Jackson Mississippi
Mississippi Road Trip with Kids: Faith, Fossils, and Funnel Cakes
Welcome to Day 3
If you’re looking for things to do with kids in Jackson Mississippi, Day 3 is one of the most unexpectedly full days of the entire trip. A garden full of magnolias and mockingbirds that resets everything after two days of heavy history. The home of a Civil Rights hero who fought two wars — one overseas and one in his own backyard. Sea monsters from when Mississippi was underwater. Sports legends. And the Mississippi State Fair, where funnel cakes are consumed for scientific purposes.
If your kids are reading Ethan and Oliver Adventures: Mississippi, Day 3 is where Oliver discovers that dinosaurs are awesome but not millions of years ago — and where Dad confirms funnel cake gives you the strength to survive spinning rides.
Day 3 Itinerary Overview: Jackson, Mississippi
Total Drive Time: Mostly local — all stops within Jackson Activity Time: Full day — 8 to 9 hours plus evening at the fair
Stop 1: Mynelle Gardens — Jackson
Website: Mynelle Gardens, Jackson MS
What to Expect: A lush oasis tucked inside the city. Birdsong floated through the air as they wandered along winding brick paths past ponds, footbridges, and flowering shrubs. After two days of hard history, the garden felt like permission to breathe.
Mom pointed to a flowering tree with bright white blossoms. Look closely — those are magnolias. Mississippi’s state flower.
The boys leaned in and breathed the sweet lemony scent.
It smells like sunshine, Oliver said.
Dad pointed toward the trees. If you listen, you might hear Mississippi’s state bird.
They paused until a cheerful trill floated through the air.
That’s a mockingbird, Ethan said. They’re not the fanciest birds, but they’re clever and full of songs. Kinda like Mississippi — tough, creative, full of heart.
Before they left, Oliver picked up a tiny acorn from the ground and tucked it into his pocket. Just to remember that little things can grow big, he said.
NPS Stamp: No
Educational Tie-In:
- Mississippi State Flower: Magnolia — characteristics, scent, and why it was chosen
- Mississippi State Bird: Northern Mockingbird — its songs, its territory, and what makes it remarkable
- Urban green spaces — why gardens inside cities matter for mental health and community
- Botanical diversity — how a garden like Mynelle maintains plants from different climates
Notebook/Conversation Prompt: Find one living thing in the garden — a flower, a bird, an insect — and watch it for three full minutes without talking. Then write: what did it do? What does it need to survive? What would happen if it disappeared?
Faith Connection: Psalm 104:14 — “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate — bringing forth food from the earth.” Mynelle Gardens is someone’s act of faithful cultivation — a gift of beauty planted inside a city. After days of hard history, the garden reminded the family that beauty still grows. It always has.
Practical Tips:
- Small paid admission — worth every penny
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours
- Best in spring when magnolias and azaleas are in bloom
- Great for all ages — stroller accessible on most paths
- Combine with the Medgar Evers Home for a meaningful Jackson morning
Stop 2: Medgar Evers Home — Jackson
Website: Medgar Evers Home Museum, Jackson MS
What to Expect: A modest house in a quiet neighborhood. The kind of house you’d drive past without a second look — unless you knew what happened here.
Medgar Evers was a World War II veteran who came home from war and immediately had to fight another one — for his own civil rights in his own country. He led voter registration efforts, fought against segregation, and was assassinated in his driveway in 1963.
Oliver looked at the small home and thought about what Ethan read from the plaque outside. It’s crazy to think someone could be so brave and still not be safe, he said.
That’s why we remember places like this, Dad said. So we never forget the price people paid for freedom.
At the visitor desk, Ethan pressed their passport stamp carefully. It’s like a badge, Oliver said softly. For people who didn’t give up.
NPS Stamp: Yes — Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, Civil Rights Trail
Educational Tie-In:
- Medgar Evers — his military service, his civil rights leadership, and his assassination
- The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement — voter registration, segregation, and the cost of resistance
- The difference between military courage and civic courage
- What it means to fight for rights that were already supposed to be guaranteed
Military Moment — Fighting Two Wars Medgar Evers served in the United States Army in World War II — fighting for the freedoms of people overseas that were still denied to him at home. Mom talked about what it means to serve a country that hasn’t fully served you back. She explained that many Black veterans returned from World War II and Korea and immediately joined the Civil Rights Movement. They had already proven their willingness to die for freedom. Now they were asking for it.
Notebook/Conversation Prompt: Write about Medgar Evers in your own words. What did he fight for in the war? What did he fight for at home? Then write: Oliver said it felt like a badge for people who didn’t give up. What does not giving up look like in everyday life?
Faith Connection: Ephesians 5:8 — “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Medgar Evers walked in light — even when things around him were very dark. He didn’t wait for the darkness to leave. He walked into it anyway.
Practical Tips:
- Paid admission — small and worth it
- The home is preserved as it was in 1963 — powerful and understated
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours
- Best for ages 9 and up — the content requires context
- The guide interpretation is essential — don’t do a self-guided walk without asking questions
Stop 3: Mississippi Museum of Natural Science — Jackson
Website: Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson MS
What to Expect: Massive aquarium tanks filled with alligators, fish, and turtles. Fossil exhibits. A Mosasaur skeleton.
Whoa! A Mosasaur! I didn’t know Mississippi had sea monsters!
Mom pointed to a display noting that millions of years ago, this area was covered by water. Oliver remembered a conversation from earlier in the trip and looked over at her.
Wait — millions of years?
Mom explained carefully: scientists describe it that way, but the family believes something different — that God created the world in six days, and the Bible’s timeline points to a much younger earth. Among Christians, people interpret parts of the Bible differently. As long as it doesn’t affect your salvation, it’s okay to wrestle with the details.
So maybe there were sea monsters, Oliver said, but not that long ago.
God’s creation is full of amazing mysteries, Dad said. Some we understand, and some we’re still learning about.
Outside on the trails, they spotted birds, insects, and a deer in the distance. The fossils and the living animals together told a story of a state that had always been full of life.
NPS Stamp: No
Educational Tie-In:
- Mosasaurs and prehistoric sea life found in Mississippi
- Aquifer geology — how Mississippi’s landscape was once underwater
- Biblical creation timeline vs. scientific dating — how Christians approach these questions
- Native wildlife of Mississippi — alligators, turtles, birds, and fish
- Fossil formation — what fossils tell us and what they don’t
STEM Tie-In: Fossil formation is chemistry and geology in one lesson. How does a living creature become a fossil? What conditions are required? How do scientists date fossils — and why do Christians sometimes interpret those dates differently? This is an excellent opportunity for critical thinking rather than passive acceptance of any single explanation.
Notebook/Conversation Prompt: Draw one fossil from the exhibit and label what kind of creature it was. Then write: how do scientists think this creature died and became a fossil? How does your family’s understanding of creation shape how you think about that answer?
Faith Connection: Genesis 1:21 — “So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds.” God made the Mosasaur. Whatever the timeline, whatever the mechanism — He made it. And He made it impressive.
Practical Tips:
- Paid admission
- The aquarium tanks are the highlight for younger kids
- Allow 2 to 3 hours — the outdoor trails add significant time
- Great for all ages
- Combine with the Sports Hall of Fame next door for a full afternoon
Stop 4: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame — Jackson
Website: Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Jackson MS
What to Expect: Oliver raced ahead to the football display. Walter Payton! Dad, didn’t you say he was one of the best running backs ever?
The best, Dad grinned. Sweetness was unstoppable.
Ethan lingered by the baseball section. Olympic athletes. Football legends. Baseball history. Interactive exhibits where the boys tested their reflexes and pretended to hit game-winning shots.
Mississippi may not be the biggest state, Mom said, but its athletes have made history.
Educational Tie-In:
- Walter Payton — his life, his career, and why he’s considered one of the greatest
- Mississippi’s contribution to American sports culture
- Physical training and discipline — what separates great athletes from good ones
- The relationship between sports, community, and identity in the South
Notebook/Conversation Prompt: Pick one athlete from the Hall of Fame whose story surprised you. Write their name and three things you learned. Then write: what did they sacrifice to get there? What can you learn from how they trained?
Stop 5: Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — Jackson
Website: Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson MS
What to Expect: Two museums side by side telling different angles of the same story.
In the Museum of Mississippi History they walked through thousands of years of the state’s past — from Native American mound builders to Civil War battles.
Then in the Civil Rights Museum the tone shifted. One room held a large circular display of light beams, each one representing a person who lost their life fighting for civil rights.
It’s kind of like the water wall in Montgomery, Ethan whispered.
Oliver’s eyes lingered on a photo of the Freedom Riders. They were just young people, like us.
That’s why it’s important to remember their names, Dad said. They weren’t just stories — they were real people.
NPS Stamp: No
Educational Tie-In:
- Mississippi History Museum — from Paleo-Indian cultures through the 20th century
- Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — the Freedom Riders, the murders of civil rights workers, and the movement’s legacy
- The light beam memorial — who it honors and why this kind of memorial matters
- The relationship between the two museums — how history and justice connect
Notebook/Conversation Prompt: Stand in front of the light beam memorial for five minutes. Write the names of any people honored there that you want to remember. Then write: Oliver said they were just young people like us. What does that mean for what you do with your life?
Faith Connection: Amos 5:24 — “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” The Civil Rights Museum is a record of people who believed this verse was worth dying for.
Practical Tips:
- Free admission — Mississippi state museums
- Allow 2 to 3 hours for both museums
- The Civil Rights Museum is intense — prepare kids before entering
- Best for ages 9 and up
Evening: Mississippi State Fair — Jackson
What to Expect: The bright neon lights lit up the night sky. The smell of fried food and caramel apples wrapped around them as they walked past game booths, rides, and food vendors.
What’s first? Mom asked.
Oliver pointed to a giant spinning ride. That!
Ethan shook his head. Funnel cakes first.
Dad held up a finger. Funnel cake gives you the strength to survive the spinning.
Oliver groaned. That’s not even a real rule!
Dad shrugged. It is now.
They made a beeline for the funnel cake stand. With sticky fingers and full bellies, they spent the evening racing bumper cars, tossing rings, and finally braving the spinning rides.
Mom watched the boys across the lane, completely unconcerned with the hard history they’d left behind an hour ago. She leaned toward Dad. They’re going to remember this just as much as the museums.
Maybe more, Dad said.
Practical Tips:
- The Mississippi State Fair runs annually in October — check dates before planning
- Funnel cakes are non-negotiable
- Budget extra time — kids will not want to leave
- Pair with a light supper before or after to balance the fried food situation
What We Learned
- The magnolia is Mississippi’s state flower — it smells like sunshine and Oliver agrees
- The Northern Mockingbird is Mississippi’s state bird — clever, full of songs, and full of heart
- Medgar Evers fought in World War II and came home to fight another war for civil rights — and was assassinated in his driveway in 1963
- Mississippi had sea monsters — Mosasaurs — when this whole region was underwater
- The Civil Rights Museum light beam memorial honors people who gave everything for justice
- Dad’s Rule: funnel cake gives you the strength to survive spinning rides
State Symbols Spotted Today:
- State Flower: Magnolia — at Mynelle Gardens
- State Bird: Northern Mockingbird — heard and spotted at Mynelle Gardens
What We Ate
No formal supper needed — corndogs, kettle corn, funnel cakes, and one too many shared fried things at the Mississippi State Fair.
Oliver’s verdict: Still spinning. Still full of cake.
Plan It Yourself
exact route — and customize it for your own family’s adventure — using Roadtrippers Plus. It’s our favorite trip-planning tool for finding kid-friendly stops, tracking drive times, and keeping everything in one place.
View our full Mississippi trip on Roadtrippers: Mississippi map — Ethan and Oliver Adventures
Free Mission Pack — Day 1
Want Days 1 through 13? The complete Mississippi Mission Pack is available at Ethan & Oliver Shop ethanandoliveradventures.com/shop
Reading the Mississippi Book?
This post is the behind-the-scenes companion to Day 3. If you want to read what Ethan wrote about the light beams — and what Oliver put in the corner of his page next to a dinosaur sketch — the book is waiting for you.
Up Next: Day 4 — Red Cliffs, Creatures, and Curtain Calls
Red Bluff — Mississippi’s Little Grand Canyon. Ancient fossils. And a live theater production of Big Fish that makes Dad sigh a lot and Oliver ask if there will be snacks after.
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