ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Top Five Western Deep South National Heritage Areas

Updated on May 10, 2014

Mississippi and Louisianna Gulf Coast National Heritage Areas

There are five National Heritage Areas (NHA) in the Mississippi and Louisiana region - what I have dubbed the Western Deep South. This lens will share some highlights of each of the five as well as a little general NHA information.

This region is steeped in cultural and historic richness with many national entities having played roles in the area over many, many years. Come along on this journey today... perhaps join us in visiting the area as a Heritage Tourist in the future.

Image of the reverse side of the Mississippi State Quarter, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi

Story about Corinth, Mississippi, Civil War sites

Corinth, Mississippi, was the center of Civil War activity in the west 150 years ago this summer following the April 1862 Battle of Shiloh across the border in Tennessee. Corinth was a crossroads town where east-west and north-south major railroads met. It was a strategic location for both Union and Confederate forces in the Civil War fighting.

Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis Presley
Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis Presley

Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area

Tupelo, Mississippi, best known as birthplace of Elvis Presley

Tupelo is one of many cities, towns and communities in the Mississippi Hills NHA that if full of cultural and historic places and stories. It is home to the Tupelo National Battlefield as well as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Presley changed American music forever.

Go to the Mississippi Hills NHA website to see the many other nationally significant stories, places and persons from this region of the country and state.

Photo of Elvis Presley birthplace, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo,_Mississippi

Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area

This NHA covers most of the land mass of the State of Mississippi, bounded on the west by I-55, on the south by Highway 14, and on the north and east by the statelines.

A partial list of famous persons from the area includes: William Faulkner, John Grisham, Elvis Presley, Tammy Wynette, Tennessee Williams... and Oprah.

Davy Crockett raises horses here and Andrew Jackson marched his troops down the Natchez Trace. What else can you find?

John Grisham on Amazon

Cane River National Heritage Area - 35 Miles on both sides of the Cane River

Extending from just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, the NHA includes 7 National Historic Landmarks, 3 state historic parks, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, and much, much more in the way of historic and cultural attractions.

Riverwalk in Natchitoches, LA
Riverwalk in Natchitoches, LA

Natchitoches, LA

Photo of the Cane River Riverwalk in Natchitoches, LA, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchitoches,_Louisia...

Atchafalaya National Heritage Area - 14 parishes in south-central Louisiana

On the maps, look for the 1) Upper Region, 2) Between Two Rivers Region, 3) Bayou Teche Corridor Region, and 4) Coastal Zone Region.

Note specific links to Cultural Heritage, Natural Heritage, Sustainability, Resources and About on the website.

The Delta of the Atchafalaya River looking northwest
The Delta of the Atchafalaya River looking northwest

Atchafalaya River

The NHA runs about 150 miles along the river

The river-swamp ecosystem is habitat to more than 85 species of fish, 200 species of birds, alligators, black bear and other wildlife.

You can spend a day paddling under live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and through cypress tree forests.

Photo is the delta of the Atchafalaya River looking northwest, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_River

Dockery Farms Plantation
Dockery Farms Plantation

Dockery Farms Plantation

"It is widely regarded as the place where Delta blues music was born"

Founded in 1895 by Will Dockery, Dockery Farms is the quintessential delta plantation.

What is the Juke? Follow the links to find the answer.

Photo image of Dockery Farms Plantation, typical of the plantations of the Delta, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dockery_Plantation

Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area - Cities along I-10 are included in the HNA

Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport

Biloxi Lighthouse, Biloxi, Mississippi - along the Gulf Coast
Biloxi Lighthouse, Biloxi, Mississippi - along the Gulf Coast

Biloxi, Mississippi - in the Mississippi Gulf Coast NHA

Typical of cities across 1-10 on the Gulf Coast

My family and I lived in Biloxi (actually D'Iberville) while I was in the Air Force Ground Officer Electronics School at Keesler Air Force Base in the last five months of 1964 - before the big hurricanes hit. I have photos of my family in front of this Lighthouse, then, somewhere. It was, and is, very distinctive.

Built in 1848 and 'reputed to be one of the most photographed objects in the American South."

Image of the Biloxi Lighthouse, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biloxi,_Mississippi

Which of the five NHAs would top your planning list?

Choose your top NHA for a future vacation

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)