The Best Hotels to Book in Mississippi, USA

Picture a historic Southern mansion, and, no doubt, a place like Monmouth comes to mind. Marble fireplaces, check. Four-poster beds, check. Antique furniture throughout, check. Manicured lawns and garden statues, check and check. Set on 26 acres (11ha) of well-tended, pert gardens of blooming magnolias, roses and azaleas, accommodation – totaling 30 rooms and suites – the hotel spreads out over seven outbuildings as well as the main house. Sip a mint julep in the lounge, ahead of dinner at the 1818 restaurant, named for the year the house – a National Historic Landmark – was built. Take a tour to learn about its history, including its part in the slave trade.

Love the trappings of a large resort? The Beau Rivage delivers with its pool, spa, golf-swing practice suite, exclusive use of an 18-hole championship golf course, casino, 10 restaurants, bars and cafes. A destination in its own right on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, rooms – from doubles to suites – offer views across either downtown to historic Biloxi or across the Mississippi Sound and out to sea. Be sure to specify your preference when booking.

Verandas and wrap-around balconies, ornate red brick, wrought iron and columned façades define the architecture of this historic college town, home to the University of Mississippi. Expect a lot of college cheer during term time. The Chancellor’s House offers 38 neat rooms and six suites, looking out onto downtown. Cozy up with luxury touches including Egyptian cotton sheets, monogrammed terry robes, a clawfoot tub, butler services and in-room Keurig coffee makers.

Another Oxford gem, the rooms at the college-leaning Graduate are best described as warm and comforting – think splashes of bold red, blue and yellow, polka dot carpets, plaid quilts, quilted headboards, florals and wood features. And bathrooms feature Malin + Goetz toiletries. In the morning, grab a coffee from Cabin 82 – the hotel’s cafe inspired by a country fair. In the evenings, head to the roof for cocktails at the rooftop bar, the Coop – make ours a hibiscus daiquiri.

Sit beneath the shade of the large Mississippi oaks, or while away the heat of the afternoon on the two-story veranda that wraps around this pre-civil-war mansion. A National Landmark – built in 1856 to replace an earlier building that was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground – the Dunleith has been a B&B since the late 1970s. Book into the main house for gilded antique mirrors, grand marble fireplaces and 14ft (4m) ceilings. Explore the neighborhood – home to antebellum mansions – including the unfinished Longwood.

The historic clapboard pile consists of not one but three Victorian mansions and cottages. Though the grandest is the Devereaux Shields House – a two-story old dame surrounded by gardens of myrtles and camellias. There’s also the four-room Aunt Clara’s Cottage and the cozy Bost House, where rooms have their own fireplaces. Need a little help relaxing? The private spa room is available for single or couples treatments. Add champagne and fresh fruit to make the appointment extra special.

Stop by the state capital, Jackson, for attractions such as the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. In fact, the Freedom Trail guides visitors through landmarks and sites significant in the civil rights movement, across the city. The Hilton is 15 minutes from downtown, but, once you’re there, there’s everything you need on site. Drago’s Seafood offers New Orleans-inspired cuisine. Wellington’s serves up breakfast and Southern-style weekday lunch buffets. Alternatively, sip on a cocktail at the hotel’s bar, Fitzgerald’s.

Cleveland – in the heart of the Delta – has a rich history of blues music, heroes from the civil rights movement, and migration from the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railroad that passes through town. In fact, the Cotton House is located next to two musical landmarks: the GRAMMY Museum and the Mississippi Blues Trail. Rooms in leather, copper and slate tones are stylish and cozy. Dine at the hotel’s award-winning Delta Meat Market – by chef Cole Ellis – which combines international influences with Mississippi Delta culinary traditions. Be sure to try out the seafood gumbo – complete with shrimp, snapper, oysters, seabass and ham.

Once the center of the lumber and railroad industries, Hattiesburg’s nickname of the Hub City is borne out in this hotel’s decor. Rooms, restaurants and lobbies nod to the past with train tunnel lighting, upholstery inspired by historic conductor uniforms, and other industrial-chic touches. Close to the University of Southern Mississippi, the area has a college-town buzz. The hotel’s Brass Hat bar and restaurant serve small plates and cocktails in a space built to look like a train carriage – the fried green tomatoes are a must.