Best Murals in Downtown Vicksburg, MS
Art imitates life—or is it the other way around? In Vicksburg, the two are intertwined—public art inspiring the lives and livelihoods of locals, and community life feeding back into the town’s vibrant art. Here you’ll find more public art than anywhere else in the state, collected between statues at the military park and the storytelling murals that wind through downtown like colorful kudzu.
A visit to Vicksburg isn’t complete without a tour of downtown’s most picturesque and picture-worthy murals. We’ve got a guide to the top viewing spots, along with more opportunities for viewing and shopping—there’s something here for everyone’s palate.
Welcome to Vicksburg
Located on Washington Street across from the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum, the Welcome to Vicksburg mural arrests the eye immediately with its bold, warm invitation to downtown and beyond. Commanding a corner of the lush, forested bluff and wide-open blue sky, this mural’s energetic curving lines evoke a river topography. Artist Drew Landon adopted Vicksburg as his home, and his spray-painted mural marries street art with high art—a perfect representation of the shifting, lively currents of the Mississippi, and the diverse city that flourishes along its banks.
Nearby: Attic Gallery
If you’re looking for a piece of art you can take home with you, the nearby Attic Gallery is the perfect place to start. The oldest independent art gallery in the state, Attic Gallery’s collection—full of paintings, sculpture, pottery, antiques, and more—is a veritable feast of creativity.
Riverfront Murals
Any way you want to experience history is available to you in Vicksburg, but one of the most unique and fun ways to learn the local story is through the Riverfront Murals. Bringing the floodwalls lining Levee Street to life, each panel represents an important moment in Vicksburg folklore and history. See visual representations of key moments, like the first Coca-Cola bottling in America, Theodore Roosevelt’s famous Teddy bear hunt, and “Gold in the Hills,” the longest continually running melodrama show in the world (now in its 85th season)! You can read about each panel’s history on informative plaques, including the most recent installments, like the abstract panel by local artist Martha Ferris. Installed in 2001, her work recognizes the three vital arteries that have historically fed Vicksburg’s diversity: the river, the railroad, and the highway.
Nearby: Catfish Row Museum
Walk up Grove Street and hang a left to find a truly hidden gem in the Catfish Row Museum. Though there are plans for a large expansion very soon, you’ll still discover plenty of wonderful art and pieces of local curiosity here. The museum’s collection has been curated by community members—mothers, cousins, and grandfathers have contributed their finds and artifacts that all speak to Vicksburg’s eclectic past. Come celebrate the artists that Vicksburg’s fertile soil has produced!
Wings on Washington
Near Gordon’s Alley, a formerly ordinary downtown passageway has been transformed into a modern expression of the town’s creative spirit. Local high schoolers contributed their interpretations of Abraham Lincoln’s nickname for Vicksburg: The Key to the South. Other contributions include symbols of local culture, from catfish to peace signs to football, wild horses, theatre arts, the Civil War, and so much more. This collage celebrates all the many facets of Vicksburg’s culture, culminating in a pair of wings—take a picture between them to capture your own Mississippi adventure taking flight.
Nearby: H.C. Porter Gallery
Local artist H.C. Porter loves her home state fiercely, and her passion shows in her dynamic paintings and mixed media representations of the state’s history, from the Civil War to blues legends, historic homes, and natural environs. Porter’s work can be seen in traveling exhibitions, but a visit to her signature gallery on Washington Street is a special delight.
At the Heart of Art
Just when you think you know this city, this state, and its history, new points of view emerge to surprise, delight, and enlighten. Feed your own creativity in Vicksburg and share your creations with us on social media using #VisitVicksburg!
