16 Things To Do In Vicksburg That You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Perched on the high bluffs of the Mississippi River, Vicksburg has always been a city defined by its geography. Long before Europeans arrived, the bluffs were home to Native peoples who relied on the river’s abundance. When French colonists settled here in the 1700s, Vicksburg’s position gave it both prosperity and vulnerability. Cotton, timber, and trade made the city thrive, but its commanding height over the river also made it a military prize.
That truth came to a head during the Civil War. The 1863 siege of Vicksburg, a forty-seven–day ordeal of bombardment and starvation, ended with the city’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant. The Union’s victory here gave it control of the Mississippi and split the Confederacy, altering the course of the war. Ever since, Vicksburg has carried the memory of being both fortress and victim, a place where history turned.
Yet Vicksburg’s story does not end in 1863. It endured Reconstruction, reinvented itself as a river town once more, and found new ways to preserve and celebrate its layered past. To visit Vicksburg is to walk through centuries where prosperity, struggle, and survival have always met at the edge of the Mississippi.
1. Explore the Vicksburg National Military Park
The Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of one of the Civil War’s decisive campaigns. In 1863, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant besieged the city for 47 days, cutting it off from supplies and bombarding it until Confederate troops surrendered on July 4th. That victory gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two, marking a turning point in the war.
Today, the park encompasses over 1,800 acres, with reconstructed trenches, artillery positions, and more than 1,300 monuments. The Illinois State Memorial, modeled after the Roman Pantheon, and the USS Cairo gunboat—raised from the river after sinking in 1862—are among its highlights.
2. Take a Cruise on the River
The Mississippi River has always defined Vicksburg. Long before it became a battleground, it was a lifeline for Native peoples, European traders, and American settlers. Its currents carried goods, ideas, and fortunes, making towns like Vicksburg vital hubs of commerce.
River cruises today offer more than scenery—they connect passengers to that layered history. Paddlewheelers and modern excursion boats glide along the same waters that once saw steamboats crowded with cotton bales and passengers, or gunboats during the Civil War. From the deck, you see Vicksburg’s bluffs rising above the river, the same vantage that made it so strategically important in 1863.
A cruise is both leisure and lesson. The narration often weaves together stories of commerce, slavery, war, and rebuilding, reminding travelers that the Mississippi is not only a river but a witness to centuries of American history.
3. Try Lady Luck at the Riverfront Casinos
Vicksburg’s riverfront casinos may seem purely modern, but they are rooted in the city’s long relationship with the Mississippi. Since the 19th century, steamboats carried not only trade but also gambling halls, where card games and dice rolled on deck as the boats plied the river.
Today’s casinos—rising along the bluffs and docks—carry that tradition into the present. Ameristar, Lady Luck, and others attract visitors with slot machines, table games, and entertainment. Yet their location by the river is no accident: they echo the historic link between Vicksburg’s economy and the great waterway.
For Vicksburg, the casinos also represent reinvention. After the decline of river trade and industry, gaming helped revive the local economy in the 1990s, drawing tourists back to the waterfront. Visiting them is to encounter both the city’s modern entertainment and its echoes of the steamboat era, when chance and fortune always floated on the Mississippi.
4. Relive History in Downtown Vicksburg
Downtown Vicksburg is a living museum of 19th-century life. Its brick buildings and iron balconies recall the prosperity the city enjoyed as a river port before the Civil War. Warehouses once stacked with cotton now house galleries, cafés, and shops, while historic churches and government buildings line the streets.
Walking here is to retrace the steps of merchants, soldiers, and citizens who endured both the boom years and the devastation of siege. Murals along the floodwall tell the city’s story—from Native American settlement to the Civil War, from river trade to civil rights.
Downtown is also a place of resilience. After the war left the city scarred, residents rebuilt, and many of the 19th-century structures still stand today. To explore these streets is to experience Vicksburg’s layered identity—part Southern charm, part river-town grit, and always shaped by history.
5. Tour the Many Historic Homes
Vicksburg’s historic homes are windows into a city once called the “Gibraltar of the Confederacy.” Built during the 19th century, these houses showcase the wealth of a river port that thrived on cotton trade before the Civil War. Greek Revival columns, Italianate balconies, and grand parlors reveal the tastes of prosperous merchants and planters who sought to display both refinement and status.
Many of these homes also bear scars of the 1863 siege. Cannonballs lodged in walls, makeshift hospitals in dining rooms, and cellars that once sheltered families remind visitors that beauty often stood side by side with hardship. Touring them offers more than architectural admiration—it is a glimpse of daily life disrupted by war.
Cedar Grove Mansion: This beautifully preserved home features original furnishings and offers guided tours and overnight stays, giving visitors a taste of antebellum life.
Anchuca Historic Mansion: Known for its role during the Siege of Vicksburg, Anchuca combines history with architectural beauty, complete with period artifacts and poignant stories.
6. Visit the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum
In 1894, Joseph Biedenharn, a Vicksburg candy store owner, made history by bottling Coca-Cola for the first time. Until then, the drink was only sold at soda fountains. By sealing it in glass bottles, Biedenharn helped transform Coca-Cola from a regional curiosity into a product that could travel anywhere.
The museum, located in his restored candy shop, traces that moment of innovation. Vintage advertisements, bottling equipment, and early delivery wagons show how a small-town idea reshaped global commerce. Visitors can also enjoy a soda served in the same building where the world’s most famous soft drink first took on its portable form.
7. Admire the Vicksburg Riverfront Murals
The Vicksburg Riverfront Murals bring the city’s rich history and culture to life through stunning large-scale art. Painted by renowned artist Robert Dafford, these murals span the floodwall along the Mississippi River, depicting significant moments from Vicksburg’s past, including its Civil War history and its days as a steamboat hub.
With over 30 paintings, the murals are not only a visual treat but also an engaging history lesson. They’re especially captivating at sunrise or sunset, offering a magical ambiance against the riverfront’s scenic backdrop.
8. Tour the Old Court House Museum
Built in 1858, the Old Court House stands on a hill overlooking Vicksburg, its Greek Revival architecture a symbol of civic pride before the Civil War. During the 1863 siege, Confederate leaders met here to plan defenses, and the building became both a command post and a target.
After the war, the courthouse continued to serve as the seat of Warren County government until 1939. Today, it is a museum filled with artifacts—Confederate flags, Jefferson Davis’s inaugural suit, weapons, furniture, and letters—that preserve the memory of both war and peace.
The building itself is perhaps the most powerful artifact: it has survived bombardments, political upheavals, and decades of change, still standing as a monument to Vicksburg’s endurance.
9. Wander Through Cedar Hill Cemetery
Cedar Hill Cemetery, established in the early 19th century, is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the South still in use. Known locally as “Soldiers’ Rest,” it became the final resting place for more than 5,000 Confederate soldiers who died during the siege of Vicksburg. Rows of simple markers stand as a solemn reminder of the human cost of the war.
Yet Cedar Hill is more than a military burial ground. It is also the resting place of generations of Vicksburg citizens—merchants, politicians, writers, and families whose lives spanned the city’s triumphs and tragedies. Its winding paths and aged oaks create a landscape where history feels immediate and personal.
10. Experience Catfish Row Art Park
Catfish Row Art Park sits near the Mississippi River, turning a once-industrial riverfront space into a vibrant public park. Its name recalls the historic Catfish Row, an area of Vicksburg that was once a bustling center of African American culture, filled with homes, shops, and music. Though much of old Catfish Row is gone, the park revives its spirit through murals, sculptures, and creative play spaces.
Children climb on imaginative structures while murals depict the river and the people who shaped its history. Fountains, mosaics, and art installations transform the park into both playground and gallery. In this way, Catfish Row Art Park blends recreation with heritage, reminding visitors that creativity has always been part of Vicksburg’s character.
11. Discover the Lower Mississippi River Museum
The Lower Mississippi River Museum tells the story of the river that made Vicksburg possible. Housed in a former transportation building, the museum combines interactive exhibits with one striking artifact: the MV Mississippi IV, a massive towboat that once worked the river and is now permanently docked for visitors to explore.
Inside the museum, exhibits cover the river’s ecology, commerce, and history—from steamboats and floods to the Civil War and modern engineering projects. A recreated 1927 flood model shows how the river shaped both hardship and resilience in the region.
12. Visit Anchuca Historic Mansion
Anchuca, built in 1830, is one of Vicksburg’s most elegant antebellum homes. Its name, from the Choctaw word for “happy home,” reflects the optimism of its early years. Built in the Greek Revival style, it became a gathering place for prominent families and, during the Civil War, served as a Confederate hospital.
After the war, it gained further historical weight when Joseph Davis, brother of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, lived here. The house preserves period furnishings, original architecture, and gardens that evoke the grace of the 19th century.
Anchuca stands as both a monument to antebellum grandeur and a witness to the city’s turmoil, embodying the blend of beauty and tragedy that defines much of Vicksburg’s story.
13. Explore Pemberton’s Headquarters
During the 1863 siege of Vicksburg, Confederate General John C. Pemberton directed his defenses from a modest home in the city. Today, that residence—known as Pemberton’s Headquarters—stands preserved as part of the city’s Civil War heritage.
From this house, Pemberton faced an impossible dilemma: defend Vicksburg at all costs or surrender to Grant’s overwhelming forces. His ultimate decision to surrender on July 4th was made here, marking one of the war’s turning points.
The building itself, with its Greek Revival features and wartime history, is both ordinary and extraordinary. It reflects the domestic life of Vicksburg citizens while carrying the weight of a military decision that shaped the nation’s future.
14. Check Out Duff Green Mansion
Built in 1856, the Duff Green Mansion is a striking example of antebellum architecture, with high ceilings, grand parlors, and sweeping staircases. But its story goes far beyond elegance. When the Civil War reached Vicksburg, the mansion became a Confederate hospital. Floors that once hosted lavish balls were stained with the blood of soldiers, and its cellar sheltered both the wounded and frightened civilians during the siege.
Cannon fire damaged the building, and scars of that bombardment remain visible today. After the war, the house continued to serve the community, at one point even functioning as an orphanage. Now restored, it operates as a bed-and-breakfast, where guests can sleep in rooms layered with history.
15. Play at Ameristar Casino
Ameristar Casino, housed in a riverboat-style complex, reflects both modern entertainment and a nod to Vicksburg’s long riverfront tradition. In the 19th century, steamboats brought not only trade but also gambling, music, and nightlife to the Mississippi. Riverboat casinos were part of the culture long before permanent buildings lined the waterfront.
When Mississippi legalized dockside gambling in the 1990s, Ameristar became one of Vicksburg’s anchors, drawing visitors with gaming floors, restaurants, and live entertainment. It revived a part of the economy once dependent on river trade, giving new life to the historic waterfront.
Ameristar is more than a casino; it represents the city’s ongoing reinvention—where the heritage of the Mississippi River is blended with the realities of modern tourism.
16. Browse the Southern Cultural Heritage Center
The Southern Cultural Heritage Center occupies a complex of historic buildings that once housed the St. Francis Xavier Academy, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in the 19th century. The nuns came to Vicksburg to provide education and social services, and the academy quickly became one of the city’s most respected institutions.
Today, the complex serves a new role as a cultural hub. Exhibits, performances, and community events take place in spaces where classrooms and convent halls once stood. The architecture itself—brick walls, arched windows, and historic chapels—tells the story of Catholic education and the city’s cultural development.
The center reflects Vicksburg’s layered identity: religious, educational, and now artistic. It ensures that the legacy of service and learning continues, reshaped for new generations.
17. Attend a Show at the Strand Theatre
The Strand Theatre first opened in 1934 as a movie house, part of the golden age of cinema when downtown theaters were community gathering places. For decades, it showed the latest films to Vicksburg audiences, until the decline of single-screen theaters left it shuttered.
In recent years, the Strand has been revived as a performance and film venue, run by local arts organizations. Its survival mirrors the resilience of Vicksburg’s cultural scene, where historic spaces are reclaimed for modern use.
Attending a show here connects visitors to nearly a century of entertainment history—when theater marquees lit up Main Streets across America, and movie-going was both spectacle and ritual. The Strand remains a link between Vicksburg’s past as a bustling cultural hub and its ongoing commitment to the arts.
Conclusion
Vicksburg’s history is inseparable from the land and river that shaped it. The bluffs gave protection, the river brought commerce, and together they made the city both wealthy and a target in wartime. The siege of 1863 left scars still visible in homes, cemeteries, and memories, but it also gave Vicksburg a permanent place in the nation’s story.
What followed was a long pattern of resilience. Mansions that once housed generals became hospitals, then museums; a candy maker’s innovation put Coca-Cola into bottles for the first time; abandoned schools and theaters now hold art and music. Even the casinos along the riverfront echo older traditions of steamboat gaming and river commerce.
To look at Vicksburg today is to see continuity. Its monuments and museums preserve sacrifice; its streets tell of endurance; its riverfront carries the pulse of a city that has survived war, economic shifts, and time itself. Vicksburg remains what it has always been—a place where the Mississippi shapes not only the land, but the destiny of those who live along its banks.
FAQs
1. What is Vicksburg, Mississippi, known for?
Vicksburg is renowned for its pivotal role in the Civil War, its historic landmarks like the Vicksburg National Military Park, and its location along the Mississippi River, which shaped its cultural and economic history.
2. What are the top attractions in Vicksburg?
Must-visit attractions include the Vicksburg National Military Park, Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, Vicksburg Riverfront Murals, Anchuca Historic Mansion, and the Lower Mississippi River Museum.
3. What are some family-friendly activities in Vicksburg?
Families can enjoy exploring the Catfish Row Art Park, interactive exhibits at the Lower Mississippi River Museum, and scenic outdoor fun at Riverfront Park.
4. When is the best time to visit Vicksburg?
The best time to visit is in the spring (March to May) and fall (September to November), when the Vicksburg weather is mild and perfect for outdoor activities and exploring historical sites.
5. How far is Vicksburg from Jackson, Mississippi?
Vicksburg is approximately 45 miles west of Jackson, Mississippi, about a 45-minute drive via I-20.
6. What activities are available along the Mississippi River in Vicksburg?
Visitors can take river cruises, enjoy fishing or kayaking, explore the scenic Riverfront Park, or learn about the river's history at the Lower Mississippi River Museum.
7. Are there casinos in Vicksburg?
Yes, Vicksburg is home to several casinos, including Ameristar Casino and Riverwalk Casino, offering gaming, dining, and live entertainment.
8. Is Vicksburg a good destination for history buffs?
Absolutely! With attractions like the Vicksburg National Military Park, Old Court House Museum, and Pemberton’s Headquarters, the city is a treasure trove of Civil War and Southern history.
