I stopped in here since I was in the area, and I am so glad I did. Free admission, parking is free. This was quite amazing. The signs along the way were very informative and helpful. Though I would love to know if it was haunted. Probably not, old buildings are never haunted. I loved learning the history of the building of the government. I would recommend to anyone in the area. read more

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This is a nice piece of history that is almost 200 years old (Built in 1839). It is in marvelous shape. There is free street parking available within a reasonable walking distance. It is a National Historic Landmark and a fine examples of Greek Revival architecture. It served as the Mississippi state capitol from 1839 to 1903 and has a limestone exterior and a copper dome. Currently, You cannot go into the the building to do on-going renovations on the roof. It is a nice structure that has been renovated. You would not be able to really guess its age. Looking in the window of the front doors, you will see a double spiral wooden staircase. There are a bunch of placards on the front of the building designating it as a national landmark, and detailing its construction and subsequent restoration. The grounds of the building are very well maintained and the lawn is amazing. it sits behind a wrought iron fence that is a replica of the original one that was originally at the building. This is a nice visit, if only to see its beauty and architecture. Hopefully they will open the building back up soon for free tours again. I would have like to see the inside. I have heard that it is just as beautiful as the outside. read more

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I'm no history buff by any means, but architecture gets me every time. This building is absoululy beautiful. The rotunda alone made it worth going in. We stopped in because the new capital was under construction. This wasn't on our agenda but being spontaneous... It is gorgeous. This is one of the prettiest buildings I've ever seen. It's so interesting. Like I said, I'm not into history too much. After coming here? I am way curious. Interactive tickets are given to you at the door for the many interactive displays. It's free. Yes. Free to walk into this gorgeous building, free to learn about the history of Mississippi, free to look at who all governed this state and go into their chambers. Free to look at the beautiful architectual details. When you come, plan to spend an hour. Bathrooms are on the second floor if you need them. Go and enjoy this majestic piece of our history. read more

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Wonderful museum. I loved all the interactive aspects. There are also a bunch of life size statues that really bring history to life. Multi level building with beautiful staircase. read more

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The mission statement of the museum reads, "The Old Capitol Museum shall educate the public about the history, people, and architecture of the building, the governmental processes of the state, and the importance of historic preservation." The boyf and I spent a delightful two hours in this museum on a summer Friday morning. I recommend highly visiting--in my view, they accomplish their mission 110%. Upon entering the museum (which is free!) we were greeted by a sweet and informative longtime Mississippi resident who explained what the museum included and who chatted up my boyf, whose family in part is from the state. Beginning our exploration of the building by talking to her set perfectly the tone of our visit. We had the place almost entirely to ourselves and enjoyed being able to read the exhibits without having to coordinate our movements with those of school groups. The old capitol building has three stories and a beautiful rotunda. On the first level are exhibits about the preservation advocacy that restored the building and about Mississippi before the 1800s. The second two levels contain the rooms where the State Senate and House of Representatives met. The State Supreme Court and the State Library are on the third story. As a Ph.D. candidate whose research interests include philosophy of law and constitutional history, I loved the exhibits that described the state's constitutional conventions in 1868 and 1890. They were excellently done: written in simple language that middle-school aged children could understand, but conveying information that was new and interesting to someone goin' to Ph.D. school. From my perspective as a non-Southerner (I was born and reared in Ohio and now live in Atlanta), I thought the museum's handling of the issue of race, both in the past and in the present, demonstrated reflection and wisdom. Many of the exhibits are interactive, and one that the boyf and I found especially powerful was the audio presentation of a pre-Civil War case involving the treatment of a slave that was adjudicated in the state Supreme Court. The arguments and verdict were stated in clear, simple language and presented via audio clips. The exhibit also raised the question of the rightness of the verdict and the justices' motivations in ruling as they did in a way that I think both children and adults (or at least this adult) could find thought-provoking. When you visit: check out the back of the building's exterior: the stone facade, finished after Katrina, only covers three of the sides! read more

The Old Capitol Museum is a marvel! As soon as you walk in the dome ceiling captures your attention and that alone is worth visiting. It is truly magnificent. The pictures do not do it justice. The layout was great and the exhibits were well done and informative. The history of the Old Capitol is interesting and it is great how many times they fought to keep it standing. The War Memorial on the property is beautiful as well. read more

Old Capitol Museum - Museums Near Me - Jackson, Mississippi

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This is a lovely Greek Revival building originally constructed in 1840 for the state legislature, although the legislature pretty quickly outgrew the building. It faced being razed by 1917, was saved from demolition, played host to various state agencies, and then became a museum in 1961. The building is pretty small, and the exhibits have just been redone, so this is a very kid friendly stop - not overwhelming at all. read more

Old Capitol Museum - Portrait gallery - Museums Near Me - Jackson, Mississippi

I recently ran into a friend who recently moved to the city this year. Her parents were visiting and they were looking for things to see that would give them a taste of Jackson. They exhausted themselves with overindulging in the many eating establishments and even went shopping in and around the city. My first thought was 'have you been to the Old Capitol?' The city has so much history in its decades of existence. In our busy lives we tend to forget the city's museums that is a great place to spend the day. The new renovations alone are worth a visit if you have not been since Katrina. They have an entire display dedicated to the effort that was put into rebuilding and salvaging the capitol and restoring it for access to the public. Its a beautifully constructed building inside and out. As a fellow Jacksonian if you are new to the city or have lived here your entire life you should plan a trip to see this often forgotten museum. Its impossible to miss. It stands as the heart of the city at the tip of Capitol St. and State Street. read more

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A wonderful example of historic preservation. This building is truly beautiful. The interactive content is good, and accessible to school- aged children. read more

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2+ hours worth of interactive historical content about the state of Mississippi, with enough watered down language to not intimidate children or make white people uncomfortable (that's a negative - they unsurprisingly balked at the chance to give some serious insight as to why the state is as broken & backwards as it is today) The museum clearly has enough money behind it to employ some talented creatives, and almost every room is well laid out, with buttons to press, lighted displays, booming audio recordings, etc. Also bring a jacket cause it's super cold inside. I've spent plenty of time in Jackson that I regret, but I absolutely enjoyed this place. If you're visiting home and don't know what to do with a weekday, bring the whole family and get your learn on read more

I stopped by here with my wife on a Saturday afternoon last month. The Greek Revival architecture of this museum is what really drew us to it as it is quite beautiful. My wife and I had no intention or originally coming here and we also had no intention of heading in but since we had some time to kill, we did. With that in mind I didn't expect much from the museum but by the end of my visit I will admit that I really enjoyed it. Admission is free, which you can't beat, and the museum itself is very well done. They allow you to travel among all three floors of the old capitol. The first floor consists of a lot of exhibits about the history of the state itself and I learned quite a bit about Mississippi. Then you can take either the elevator or the interesting staircase up to the remaining floors. The second floor contained the separate rooms where the state senate and state house met. Last but not least the third floor contained the library, an area where the State Supreme Court met and overlooks into the second floor House and Senate chambers. Overall it was a nice experience and I am honestly glad that we came here. The bottom line for me is that I would recommend this as a place to head for anyone that has a little extra free time in Jackson. read more

A good stop to get acquainted with Mississippi. This great, heavy stone, intricate, architecture is astounding! It's a shame not to see this kind of quality work anymore. It's an easy walk through museum. Most of it is "interactive", meaning its equipped with sound speakers and some videos that tell you summaries of the history that revolved around and/or associated with the state capitol. read more

Old Capitol Museum - Museums Near Me - Jackson, Mississippi

Good place to spend the afternoon with the kids. Lots of history to be discovered and explored.

Going to a museum on the weekend is a good thing to do, well, unless it is closed. This was. Thanks for educating the public on your time.

The place is a steal at being free (donations accepted). It was a great start to the historic Jackson walking tour and they informed us of the governors mansion tours (also free). The museum is considered a GEM by AAA which is why we visited and we weren't disappointed. The lady at the front desk was very passionate about the history and offered recommendations on the order to view the museum in. We did the self tour in an hour but you def could spend much more time there. read more

It's three stories of Mississippi history and so much that I never knew about our state! Admission is free to get in as well. Took me about a hour to totally walk through. Open 9am to 5pm. Closed mondays though! read more

A beautiful and overlooked spot in Jackson. The first time I only went because my husband was writing a story about the old capitol, but we ended up staying for hours! The museum was so interesting, and the architecture was stunning! I definitely want to go back again. read more

This is an overlooked treasure downtown. I have lived here my whole life and just visited recently. I was so impressed! They did a great job making the museum interesting and engaging. It really is beautiful. The 10 year old with me really enjoyed it! It doesn't take long to make it through the museum to see everything, but it's a great stop on a tour of downtown. read more

This museum is a hidden gem! It's well maintained and very interesting! Worth a visit!

This was mostly about the building itself, and I was hoping for more history about the state of Mississippi. Apparently the Mississippi State Museum is opening soon in another building. It was still neat though, and I'm glad we went. read more