Location: Hattiesburg
Top Things to do in Hattiesburg
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10 Things to Do in Hattiesburg That You Shouldn't Miss
Known as "Hub City," Hattiesburg is conveniently located at the intersection of six major US highways. More than just a stopover spot, Hattiesburg offers visitors a plethora of attractions and activities. The historic districts of Hattiesburg are some of the most intact neighborhoods in Mississippi. The Mobile Street District preserves the city's African American heritage, and the Hub City, North Main and Oaks Historic Districts feature tree-lined streets and buildings dating back to the 1880s.
Restaurants in Hattiesburg
1. Hattiesburg Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 232 reviews
12-acre Zoo featuring 100 species of animals including tiger, tapir, capybara, zebras, alpacas, primates, birds, sloths, reptiles, flamingos, servals, porcupines, etc. Attactions include train, carousel, 4-story high ropes adventure course, splash pad and Safari Grill Cafe. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10a - 4pm. Admission is $5 for ages 2 years and older.
Reviewed By Barry L - New Orleans, Louisiana
The size of the zoo is perfect if you have small children. Not only does this zoo have all the usual suspects when it comes to animals but there's a visitor train that circle the zoo as well. My kids loved this place! And at...MoreHi, Barry! Thank you so much for taking the time to give us a rave review! We very much appreciate it, and are thrilled that you and your family had a wonderful experience!
2. Mississippi Armed Forces Museum
Overall Ratings
5 based on 65 reviews
We are temporarily closed until 2016 due to construction for our expansion project. Please continue to check our Facebook account and website for updates.
Reviewed By Ann H - Hayward, California
An amazing museum exhibiting the changing methods and machinery used by various military branches for each and every war fought by the united states. Included many different side lines, i.e. women's changing roles in the military or supporting the military, a walk through a trench, etc. Outside on the grounds are displays of planes, tanks, helicopters and other large objects. Was fascinating, even from this pacifist's perspective
3. Paul B. Johnson State Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By talcina - Slaughter, Louisiana
We visited Paul B. Johnson State Park in mid-September and had a great time. The park is nice, staff worked to get us what we needed and our neighbors were friendly. The cabin, however, was definitely sub-par in the comfort area, though it's hard to argue with the cost of the rental.
Booking this rental was easy, and the park even made a last-minute change for us even though the official rules stated that they wouldn't.
When we arrived, it was just a bit after-hours and the office was closed. A Wildlife and Fisheries employee gave us our keys and remote in the parking lot of the office and told us to let him know if we needed any help with anything.
Since we were staying in a cottage, there were no linens provided and we needed to rent them from the office ($16). The office being closed posed a bit of a problem, but W&F helped us track them down and they were even delivered to us.
I urge you to BRING YOUR OWN LINENS if at all possible. The linens you rent (includes towels, washcloths, sheets, hotel-style comforter and awful plastic pillows) are not worth $16 and are extremely uncomfortable. If you can only fit one of these items, bring your pillows.
The cottages (we stayed in Cottage 2) have a porch on the back facing the lake. Part of the porch is covered with metal chairs and the rest of the porch is uncovered and has a picnic table. The porch desperately needs to be cleaned, as there are webs and bugs everywhere in the covered area. Some of the wood needs replacing, too, and could possibly be a hazard as a lot of it is on the steps.
The neighbors are really close, but we were lucky to have a nice family on one side with well-behaved children and not really anyone on the other side for most of our stay.
There is a park-style BBQ pit on the ground just off the porch and a small area for a campfire.
Inside the cottage, things appear to be updated fairly recently, but the furniture is horribly uncomfortable. There is not a piece of furniture that doesn't feel like a waiting room. The bed in the main bedroom is really uncomfortable and LOUD. I was really concerned about waking up our baby just by getting out of bed. The mattresses are plastic, and the sheets you rent are so uncomfortable, that they really don't make it any better.
There are quite a few weak spots in the floors, especially in the back bedroom.
There is a bathroom between the two bedrooms, and the bathroom is quite large for a cabin. You will probably want to bring your own toilet paper, but the one-ply sandpaper works if you aren't able to. Two small hotel-style bars of soap are provided.
The AC works very well and will freeze you if you don't watch it. The hot water also works great.
There are roaches in the kitchen. It's not a horrible infestation, so it may just be that they need to have their pest-control come in more often.
The utensils provided are very basic. Four plates, cups and sets of silverware. There are quite a lot of spatulas, but no serving spoons, etc. There was one medium saucepan with no lid and a cookie sheet. There is a coffee pot, but you will need to bring your own coffee and filters. The microwave is old and small, but it works fine. The fridge appeared to be leaking, and probably contributed to the mildewy smell upon entering, but it also worked just fine.
Our stay was fun. There were quite a lot of people, so the swimming areas had lots of kids and our son went tubing and kneeboarding with some other guests. There is a playground nearby and the beach is within walking distance.
There is a splash pad, but it costs $6 to enter it for some reason.
The park does not rent canoes and kayaks, but there is a a local company that will bring them to you and pick them up. The name of the company is Black Creek Canoe Rental (601-582-8817) and the cost was $40 with a $20 fee for an extra day.
Overall, I recommend this park, but the cabins could use a lot of updating to make them welcoming. The bottom line, though, is that the AC works, the water gets hot, and there is somewhere for you to cook, sit, sleep and shower. We weren't exactly comfortable, but we weren't miserable either. Someone with higher standards for a cabin at a campground may be less happy than we were, but we would stay here again. We would just absolutely bring our own linens.
4. Southern Prohibition Brewing
Overall Ratings
5 based on 17 reviews
Taproom open Wednesday through Friday from 5-10PM and Saturday from 12-10PM. Visit Downtown Hattiesburg's brewery and try fresh IPAs, their core brands and the ever changing list of wild and wood aged ales. Food trucks visit occasionally for events, so make sure to follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/soprotaproom to see what they are doing while you're visiting. To learn more about SoPro's taproom, visit soprobrewing.com/taproom
Reviewed By GlassInMS - Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Southern Prohibition (SoPro for short) opened their brewery in 2013, in the heart of downtown Hattiesburg. It has grown to be able to produce some 5,000 barrels of beer annually. In the last year, they have also opened their Tap Room, as headquarters for brewery tours and beer tastings. Currently, the Tap Room is open during limited hours on Thursday thru Saturday. The admission charge includes a brewery tour plus free samples of all of the SoPro beers currently in production, for anyone over the age of 21. While children are welcome and are admitted free, there are no samples for anyone under 21. The Tap Room provides a nice atmosphere for beer tastings even for those who are not craft beer fanatics, and it is a surprisingly family friendly environment. It can get crowded late on the weekend hours, so if you prefer sampling beers with less company, try to go early on Thursdays.
5. Turtle Creek Mall
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 30 reviews
Turtle Creek Mall, located in Hattiesburg, MS, on Highway 98 W, features casual dining and over 80 specialty stores including Bath & Body Works, Aeropostale, PacSun and American Eagle Outfitters.
Reviewed By clemson_grad79 - north_alabama
Nothing special or different about this mall than most any other shopping malls that we have visited. It was raining when we visited Hattiesburg so we thought we would take a quick browse Pretty much a standard small sized mall.
6. African American Military History Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
Military History Museum focusing on Hattiesburg area African American Soldiers who have served in the US Military since Spanish American War. Includes Jesse Leroy Brown, America's first black naval aviator, and Ruth Bailey Earl, WWII WAC, nurse and patriotic icon. Open Wednesday through Friday 10am - 4pm. Saturday 12am - 4pm. No Admission Fee.
Reviewed By Melodycthomas
The museum was well laid out and paid a wonderful tribute to African American contributions to the armed forces. They were just recovering from a tornado that hit the museum last year. The cost was free.
7. Medicine Wheel Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Lin H - Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States
Tucked away in a secluded spot on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg is a tiny oasis featuring native plants used in herbal recipes and remedies. Begun by Native American Tammy Greer (a Psych professor) and the GEIS group, this has become a "project" of the entire university, including some of the fraternities and sororities and has had plants contributed by the Choctaws, environmentalists, and native plant societies.
If you want to find the Medicine Wheel Garden, you'll have to do a little exploring. It's tucked behind the Liberal Arts and International Center buildings. But you'll see it, lined with rocks, with painted paths, a "story" bench, and signs for the plants telling you something about them.
It's a great walk-through in the mornings as I head into my building for a brief meditation and sometimes in cooler weather, I take an after lunch walk through, always discovering some treasure I hadn't seen before.
Just beware: during the week, we have Parking Management who patrols local parking lots rigorously! If you're visiting 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, come onto campus from the Hardy Street Main Entrance and get a Visitor's Pass.
8. Pep's Point Water Park
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By tickhicks - Dallas, Texas
The water is spring fed and cold cold...cold....the canoes are available to use. This place is small but offers a variety of things - slides (be careful though and use a mat!), paddle boats, lake, grills, games...
9. UpDown Trampoline Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
Reviewed By pigeonforgefan99 - MISSISSIPPI
Fun for everyone no matter what age. Great place for birthday parties or just a fun day with my kids. The concession is also a bonus. Many more trips to UpDown in the future!
10. Hattiesburg Station
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By COVERT L - PHILIPSBURG
I wanted to visit the Train Station where my mother used to start her train trip up the East coast to come visit me. This station is larger snd nicer than I ever imagined. The large interior waiting areas where hundreds of travelers pasted through are decades old. I visited the old Engine on the grounds as I strolled around under the long massive canopy and garden area. Block away from B&B and Depot Cafe.
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