Arriving in Meridian via Meridian Regional Airport sets you up perfectly, with the Choctaw heartland, piney woods, and the cities of central Mississippi and west Alabama a short drive away. Meridian is a railroad city that grew into the largest in Mississippi a century ago, and its downtown still shows it, with ornate brick blocks, an Art Deco skyscraper, and a restored 1890 opera house. The pace is Southern and friendly, and the music history runs deep.

Standout experiences around Meridian: - Explore the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, known as The MAX, which celebrates the state's writers, musicians, and artists - Visit the Jimmie Rodgers Museum and join the festival each May honoring the Father of Country Music - Ride the 1896 Dentzel Carousel in Highland Park, a National Historic Landmark - Catch a show at the MSU Riley Center, the beautifully restored grand opera house - Eat at Weidmann's, open since 1870 and famous for the peanut butter crocks on every table - Tour the Soule Steam Feed Works at the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum - Walk or paddle at Bonita Lakes Park - Browse the Meridian Railroad Museum and Union Station

Meridian sits at the crossroads of east Mississippi. Philadelphia, home of the Choctaw Indian Fair in July and the Neshoba County Fair, the giant house party of cabins and political stump speeches, is about 40 minutes northwest. Dunn's Falls, with its working gristmill, is 15 minutes south, and Jackson and Tuscaloosa are each about 90 minutes away. Order fried catfish, sweet tea, and a slice of chess pie, and listen for the trains that still roll through Meridian all night long.