.