Consultant says area needs more visitors centers

NORTH MISSISSIPPI — A consulting firm has recommended seven to eight visitors centers to capitalize on the cultural and tourism heritage in north Mississippi.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports Phil Walker, of Nashville-based Walker Collaborative, and his team presented findings to the board of the Mississippi Hills Area Alliance.

The Alliance board is in charge of the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, a federally recognized region bordered by Interstate 55 on the west, Mississippi 14 on the south, the Tennessee state line on the north and the Alabama state line on the east. The group is funded with local, state and federal money.

The board has been working with the consultants for several months to put together a management plan for the heritage area.

The preferred plan Walker presented called for interpretive centers to be in Tupelo, Hernando, Oxford, Holly Springs, Corinth, Pontotoc and Columbus.

The centers in Tupelo and Hernando would have interpretive information for all of the themes African-American, Civil War, music and literature, Native American and architecture while the other centers would focus on a specific theme.

After another meeting in Oxford, the consultants will tweak the plan and start putting together cost estimates and a proposed budget.

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal