Mississippi Off the Beaten Path, 5th (Off the Beaten Path Series) [Paperback]

Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Series: Off the Beaten Path Series | Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Let Mississippi Off the Beaten Path show you the Magnolia State you never knew existed. Journey to the land of talking frogs and fashion-conscious pigs at the Birthplace of the Frog, a museum honoring Mississippi native and Muppets-creator Jim Henson; explore the ceremonial Choctaw Indian mounds and sacred cave at the Nanih Waiya Historic Site; or visit lions, tigers, panthers, and other exotic animals at the Collins Exotic Animal Orphanage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Local author Marlo Kirkpatrick takes a different fork in the road. Kirkpatrick's Mississippi Off the Beaten Path spices up the journey with locales--as well as personal experiences, trivia, and tales that lean toward the offbeat and Southern gothic."
--The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.)

From the Back Cover

Tired of the same old tourist traps? Take the road less traveled and discover the hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales other guidebooks just don't offer. Off the Beaten Path® features the things you'd want to see--if only you knew about them! From the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits, you'll say over and over again: "I didn't know that!"
Whether you're a visitor or a local looking for something different, let Mississippi Off the Beaten Path show you the Magnolia State you never knew existed. Journey to the land of talking frogs and fashion-conscious pigs at the Birthplace of the Frog, a museum honoring Mississippi native and Muppets-creator Jim Henson; explore the ceremonial Choctaw Indian mounds and sacred cave at the Nanih Waiya Historic Site; or visit lions, tigers, panthers, and other exotic animals at the Collins Exotic Animal Orphanage. So if you've "been there, done that" one too many times, get off the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 5th edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762735295
• ISBN-13: 978-0762735297
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,861,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Mississippi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The stamp of approval - from a native, April 14, 2005

By 

Nicole Bradshaw "Nicole Bradshaw" (Jackson, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mississippi Off the Beaten Path, 4th: A Guide to Unique Places (Paperback)

When you live in Mississippi, you are immensely flattered when you discover that someone has written an entire guide about your state. Although I have never understood why, the travel industry seems to have ignored the wealth of things to do here.

This book is great because it's extremely detailed and also provides the history (or what I like to call the "back story") on alot of the sights and attractions in the state.

The book divides the state into sections, giving meaty attention to each part of Mississippi. At the end of each section, Kirkpatrick provides a list with contact information for each attraction, hotel, and retail outlet discussed in the section. Bits of state trivia are also interspersed throughout the book in little shaded boxes. This helps to liven up the reading, and is fun and educational, to boot.

Living in central Mississippi, I can definitely vouch for the veracity of that section. Kirkpatrick hits all of the highlights (and some of the lowlights!).

If you're interested in visiting the REAL Mississippi, not just the casinos and the antebellum homes (though Kirkpatrick certainly covers those, too), buy this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great State, Confusing Guide, April 27, 2005

By 

Stanford Gibson (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mississippi Off the Beaten Path, 5th (Off the Beaten Path Series) (Paperback)

I have found Mississippi to be a beautiful state with warm people, fun food, rich history and lots to offer. If you have time to read entire chapters of this book before your visit to Mississippi it will certainly provide helpful information. The book provides back stories and insider tips. However, this guide is not well organized or efficient to use. There is no easy summary of must sees - or quick ways to find a particular destination. Also, it can be difficult to find sites highlighted in the book if you are not familiar with local roads - you almost need to plan ahead of time and prepare mapquest maps. While the authors did tip me off to some very worthwhile diversions that augmented my visit (e.g. the Natchez trail is fantastic) and gave me back-story on some of the towns which I appreciated, it was often more work to get at this information than I would have hoped for from a travel guide.

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, specific, funny - a very helpful guide, April 6, 2010

By 

Donna Ancypa Holmes (Oberlin, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mississippi Off the Beaten Path, 5th (Off the Beaten Path Series) (Paperback)

This book lives up to its name; after just one evening of reading, I had learned more about secret, quirky Mississippi destinations than I thought there was to know. The book is helpfully divided into regions to give the reader a starting point, and there's a lot of detailed specific information about destinations and lodging within each section. Because the book is written in a narrative style there's a little hunting around to find specific towns within each region, but that's my only quibble, and I think any paper guide might have to make tradeoffs in organization. I liked this book a lot and was ready to change my vacation itinerary because of it. Good for daytrippers and vacationers alike - undiscovered destinations await.