2021 Visit Meridian Visitors Guide

18 19 VISITMERIDIAN.COM GIRLS, GETAWAY Escape to a City That’s on the Rise Meridian’s the Place to Meet Why get together with the girls in Meridian? Well, for one thing, it’s conveniently located right in the middle of everything, with easy access by highway, air, and even rail. It’s also a compact city that’s a breeze to navigate, especially if you leave the transportation to a local Uber driver. You can find a lot of fun here, and great food. Also — fair warning — there’s a lot of cool stuff that you’ll really, really want to buy. Downtown amounts to a museum of 20th-century architectural styles. Many historic buildings remain from Meridian’s 1890–1930 “golden age,” when it was Mississippi’s largest city. The 2006 opening of the MSU Riley Center and its gorgeously restored Victorian theater sparked a downtown renaissance that has spread all over town. So the city itself provides a setting that’s both vintage and vibrant. The charming Meridian Museum of Art occupies a former Carnegie Library that opened in 1913. Art lovers should also visit the Miller Art Gallery at Meridian Community College. And everyone will want to check out the new and amazing Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX), which celebrates the state’s cultural contributions to the world. Enjoying the shops, restaurants, and other attractions will make you want to get everyone back together in Meridian to do it all again. These days, Meridian is always coming up with something new. Grown or Made by Hand Explore (and buy) things brought to you by hand at two recurring celebrations in downtown Meridian. On the first Saturday of each month from April through November, Earth’s Bounty, the “local, fresher, better” outdoor market at Singing Brakeman Park, offers produce and other products straight from local farms. You’ll find honey, homemade jams and jellies, beverages, sweet treats, flowers, and such handcrafted items as goat’s milk soap. A few steps away at Union Station, you can chat with local artists and check out their creations at Meridian Art Walk. Both events run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Let’s Do Brunch News Restaurant serves a Saturday French brunch featuring beignets. Weidmann’s Restaurant offers a Sunday jazz brunch on the balcony. Fabulous Finds Crooked Letter purveys all things Mississippi- related, from food and cookbooks to jewelry and art to soaps and fragrances. It’s just one of the many new shops featuring unique items that are opening in Meridian. The gift shop located in The MAX is another browse-worthy example, and it’s right across the street. Say Aaah at Spas Find spa treatments and facials at Pampered Bodies Day Spa & Salon, and Skin Care Clinic. For mindfulness meditation, massage, yoga, and more, contact A Point of Splendor. Historic Houses Merrehope and the F. W. Williams House stand side by side as examples of gracious living during Meridian’s formative years. Merrehope began as a Greek Revival cottage in 1858. It was one of the few structures that survived the 1864 burning of the city by Union General William Sherman. Later owners remodeled it into a high-ceilinged, white-columned Italianate mansion. Members of the Federated Women’s Clubs of Meridian, seeking a meetings venue, saved Merrehope from destruction in the 1960s. In 1979, they moved the Williams House next door. Insurance agent Frank Williams built it for his bride in 1886. The impressive Queen Anne Victorian structure was the state’s first private home with an elevator. It still feels much more modest than the aristocratic Merrehope, illustrating the difference between the merely prosperous and the wealthy. Williams himself rests nearby in Rose Hill Cemetery, along with at least two of Merrehope’s former owners and many others who shaped Meridian. Gravestones date back to 1853. Gypsy queen Kelly Mitchell, buried here in 1915, still draws frequent visitors who leave coins, beads, wine bottles, and other trinkets.