Local Attractions

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  Around Town Carousels Abound
  

  Around Town Carousels Abound is an amazingly fun outdoor public art project. There are over 50 brightly decorated carousel horses created by the talented hands of local and regional artists each with their own theme and story.

  

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  Bonita Lakes

  City owned 3,300 acre park situated on three lakes. Includes Long Creek Reservoir and Lakeview Golf Course. Beautiful, relatively primitive park features nature trails, jogging and walking track, horseback riding, picnic facilities, paddle boats, boat ramps and fishing. Free. Open year round 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
  Shelter Rentals
  Pavilion $40.00
  Island $25.00 w/electricity additional $25.00
  to reserve 485-1920

  

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  Briarwood Country Club
  Conveniently located on Highway 39 North, just a few miles from Hilton Garden Inn Meridian, Briarwood Country Club provides something for everyone. Founded in 1966, the club offers golf, swimming, fishing and dining. There are also practice facilities, including a driving range, and a fully stocked pro shop. All of this is arranged around an 18 hole course that winds through rolling hills covered in Southern pines.
  For more information on Briarwood Country Club ask an Associate during your stay, or call 601-485-3506 at any time.

  

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  Causeyville General Store
  This general store and gristmill, opened in 1895, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stone ground corn meal is produced on the premises. For more than 90 years, hoop cheese has been sliced for customers on site. The Gristmill operates for the public only on Saturdays. The store also features a musical museum.
  Free. Open year-round Monday-Saturday 7a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
  Take Highway 19 South, approximately 7 miles: watch for state highway sign indicating a right turn to Causeyville and follow signs, approximately 5 miles.

  

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  Clarckco State Park
  Located in Quitman, this state park is on a 65-acre lake. Features nature trails, lighted tennis courts, large picnic pavilions, large conference room and a camp store. Forty-three camping pads and 15 cabins with individual lake piers are available.
  Open year-round from 8 a.m.- 10 p.m.
  Admission $2 vehicle; more than four persons in vehicle and all buses, 50 cents per person.
  Directly off U.S. Highway 45, 20 miles south of Meridian.

  

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  Dunn's Falls
  Located in Enterprise, this 65-foot waterfall was once used as a power source for a gristmill and for the manufacture of Stetson hats. Historic Carrol Richardson Gristmill is open for tours. Area features include a natural wildlife refuge, picnic areas, barbecue grills, gristmill pond, hiking and swimming area. Open year-round.
  Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. October 1- April 30; 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. May - September 30.
  Admission: $1/person; children under 6 free. Twenty percent discount to groups of 20 or more.
  Take I-59 South to Savoy exit.
  email: phwd@datasync.com
  website: www.waterparkin.com

  

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  Frank W. Williams Home
  Circa 1886. Frank W. Williams built this home as a wedding present for his wife, Mamie. Built in the Queen Anne style of the Victorian period, the house was moved to the present site in 1979. Colonial-style atmosphere.
  WINTER HOURS (JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH) Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
  REGULAR HOURS (APRIL -THANKSGIVING)
  MONDAY-SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
  Closed Sunday
  THANKSGIVING-NEW YEARS (Special Holiday Tours) MONDAY-SATURDAY 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
  Special arrangements for group tours and special events on request.
  TOUR PRICES: $10 for Both Houses, $5 for One House
  Special Rates for Groups of 10 or More
  Senior Citizen Discounts over   55
  Children   $5 for Two Houses,
  $3 for One House
  Children under 3 admitted free
  www.merrehope.com     601-483-8439

  

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  MSU Riley Center For Education & Performing Arts
  In fall of 2006 and after a $25 million renovation, the curtain rose on a star attraction in downtown Meridian -- the Riley Center for Education & Performing Arts. Incorporating the historic Grand Opera House and Marks Rothenberg Building, the Riley Center will host a variety of arts and entertainment presentations, educational programs, conferences and meetings. Operated by Mississippi State University, the Riley Center will provide a special place for social interaction, to enjoy the arts and further individual growth and learning that all residents can be proud to call their own. For more information, visit www.riley.msstate.edu or MSU Riley Center Overview (pdf format)

  

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  Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater
  This beautiful theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1928 in the Moorish Revival style and opened as a movie house. At the time, it was one of the largest stages in the United States, second only to the Roxie Theater in New York City. Housed in the theater is one of only two pipe organs of its kind to exist today. The sound produced by this Robert Morton pipe organ is equivalent to that of a 100-piece symphony orchestra. The pipe organ is really three organs in one, with more than 778 pipes currently undergoing restoration. The Temple, used for vaudeville and movies in the past, is now used year-round for area events, live stage shows, plays and concerts. Tours are available upon request, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. Free. From I 20/59, take 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian; turn left on 8th Street and go two blocks to corner of 8th Street and 24th Avenue.

  

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  Highland Park
  This historic park was built by the city in 1908 as a premier street car park. Home to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, the Dentzel Antique Carousel, swimming pool, duck pond, recreation center, tennis courts, baseball and softball fields. Open year-round. Free. From I-20/59, take 22nd Avenue exit; turn left on 8th Street; follow signs to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum.

  

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  Highland Park - Dentzel Carousel
  In operation since 1909, the carousel is a National Historic Landmark and the world's only two-row stationary Dentzel menagerie in existence. Manufactured between 1892 and 1899 by Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the carousel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Original oil paintings of museum quality adorn the top crown of the Carousel. All animals are meticulously hand-carved of bass and poplar wood. Open daily 1 - 5 p.m. June - July; 1- 5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. April - May and August - October; 1 - 5 p.m. Sat. only Nov. - March. Rides are 50 cents per person. The Carousel is also available for private parties and events. From I 20/59, follow signs to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. Located in Highland Park.
  Click here for more information.

  

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  Jimmie Rodgers Museum
  The Father of Country Music, "the Singing Brakeman," was born and reared in the Meridian area. The museum contains the original guitar of Jimmie Rodgers and other memorabilia of his life and career, as well as railroad equipment from the steam engine era. Open year-round 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 -5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission: $2 adults, children under 10 with an adult enter free, groups of 20 or more $1.50 per person.
  From I-20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian. Turn left on 8th Street and follow the signs located in Highland Park.

  

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  Key Brothers Aviation Pictorial Exhibit
  Dedicated to the memory of the Key brothers, this pictorial museum is located in the terminal of the Meridian Airport. The Key brothers, Meridian residents, set a world's endurance flight record in 1935. The museum contains a review of the history of aviation.
  Open year-round. Free. From I 20/59 take the airport exit.

  

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  Lake Okatibbee
  This beautiful 3,800-acre lake offers boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing. Twitley Branch Campground provides campsites for Trailer/RV and groups. Total number of campsites (reservation & non-reservation) 67 plus 3 group camp sites.
  Reservation period: March 1-October 31 (Note: Campground Open Year Round).
  User fees: $12.00 for standard Trailer/Rv site.
  Group sites: Price Range $30.00 - $60.00. (Note: $2.00 Administrative Fee)
  &Golden Access Card Honored.
  www.waterparkin.com

  

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  Lake View Municipal Golf Course
  18-hole public course is Par 70. Driving range, three putting greens, snack bar and carts available. Open seven days a week 7 a.m.-dusk.
  For 18 holes, Monday-Friday, $10; weekends $12.
  Monthly fees: age 55 and over $25/month, under 55 $35/month.
  $50 start up fee for monthly dues.
  Click here for more information

  

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  Lauderdale County Department of Archives and History
  Fully certified archives and record center. Holds records of more than 100 families in research rooms. Offers more than 90 publications, including indexes, church histories, abstracted newspaper articles, marriage records and more.
  Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fee for some books.
  Second floor of County Courthouse Annex.

  

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  Meridian Lauderdale Co. Public Library
  General library services, including excellent regional genealogy collection. Non-resident library cards are available for $15. Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
  http://www.meridian.lib.ms.us

  

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  Meridian Museum of Art
  Since its opening in 1970, the Meridian Museum of Art has served the people of Meridian, East Mississippi and West Alabama as the region's premier public museum. Housed in a nationally listed landmark building, the museum offers more free programming than any other museum in the state, with over thirty exhibitions annually. These range from traditionally decorative arts to ethnographic and tribal materials, photography, crafts and artworks by contemporary Mississippi and Alabama artists. These regional artists are also featured in the growing permanent collection, along with a fine collection of 18th and 19th century English portraits, 20th century American photography, sculpture, works on paper and contemporary decorative arts. Special classes and programs encourage participation by the Meridian Community College , as well as city and county schools in Lauderdale County and the entire bi-state area. Open Tuesday - Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission is free.
  From I 20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian.
  Turn left on 8th Street to 25th Avenue.
  Turn left; go one block.
  www.meridianmuseum.org

  

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  Merrehope
  This stately 20-room Victorian mansion features unusual woodwork, handsome columns, mantels and stairway. It is one of fewer than six buildings left standing after Gen. Tecumseh Sherman's campaign in February 1864. Merrehope was beautifully restored and furnished in 1968 by the Meridian Restorations Foundations, Inc..
  Winter Hours (January, February, March) Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
  Regular Hours (April-Thanksgiving)
  Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
  Closed Sunday
  Thanksgiving-New Years (Special Holiday Tours) Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
  Special arrangements for group tours and special events on request.
  Tour Prices: $10 for both houses,
  $5 for one house
  special rates for groups of 10 or more
  senior citizen discount over 55
  children $5 for two houses
  $3 for one house
  children under three admitted free.
  www.merrehope.com • 601-483-8439
  From I 20/59 take the 22nd Avenue exit to downtown Meridian.
  Turn left on 8th Street, then right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

  

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  Threefoot Arts Festival
  A dazzling array of arts at the annual Threefoots Arts Festival runs the gamut from sculpting to basketry and oil painting to belly dancing. The festival usually takes place the second Saturday in October. For more information contact the Meridian Council for the Arts at 601-693-2787 or Connie Royal at 601-485-1944.

  

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  Planet Playground
  10,000 sq. ft. playground built totally by volunteers. Open 24 hours, it's fun for the whole family. Free.
  1 3/4 miles north of North Hills Street, Just off Hwy. 39 North.

   

  

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  Peavey Visitor Center
  The Hartley Peavey museum contains artifacts of the beginning of Peavey Electronics Corporation and its founder, Hartley Peavey. Included is a display and demo of current products such as guitars, amplifiers and keyboards. Located on 42 acres of former U.S. Department of Agriculture Experiment Station, this center is housed in one of the original buildings built in 1931 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other buildings on the site include the original caretaker's lodge and the greenhouse.
  Guided tours available on request.
  Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday;
  1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free

  

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  Rose Hill Cemetery
  This historic cemetery contains the monuments of John Ball and Lewis Ragsdale, founders of the City of Meridian. It also contains the graves of the King and Queen of the Gypsies, Emil and Kelly Mitchell. Over 20,000 people were in Meridian for the funeral of the Queen. Open all year. Free. From I-59/20, take 22nd Avenue exit. Turn left on 8th street, left at 40th Avenue.

  

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  Sam Dale Historical Site
  A two-acre, day-use area built around a memorial to General Sam Dale, a 19th century frontiersman and patriot. Focal point is a statue of Sam Dale by Harry D. Reeks of Ocean Springs. Four picnic shelters, no rest rooms or camping.
  15 miles north of Meridian off Highway 39. Free.