"I'm Going To Jackson"

Top Five Reasons to Live in Jackson:

1.      Hal and Mal’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade:  St. Patrick’s Day is easily one of my favorite holidays to celebrate in Jackson.  Downtown becomes a sea of green from little boys with green hair to puppies sporting new green hair-dos.  Last year, I even spotted two famous green creatures—Kermit and the Geico Gecko. This year’s parade is March 19^th!    

2.     Food:  Where do I begin? Keifer’s, Pizza Shack, Basil’s Belhaven, Babalu, Rooster’s, Newks, Broadstreet, Sal and Mookie’s, Bravo!, Beagle Bagle, Julep, Primos, Aladdin, High Noon Café, Little Tokyo, Bon Ami, Nick’s, Char, Hickory Pit, Elixir, Que Sera, The Elite, Mayflower, Edo, La Cazuela, Two Sisters’ Kitchen, Thai House, Spice Avenue, Cherokee Inn, Fenian’s, Tony’s Hot Tamales, Cool Al’s, Majestic Burger, Brent’s, CS’s, Hal and Mal’s.  Jackson knows how to eat!

3.     Community: As a lifelong Jacksonian, I can’t help but love the community feel of Jackson.  While it is the capital of Mississippi, Jackson manages to maintain the intimate feeling of most small Mississippi towns.  It is hard to go somewhere without running into friends or neighbors.   Millsaps has shown me a whole new Jackson in some ways, but running off campus to Newks or to Kroger typically results in spotting a classmate’s parents from high school or another acquaintance.  These run-ins definitely liven up a routine trip to the store.

4.     Weather: I enjoy the inconsistent nature of Jackson’s weather.  After brushing my teeth, I look up the weather as a part of my daily morning routine.  Lately I have really enjoyed the little bit of mystery surrounding the day’s outlook.  Last week we had snow and ice and this week we’ve had the mid- 70s, or what I like to call "spend your day outside weather." 

5.     Laurel Park: I have taken a recent liking to Laurel Park on the weekends.  It’s located in the heart of the Belhaven neighborhood and very easy to walk to from campus.  There is a trail at the back of the park that takes you to Fortification Street via an old railroad track.  I hiked it for the first time last weekend with some friends.  This experience reminded how of much of Jackson I still haven’t explored and I think that is perhaps the greatest thing about this city.  There are so paths to explore—“wider opportunities surround you everyday.”