As a guest of Visit Hattiesburg, this is a sponsored post, however all views and opinions are my own, and I only recommend brands and destinations that I feel are inspiring and noteworthy.
As the central point of a crossroads of several major US highways, the southern Mississippi town of Hattiesburg is known around the area as the “Hub City.” It connects travelers to more well-known Southern cities like Jackson, Meridian, Natchez, Gulfport, New Orleans, and Mobile.
But Hattiesburg isn’t just a city to pass through on your way to bigger and better places. A close-knit community of diverse ages, backgrounds and cultures, Hattiesburg welcomes visitors to experience a city teeming with history, art, cuisine, music, and nature in an easily-accessible location, making it a tourist destination in its own right.
Besides being the home of the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg has a thriving historic downtown district, a growing arts influence, a diverse heritage foundation, an impressive food scene, two military museums, a zoo, and a popular recreational trail, just to name a few of its growing number of attractions.
I was recently invited to take part in a recent media trip with some amazing travel writers and the hospitable folks at Visit Hattiesburg. Here are some of the highlights of my visit:
EAT + DRINK HATTIESBURG
The first stop on our tour was the Southern Prohibition Brewery, Hattiesburg’s first craft beer location. We were treated to a tour and a tasting flight of our choice. Being more of a cider-loving girl, I was a bit apprehensive at first and thought maybe I wouldn’t really find any flavors that I liked, but, boy, was I surprised!
The Oreo Crumble Cakewalk is brewed with crumbled chocolate cream wafer cookies, vanilla, cocoa nibs, and marshmallow. It still tasted like beer, but was sweet at the same time, and I enjoyed it. But my favorite was the Sherbet Sherpa OG Smoothie Style Sour. Made with vanilla, raspberry and blood orange flavors, it tasted like I was drinking orange sherbet.
Honestly, my favorite thing about beer is the fun names that breweries give their creations, like Selfie Destruct and Bro Flo. Our barista, Megan, was very friendly and informative. She gave us a tour of the brewery, and we learned how the beer is processed, packaged and stored.
They have a beautiful indoor event space and an outdoor eating area with food truck service, in addition to their spacious taproom.
We stayed downtown for lunch at The Porter, one of 33 eateries featured on the new Hatties[BURGER] Trail. This cozy pub also serves its own house-made craft brews and offers a menu of classic American cuisine with a Southern twist.
Feeling adventurous from my earlier foray into the world of beer, I chose the special of the day at the recommendation of the friendly staff – the Mardi Gras burger, a pure Angus beef patty stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on a brioche bun topped with green, yellow and purple sugar sprinkles.
The combination sounds odd, but tastes amazing. As if that weren’t enough, my side dish was their signature Mac & Cheese, which was probably the best I’ve had in ages. My only complaint was that it was impossible to finish it all.
Live music and steaks were on the menu for dinner at Sully’s one evening. Aged, certified Angus beef, hand-trimmed and cut to order, Sully’s steaks are said to be “legendary.” They are served with salad, sides and yeast rolls, and the portions are plentiful.
As we enjoyed our delicious dinner, we were treated to a performance by local artist and musician Thomas Jackson. History lovers like me appreciate the fact that the restaurant is named for John Sullivan – the world champion in the last bare-knuckle heavyweight fight in 1889, which took place on the site where the restaurant now stands.
Breakfast time found us downtown once again, this time at The Depot Kitchen & Market, which serves coffee, breakfast and lunch near the Hattiesburg train station. It’s a popular spot for locals as we saw, noticing how all the tables filled up shortly after we arrived.
Our friendly barista and hot caramel latte was just the warm wake-up I needed on a chilly morning! Their signature Bru’s Breakfast Bowl is made with a Cheddar biscuit, topped with sausage gravy, bacon, scrambled egg, and cheddar cheese. Yum!
Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing taste, and lunch at Birdhouse Café was the perfect example. Located in one half of a furniture store on the west end of Hattiesburg, this super-cute restaurant of celebrity chef Katie Dixon serves nutritious plant-based meals with a tasty Southern twist.
The Masterchef finalist and Food Network star shared with us her passion for showing people that healthy food can be delicious, and delicious food can be healthy.
I selected the smoothie bowl made with acai, banana, almond milk, topped with hemp granola, strawberries, banana, and peanut butter, and it fulfilled both of those promises.
Hattiesburg boasts another famous celebrity chef, and we enjoyed dinner one evening at the newest of his many restaurants. El Rayo is the latest creation of restauranteur, chef, columnist and author Robert St. John, and serves authentic Tex-Mex cuisine.
We were treated to a selection of fresh and flavorful salsas and quesos, but the highlight of the appetizer course was the unveiling of the #10 can nachos. You just have to see it.
There is an impressive array of signature cocktails and a selection of entrees that sounded so tempting, it was hard to choose just one. I finally settled on the fajita skillet, and it was incredibly good.
We enjoyed breakfast one morning at T-Bones Records & Café, a full-service coffee shop located inside one of Mississippi’s few remaining independent record stores. They serve breakfast, sandwiches, pastries and more, along with fresh-brewed coffee.
My bacon, egg and cheese croissant was very satisfying. You can shop for new and used vinyl while you sip your cold brew, and enjoy weekly live performances.
I was greeted with the gift of a charcuterie cone from Boho Platter Co. in my hotel room upon my arrival in Hattiesburg. Inside was a tasty selection of cheeses, meats, olives, grapes, honeycomb, crackers and edible flowers, all cleverly wrapped inside a paper cone.
It was such a sweet surprise after a long road trip and I enjoyed every bite!
With over 200 restaurants to choose from, it’s no wonder that Hattiesburg is quickly becoming known as a foodie destination. Check out Visit Hattiesburg for more places to eat in the Hub City.
EXPLORE HATTIESBURG
The heartbeat of a city is in its downtown, and Hattiesburg is no exception. With a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment venues in and around its well-preserved 19th century architecture, Downtown Hattiesburg offers visitors a calendar full of reasons to stay and play.
The architecture in Hattiesburg also plays host to over 20 public art murals and the list is growing. Follow the Hattiesburg Public Art Trail to discover each mural displayed on the sides of buildings on streets and alleyways. Brightly painted utility boxes also catch the eye, as well as a number of sculptures around town.
We all had a blast learning how to create ink transfer art from Hattiesburg’s award-winning mural artist Andrea Kostyal.
One of the most intriguing shops I’ve ever visited resides in Hattiesburg. The Lucky Rabbit bills itself as a junk shop, but the collections of antique and vintage Americana mixed with gift items and apparel, and arranged into clever vignettes make you feel like you’re in a cool museum.
The owners have recreated the setting of The Office in one section of the store, which makes for a great photo opportunity. It’s no wonder that the store has been called Hattiesburg’s #1 shopping experience.
Hattiesburg’s most unusual attraction is located in an alley downtown. And that’s all you’ll get in the way of directions to the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum.
A formerly boarded-up window into an old storeroom houses a four-shelf exhibit of miniatures that changes to a different theme each month. The exact location of the miniature museum is kept a secret to encourage visitors to explore Hattiesburg’s downtown district.
When you finally discover the museum, you will be delighted to find that the surrounding alley is also decorated with tiny figurines of people and animals.
Take some time to discover all the little surprises hidden in the alleyway, and to admire the murals and artwork along the walls of the adjacent buildings.
Hattiesburg played a key role in the civil rights era, and today’s visitors can explore the history of through the Freedom Summer Trail, a collection of 16 stops throughout the city that commemorates the pursuit of equal voting rights for people of color.
The city also features the African American Military Museum, which pays tribute to the men and women of color who have served this country, from the Buffalo Soldiers through today’s veterans and those who presently serve. The building the museum is housed in was built in 1942 as a USO club for soldiers, where they could relax, play games and read library books in their private time.
At Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, about 12 miles outside of Hattiesburg, the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum honors Mississippi military veterans from all branches of service.
The museum houses impressive exhibits of artifacts, historical documents, and personal collections from late 19th century conflicts, World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and more up to present day.
Tanks, aircraft, and artillery are displayed in outdoor exhibits. Life-sized exhibits give a touch of stark reality to what is a remote concept for most of us. The museum is an incredibly touching and humbling reminder about the price of freedom and the men and women who fight for it.
The #1 rated activity in Hattiesburg is the Hattiesburg Zoo, a delightful adventure for kids of all ages. The zoo, which opened it’s doors in 1902, is a beautifully-landscaped 12-acre park that houses over 80 species of animals from all over the world.
In addition to the animals, there are plenty of attractions for kids to enjoy, including a petting zoo, splash pad, train ride, giant-bug playground, and more.
The zoo’s most popular attractions are the two-toed sloths – Chewy, Mo, and baby Maple – who can be observed being sloth-like in their enclosure’s hammocks and branches. The zoo even has a Sloth Encounter, where guests can receive hugs from the stars of the show.
The Hattiesburg Zoo often receives awards for its ethical practices and educational outreach programs, and is preparing to add giraffes to its animal family later this year.
Hattiesburg serves as one of the end points on the historic 44-mile Longleaf Trace. Formerly a line on the railroad system, the Longleaf Trace is a Rails-to-Trails conservancy project intended to preserve an old railroad path and transform it into a paved recreation trail where locals and visitors can enjoy walking, running and biking their way through the Hub City.
STAY HATTIESBURG
Our host hotel was the Hotel Indigo® Hattiesburg, an upscale boutique hotel located in the Midtown district near the University of Southern Mississippi and central to a new mixed-use complex of shopping and eateries.
It stands at the former site of a Southern Miss dormitory and parking lot, before a tornado transformed the area and set the stage for the bustling “eat-play-stay” district only two miles west of downtown.
Steel and pinewood decor pay tribute to Hattiesburg’s origins as a timber and railroad town, and the hotel’s primary color scheme of black and gold invokes the school spirit of Southern MIss.
Upon check-in, I was greeted by a friendly and efficient hotel staff member who had my room key at the ready and quickly directed me to my temporary home away from home. I was very pleased with my king suite, with its blend of historical touches and modern décor.
Each of the hotel’s 100 guest rooms houses a golden eagle, the mascot of the University of Southern Mississippi.
The room and its spacious en-suite bath were both spotlessly clean, and there was plenty of seating, including a relaxing reading chair and a café table.
The bed was just dreamy – the mattress was very comfortable and the sheets were soft and smooth. I also enjoyed that my bed had 4 identical snow-white pillows of varying degrees of firmness, which made it a fun project to determine which would be the ideal sleeping pillow of my stay.
The hotel’s bar and restaurant, Brass Hat, was designed to look like a vintage commuter train car, with its window-bench seating and a long table in the middle of the room. The bar staff was very attentive and friendly, and I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the space.
The Indigo hotel does have a fitness center, but since I’m usually only concerned about whether I can “fitness” next bite into my mouth, I can’t speak to its amenities, but I’m sure it receives the same attention to detail as the rest of the hotel.
The staff were all friendly, courteous and accommodating, and the hotel is an example of true Southern hospitality. Many thanks to the Hotel Indigo® Hattiesburg for a wonderful stay!
From amazing food to great attractions to historical landmarks, Hattiesburg has something for everyone to enjoy. For more details about all that Hattiesburg has to offer, click here and plan your trip!
Have you found yourself in Hattiesburg, Mississippi? Tell me about your visit in the comments!
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