# US 49: Jackson to the Sound *the Hattiesburg line* US 49: Jackson to the Sound is a ~160-mile back-roads route from Jackson to Gulfport on US 49, driven in 1–2 days, that stays off I-55 / I-10 through the Deep South. - **Drive:** Jackson → Gulfport - **Distance:** ~160 mi - **Days:** 1–2 - **Highways:** US 49 - **Avoids:** I-55 / I-10 - **Region:** Deep South - **Themes:** Literary South, History & Markers, Natural Beauty, Oddities & Roadside Wonders US 49 is Mississippi's diagonal: Delta blues at its top end, and this southern act runs the piney woods from Eudora Welty's Jackson to the Sound. In between: the rock-bottomed swimming town of D'Lo, Hattiesburg's Black USO club turned military history museum, an alley museum the size of a walk-in closet, Camp Shelby's arsenal of the century's wars, and Black Creek, the state's only national scenic river, floating quietly through the DeSoto pines. Markers: Freedom Summer trail markers cluster in Hattiesburg; Welty's garden gate starts the route right. ## The drive, segment by segment ### Out of Jackson *Jackson → Collins · ~55 mi* Welty's garden, then D'Lo's rocky rapids and the little towns of the Strong River country. Stops: - **Eudora Welty House** (Jackson) · Literary South — Her Tudor home and camellia garden on Pinehurst Street, kept exactly as she worked in it for 76 years. Tours by reservation; worth the planning. - **D'Lo Water Park** (D'Lo) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — Rock rapids on the Strong River beside a tiny town LIFE once made briefly famous for its outsized share of WWII servicemen, as the story ran. ### Hub City *Collins → Camp Shelby · ~40 mi* Hattiesburg's museums, murals and the pocket-sized alley museum, then the training base's big guns. Stops: - **African American Military History Museum** (Hattiesburg) · History & Markers — Housed in the former USO club for Black soldiers, one of the last standing; the story runs from Buffalo Soldiers through Iraq. - **Hattiesburg Pocket Museum** (Hattiesburg) · Oddities & Roadside Wonders — A museum in a downtown alley, roughly the size of a phone booth, with rotating micro-exhibits. Finding it is the exhibit. - **Mississippi Armed Forces Museum** (Camp Shelby) · History & Markers — On one of the country's biggest training bases: two world wars' worth of tanks, artillery and Mississippi units' stories. ### Through the DeSoto *Camp Shelby → Gulfport · ~65 mi* Black Creek's tea-colored water and longleaf flats, then down to the Sound. Stops: - **Black Creek** (Brooklyn) · Natural Beauty — Mississippi's only National Scenic River: white sandbars, tea water, and floats from the Brooklyn outfitters into the DeSoto backcountry. ## Tips and best time to go - Reserve the Welty tour before you build the day; slots are few. - Sandbar camping on Black Creek is the piney woods at its best; pack out everything. ## Worth a detour - **Longleaf Trace** — A 44-mile rail trail rolling northwest out of Hattiesburg under the pines; rent wheels at the gateway. - **Friendship Oak** — A 500-year-old live oak on the Long Beach campus; stand under it and you're friends for life, per the deal. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is US 49: Jackson to the Sound and how many days does it take? US 49: Jackson to the Sound is about 160 miles and takes 1–2 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does US 49: Jackson to the Sound start and end? It runs from Jackson to Gulfport. ### Which highways does US 49: Jackson to the Sound follow? It follows US 49. ### Which interstate does US 49: Jackson to the Sound replace? It avoids I-55 / I-10, using US 49 instead. ### How many stops are on US 49: Jackson to the Sound, and what are the highlights? 6 stops are mapped, including Eudora Welty House, D'Lo Water Park, African American Military History Museum, Hattiesburg Pocket Museum and Mississippi Armed Forces Museum. ## Connects with - [The Civil Rights Trail](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/civil-rights) — Jackson → Birmingham - [Grant's Vicksburg Campaign](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/grant-campaign) — Loop from Vicksburg - [Alabama's Coastal Connection](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/coastal-connection) — Dauphin Island → Pensacola --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/us49-piney-woods Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05