Mississippi Tour Notes

MISSISSIPPI TOUR NOTES
Mississippi is the birthplace of Elvis Presley, BB King and the home of Jimmie Rodgers, "The Father of Country Music."

The word "Mississippi" means "Father of Waters," a reference to the great Mississippi River for which the state is named.

65% of all catfish produced in the U.S. comes from Mississippi, where over 95,000 acres are devoted to catfish farms.

The Parent Teachers Association (PTA) was founded in Mississippi in 1909.

The world's first human heart and lung transplants were performed in Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Mississippi seceded from the Union in 1861. Rejoined the Union in 1870.

Mississippian Jefferson Davis was named president of the Confederate States of America in 1861.

America's first Memorial Day was celebrated in Columbus, Mississippi, April 26, 1866.

According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the longest stretch of highway in the U.S. with no horizontal or vertical curves (completely flat) is a 29.8 mile stretch of U.S. Highway 61 beginning just south of Tunica to just north of Clarksdale.


MISSISSIPPI FACTS
State Flower & Tree: Magnolia
State Bird: Mocking Bird
Nickname: Hospitality State


FAMOUS MISSISSIPPIANS
Entertainers
Jerry Clower
James Earl Jones
Morgan Freeman
Mary Ann Mobley
Jim Henson
Athletes
Dizzy Dean
Jeff Brantley
Louis Lipps
Archie Manning
Walter Payton
Jerry Rice
Lewis Tillman
Sammy Winder
Writers
William Faulkner
John Grisham
Eudora Welty
Beth Henley
Tennessee Williams
Willie Morris
Richard Wright
Shelby Foote
Musicians
Jimmy Buffet
Bo Didley
Pete Fountain
WC Handy
John Lee Hooker
Robert Johnson
BB King
Elvis Presley
Charley Pride
Jimmie Rodgers
Rufus Thomas
Ike Turner
Conway Twitty
Muddy Waters
Sonny Boy Williams
Howlin Wolf
Tammy Wynette

For assistance with these itinerary suggestions or any other help, please contact the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau. Call Toll Free 888-488-6422.

Bill Canter , Director of Marketing & Sales Email: bcanter@tunicamiss.com
Kristen Newman , Sales Coordinator Email: knewman@tunicamiss.com