Weird and Offbeat Things to See in Mississippi

Tired of the usual museums, beaches, and statues of people you've actually heard of? When you visit a state, would you prefer to find the weird, the wacky, the wonderful, if not the downright offensive? If so, then you might appreciate this sampling of oddball sites in the great state of Mississippi:

* Collins Zoo, Collins

Formerly the Collins Exotic Animal Orphanage, the Collins Zoo, located in what is little more than a glorified back yard, takes in and exhibits orphaned animals, mostly circus animals that no longer perform, or wild animal pets that eventually their owners figure out never should have been pets in the first place. The emphasis is on the big cats, including lions, tigers, leopards, and mountain lions, but the residents also include snapping turtles, snakes, lizards, a white wolf, and more. Don't miss the creepy exhibit of photos of locals showing off their snake bite wounds.

Collins is located off Highway 49 between Jackson and Hattiesburg. But hurry, because the state has tried to shut down the zoo in the past and likely will try again in the future. State wildlife officials have raided the facility at least twice, in 2001 and 2010, seizing animals they contended were being exhibited without the proper permits.

* Tallahatchie Flats, Greenwood

Providing a unique lodging experience, Tallahatchie Flats consists of six cotton picker shacks (or "tenant houses"), acquired from nearby plantations and moved here, and now rented out to visitors.

Though the flats may look unkempt and ready to collapse from the outside, they have been renovated to comply with all local building and zoning codes, and outfitted with certain modern amenities such as air conditioning. But to retain the authenticity, as much as possible their furnishings reflect the rural poverty of about the 1940s.

The flats, each named for a former inhabitant, are located three miles away from town, in an isolated, country environment along the Tallahatchie River, where some nights you may hear little more than the whistle of the train that passes close by, or the tapping of rain on the tin roofs.

Locals will tell you that the tragic death at an early age of blues legend Robert Johnson occurred in one of these shacks-his grave is less than a mile away-though this is one of multiple sites to make that claim.

Greenwood is located 96 miles north of Jackson, off of Interstate 55. A night's lodging at Tallahatchie Flats will run you $65 and up, depending on which dwelling, and how many there are in your party.

* First Presbyterian Church, Port Gibson

This lovely Romanesque Revival style Presbyterian church was built in 1807, then transported to its present site in 1827. Its most striking feature is its giant golden hand atop the steeple, with a finger pointed to Heaven.

The hand was added several decades after the construction of the church, and was originally made of wood. In 1901, the weathered hand was taken down and replaced. Then it was replaced again in 1989, by a gold plated hand, at the same time the steeple was reinforced.

Port Gibson itself is worth a little exploring, as it is one of the few towns in the area that Union General Ulysses Grant ordered spared due to its beauty.

Just 12 miles away are the impressive "Windsor Ruins," once the largest plantation house in Mississippi, destroyed by fire in 1890, leaving just dozens of tall columns and ironwork.

Port Gibson is located just off the historic Natchez Trace Parkway, about midway between Vicksburg and Natchez, less than 10 miles from the Mississippi River.

Sources:

"First Presbyterian Church of Port Gibson." FPCPortGibson.com.
"Mississippi Attractions and Oddities." Roadside America.
"The Tallahatchie Flats Experience." TallahatchieFlats.com.
"Welcome to the Collins Zoo!" CollinsMSZoo.com