Activities and events to add to your Jackson summer bucket list. See dates and times here
Looking for something to do with the rest of your summer? Jackson provides a multitude of activities — mostly indoor so you can beat the heat — to add to your summer bucket list.
And, with schools still on summer break, there are plenty of child-friendly activities as well.
Flags from Mississippi exhibition
When: March 9 through Nov. 8
Where: Two Mississippi Museums, 222 North St.
"Flags from Mississippi: Emblems Through Time" is a limited exhibition at the Two Mississippi Museums. The exhibit takes guests through Mississippi's history with 20 different versions of the state flag including the original magnolia flag sewn in 1861.
The exhibit opened in March and will run until November.
Admission to the flag exhibit is included in museum tickets which range from $8 to $15. Admission is free on Sundays.
'What Became of Dr. Smith' exhibition
When: April 20 through Sept. 22
Where: Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar St.
Mississippi native Noah Saterstrom set out to solve the mystery of his great-grandfather Dr. D.L. Smith who, according to Saterstrom's family lore, had disappeared in the early 1920s.
Through years of research, Saterstrom discovered his great-grandfather didn't actually disappear. Smith had spent the last four decades of his life in a mental institution in Jackson.
The exhibit highlights the stigma and marginalization of mental illness by society through paintings, photos and texts.
The "What Became of Dr. Smith" exhibition opened in April and will run through September.
Admission ranges from $10 to $15 and is free for people with memberships.
Paw Patrol adventure exhibition
When: May 11 through Sept. 8
Where: Mississippi Children's Museum, 2145 Museum Blvd.
The Mississippi Children's Museum's 2024 summer exhibit is "Paw Patrol: Adventure Play." The interactive exhibit allows children to embark on rescue missions like those in the cartoon Paw Patrol.
The exhibit opened in May and will run until Sept. 8.
Admission is $13 a ticket and free for children under 1 year old.
'Dinosaurs Around the Word' exhibit
When: June 8 through Jan. 5
Where: Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Drive
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science invites guests to travel back in time in a new indoor, outdoor version of the museum's popular "Dinosaurs Around the World" exhibition.
The "Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors" exhibit includes 11 animatronic dinosaurs.
Admission to the exhibit is included with regular museum admission, which ranges from $6 to $8 with children under three getting in free.
Belhaven Block Party
When: Every Friday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Belhaven Town Center, 1121 North Jefferson St.
Belhaven Block Party is a free event happening every Friday evening in the town center. Each event includes live music, drinks and ice cream.
'Reading the Room' at Native Coffee
When: July 10, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Native Coffee, 1800 North State St.
This free event is for all the book lovers in the Jackson area. This "Reading the Room" event at Native Coffee marks the first in a new series sponsored by the Mississippi Book Festival and the Mississippi Humanities Council.
Visit Jackson lists the following for those interested in attenting:
Bring any book you are currently reading
Enjoy some time set aside to read on your own
Talk books with your neighbors over drinks and snacks
Celebrate Mississippi's vibrant literary culture with us
Neo-Soul Candlelight Concert
When: July 10, 8:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Where: Old Capitol Museum, 100 State St.
The Listeso String Quartet will perform Neo-Soul favorites illuminated by the glow of candlelight for this multi-sensory experience. The tentative program includes covers of artists including Prince, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Sade, D'Angelo, Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, Boyz II Men, Miguel, SZA, H.E.R., Erykah Badu and Solange.
Tickets are $35 each.
Hibachi nights at Hal and Mal's
When: July 11 and July 25, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Hal and Mal's, 200 Commerce St.
In this summer series hosted by Hal and Mal's, guests can enjoy hibachi cooked in the restaurant's courtyard and discounted drinks.
Admission is $20 and covers food. Drinks are an additional $5 for sake cocktails, wells and seltzers, $3 for Fertile Ground beer and $2 for domestic beers.
Operation Shoestring parenting community event
When: July 13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Operation Shoestring, 1711 Bailey Ave.
Jackson-based nonprofit Operation Shoestring will host a free community event catered toward Jackson parents and children.
The interactive event coincides with the nonprofit's recent podcast "Raising Children in Central Jackson: A Series of Oral History Recordings."
More on the podcast: Operation Shoestring publishes podcast series on raising children in Jackson, past and present
More on the event: Operation Shoestring holds Jackson parenting community event. See when and where
Community Curation Day: Photograph Preservation
When: July 13, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: William F. Winter Archives and History Building, 200 North St.
In this free program, Mississippi Department of Archives and History collections coordinator Laura Heller will demonstrate preservation practices for photographs. Visitors can bring in family photographs and learn how to best preserve them.
Reel Insights: Perspectives of Mental Health in Cinema
When: July 16, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar St.
This event marks the first in a three-part film series centered around depictions of mental health in cinema. July's event explores the ways filmmakers navigate mental health complexities on screen.
The event will be followed by two more in August and September in partnership with the Mississippi State University Psychology Department.
Admission is free and those interested in going can register on the MMA website.
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Activities and events to add to your Jackson summer bucket list