Tishomingo Campground

The Great Outdoors

Imagine what it was like for early Native American traders, frontiersmen, and explorers, among the many who walked the entire length of the Old Natchez Trace that connected segments of the Mississippi River to central Tennessee. The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway, which runs right through the Tishomingo State Park, commemorates this historic trail, and you can follow in the footsteps of those hardy travelers when you meet this two-lane road for an epic drive from Natchez, MS or Nashville, TN, or just segments in between.Detour at the Sunken Trace in Port Gibson, MS, where you can still walk on the original Natchez Trace. Drive your Tishomingo camper rental over the Alabama state line and learn more about the Trail of Tears. Make a stop at Jackson, MS, to browse the exhibits at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. And visit the site in Tennessee where the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis mysteriously died in October 1809. The possibilities of where to go and what to do are endless when you book an RV in Tishomingo County and drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway.Tishomingo County is the gateway to the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, a region brimming with cultural, historical, and natural attractions. One of the crowd magnets on this side of the Magnolia State is the Tanglefoot Trail, a 44-mile Rails to Trails conversion that meanders through wetlands, forests, and meadows, and takes you along the paths that the Chickasaw Indians and Meriwether Lewis once traveled. The trail's northern terminus is at New Albany, only an hour's drive away when you rent a camper near Tishomingo Campground.You'll be surrounded by national forests when camping in Tishomingo, and one of the closest is the Holly Springs National Forest, just 90 minutes’ drive by rental RV. The Holly Springs Recreation Areas provide several trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, as well as a trio of lakes for swimming and fishing. At the remote and relatively undeveloped Tillatoba Lake Recreation Area, escape the crowds and soak up the scenery of the 40-acre lake in total serenity.

Exploring the Area

Native American mounds abound along the Natchez Trace Parkway, and Tishomingo has its share of these elevated, often flat-topped ceremonial structures. Dated to around 1100 to 1300 AD, the Bear Creek Mound and Village Site had an earlier history, from as early as 8,000 BC, when hunters used the site to prepare their kill. There are no structures left to imagine what life was like here, but archaeologists believe that the mound may have been used as an elite residential site.When you have an RV rental near Tishomingo Campground, you can see more of what nearby Iuka has to offer. An interesting first stop is the Tishomingo County Courthouse, which once had a reputation as the "Marriage Capital of the South." Because of Mississippi's minimal marriage requirements, couples crossed state lines to get married here. Today, the courthouse is maintained as a museum displaying Native American artifacts, Civil War memorabilia, and items and effects relating to county history.When you camp in an RV near Tishomingo, take time to look around the place where the Battle of Iuka was fought in September of 1862. Both Confederate and Union forces attempted to block each other from transporting troops, only for the battle to end under mysterious circumstances attributed to peculiar weather and poor communication. While here, don't forget to visit the historic mineral springs where the Chickasaw chief Iuka was said to have been cured of his illness. Several of the original six springs continue to flow and still possess different healing abilities, as the people believe they did in the past.With its desirable location in northeast Mississippi and location right in the crossroads of history and natural beauty, tiny Tishomingo promises big adventures to those who visit. Water lovers are especially rewarded as there are abundant options for waterfront camping near Tishomingo. If this is your kind of adventure, start making travel plans today for a journey you will never forget.