Forrest County can be explored through a range of travel interests: the Longleaf Trace focuses on cycling, Geiger Lake offers several water sports, and Hattiesburg brings public art and historic sites together. For your planning, it’s worth distinguishing these offerings by their character rather than treating them as a single route. Overnight options at Paul B. Johnson State Park and travel options in Hattiesburg also provide practical starting points for preparing your trip.

Cycling and Water Activities

The Longleaf Trace is 44 miles long, paved and ten feet wide. It runs from Hattiesburg through Sumrall, Bassfield and Carson to Prentiss, and is part of the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Rails-to-Trails Recreational District. This joint agency includes Forrest, Jefferson Davis and Lamar counties. You can include the Longleaf Trace as a longer cycling route in your trip plans.

Water activities offer a different focus. Geiger Lake in Paul B. Johnson State Park is a 225-acre lake in Forrest County. Fishing, boating and water skiing are available on the lake. The Pinebelt Blueways add a selection of scenic waterways for kayaking and canoeing in Mississippi’s Pine Belt region. One access point is in Hattiesburg, a Forrest County community. This puts a clearly described cycling route alongside a range of activities on or in the water, each offering a different focus.

Art and History in Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg is home to more than 150 large-scale murals, sculptures and painted utility boxes. The Hattiesburg Public Art Trail offers a brochure, a map and easy-to-spot signage to help you explore the public art. These navigation aids give you several ways to discover art in public spaces.

The Gallery of Art & Design at the University of Southern Mississippi offers a different kind of exhibition. It presents works on loan from artists, museums and galleries, as well as exhibitions by students and faculty. Each spring, the gallery also hosts the Annual Student Show, a juried exhibition. If this show is relevant to your trip, check the specific exhibition dates in advance.

History and smaller exhibition spaces offer their own points of interest. The Historic Saenger Theater opened as a movie palace in 1929 and is an Art Deco building. The 1964 Freedom Summer Trail commemorates participants in Hattiesburg’s civil rights movement in the 1960s and includes an audio tour. The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum is a small gallery with changing exhibitions in a narrow alley downtown. These three sites are distinct: architectural history, remembrance of the civil rights movement and changing exhibitions in a small gallery space.

Plan Your Stay and Travel

Paul B. Johnson State Park offers 125 RV sites, 25 primitive campsites, twelve cabins, two duplex accommodations and one group lodge. The options include sites, places to camp and several types of accommodation in the park. If you plan to stay there, check the latest reservation details before making plans.

Hattiesburg has local commercial air service and a train station in the city center. American Airlines offers daily flights to Dallas and Chicago. Since flight schedules can change, check the current schedule for your travel dates. When searching for a hotel in Forrest County, you can then tailor your choice to the activities that are most important to your trip.

Discover more destinations: Hattiesburg, Warren, Rankin, Pike, Desoto, Copiah County, Stone County, Oktibbeha County.

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