ATTRACTIONS
To get more information about Vicksburg or to pick up your Vicksburg Passport, visit the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau located at 52 Old Hwy. 27 or the new Information Center opening late 2026 at 1500 Washington Street.
BIEDENHARN CANDY COMPANY AND MUSEUM OF COCA-COLA MEMORABILIA *
Lined with wood-paneled shelves and marble slab countertops, visitors will be transported back in time when entering the Biedenharn Candy Company and Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia— home to the first bottled Coca-Cola.
The former confectionery and soda shop at 1107 Washington St. has been restored to resemble its former days in 1894 when Joseph Biedenharn was successful in transforming a soda fountain drink into a bottled beverage that could be offered for trade.
Coca-Cola was developed outside of Atlanta, but was sold only in a glass at soda fountains. Biedenharn and his family owned and operated three soda fountains and candy stores in Vicksburg.
After deciding to stock the Coca-Cola syrup at his wholesale and retail confectionery, Biedenharn came up with the idea to bottle the popular syrup since he was already in the soda water bottling business.
The first bottle that was used was a Hutchinson Blob Top and it was embossed with " Biedenharn Candy Company, Vicksburg, Miss." It was capped with a rubber disk and held in place with a curved thick wire. Inside the museum, visitors can see the types of machinery it took to bottle the drink, as well as early advertising items and Coke memorabilia, and also enjoy an ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola or a Coke float.
For more information, call 601-638-6514 or visit biedenharncoca-colamuseum. com.
THE CAIRO MUSEUM *
The mission was to destroy Confederate batteries and clear the channel of torpedoes( underwater mines) but when the USS Cairo was rocked by two explosives that tore gaping holes in the hull, the ironclad gunboat sank within 12 minutes on the cold morning of Dec. 12, 1862.
The gunboat was forgotten over the years, and as members of the crew died the whereabouts of the vessel became a matter of speculation.
But in 1956, after studying contemporary documents and maps, Edwin C. Bearss, Historian at Vicksburg National Military Park, was able to plot the approximate site of the wreck. With the help of a pocket compass and iron bar probes, Bearss and two companions Don Jacks and Warren Grabau discovered the grave of the Cairo.
The partially reconstructed Cairo now rests on a concrete foundation near Vicksburg National Cemetery. Artifacts including a treasure trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores and personal gear of the sailors, who served onboard can now be seen at the USS Cairo Museum inside the Vicksburg National Military Park, 3201 Clay St.
For more information, visit nps. gov / vick / u-s-scairo-gunboat. htm.
CASINOS *
Vicksburg is home to four casinos, each of which offers sports betting and is located just beside the Mississippi River.
Bally’ s Vicksburg, 1380 Warrenton Road; For more information, call 601-636-7575 or visit casinos. ballys. com / vicksburg.
Waterview Casino and Hotel, 3990 Washington St. For more information, call 601-636-5700 or visit www. waterviewcasino. com.
Ameristar Casino, 4116 Washington St. For more information, call 601-638-1000 or visit ameristar. com / vicksburg.
Riverwalk Casino, 1046 Warrenton Road. For more information, call 601-634-0100 or visit riverwalkvicksburg. com.
CATFISH ROW MUSEUM *
The Catfish Row Museum introduces a cultural heritage experience that showcases the unique and diverse aspects of Vicksburg— from its music, history and storytelling to its vibrant food heritage, worship and the visual arts. Staying true to David Cohn’ s declaration that the Mississippi Delta ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg, the museum brings the Catfish Row of historic Vicksburg back to life through a broad cultural exploration of the events, places, stories and vices that helped shape its culture.
The museum is located at 913 Washington St. in downtown Vicksburg. For more information, visit catfishrowmuseum. org.
CATFISH ROW MURALS AND RIVER ACCESS
Watercraft can enter the Yazoo River Diversion Canal from Levee Street. Located just south of the Old Depot Museum near the riverboat dock is Vicksburg’ s only drop-off point into the Mississippi.
The area is hidden by the city’ s floodwalls where the community created a series of riverfront murals depicting historic and modern images unique to the city of Vicksburg.
On the other side of Levee Street sits a park and splash pad for families to enjoy the view of the canal and try to avoid the heat of summer. The entire area is known as Catfish Row Art Park.
Washington Street also features a massive " Welcome to Vicksburg " mural and near the city ' s downtown parking garage, artists and students combined on a beautiful series of murals.
THE JACQUELINE HOUSE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
Donated in memory of Jacqueline Robbins Rose, as a gift to Vicksburg’ s Black community, a little frame house at 1325 Main St. stands as Vicksburg’ s only museum for the exclusive study of history and culture of people of African descent.
The Jacqueline House Museum of African- American History holds more than 20,000 items in all formats including photographs, books, manuscripts, music, posters, newspapers, rare ephemera and selected artifacts and items dating back to the slave period.
The museum is open by appointment only. For more information and admission fees, call 601-636-0941.
JESSE BRENT LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM Navigate your own course through the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Center at 910 Washington St. and learn how people and animals have depended on the river for food, communication, travel and overall living.
Maintained and housed in a fully restored, dry-docked riverboat, the LMRM and Riverfront Interpretive Center is the first and only museum of its kind in the U. S.
The Motor Vessel Mississippi was once a working towboat that served as the flagship for the Mississippi River Commission from the early 1960s to the early 1990s.
Providing visitors with a look at life surrounding the mighty Mississippi River with interactive and static displays, the LMRM includes a model of the main Mississippi River channel that was built by the Corps of Engineers. Visitors can walk along the channel display and learn about how the river and mainline levee system interact. Other offerings include a seven-minute orientation film and models of life along the Mississippi River. For more information, visit www. mvk. usace. army. mil / missions / recreation / lower-mississippi-river-museum.
MCRAVEN HOUSE *
Widely regarded as the most haunted site in
72 • THE VICKSBURG POST & VICKSBURG-WARREN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
* Chamber Member.