DEL.ICIO.USAJC TRAVEL NEWS
Meridian primed for tourists amid ambitious restoration
For The Journal-Constitution
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Meridian, Miss. — During its golden age of 1890-1930, Meridian was the state’s biggest city.
Railroads carried cotton, timber and passengers. Wealthy families built Victorian mansions in the Poplar Springs area. Vaudeville shows and silent movies played at the Temple Theater. A grand opera house in the center of town could seat 1,800. And a 15-story Art Deco skyscraper dominated the skyline.
Marianne Todd / MSU
The Riley Center, a restored 1889 opera house is drawing big-name entertainers, and a nearby 15-story building will become a hotel next year. Meridian is easy to reach from Atlanta, and travelers who simply zoom through it heading west are depriving themselves of an experience.
Marianne Todd / MSU
This is an interior view of the renovated Grand Opera House, now part of the MSU Riley Center for Education and the Performing Arts.
Lisa Lowe Stauffer
Causeyville’s General Store and Gristmill have operated since 1869. Antique pianos line the back room, while in the front room owner Dorathy Hagood serves peanuts from a restored 1890’s street vendors roaster.
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Today Meridian, like so many other Southern cities, struggles to maintain and renovate its historic downtown. But unlike some other cities, Meridian hasn’t lost its transportation. Freight and timber trains pass through Union Station, while Amtrak and Greyhound provide passenger service.
Meridian may have more historic buildings than any other city in Mississippi. Although many of these buildings are empty storefronts, yet to be renovated, a revitalization has begun, making Meridian well worth a visit.
Depot Historic District
The Depot Historic District (also called the Union Station Multi-Modal Transportation Center) is part of this renovation. The 100-year-old buildings — including the terminal for Amtrak, Greyhound and Trailways — are spacious, clean, bright and inviting. Some 300,000 passengers pass through here annually.
The former Railway Express Agency building houses the Meridian Railroad Museum. Its exhibits include photographs, artifacts and a model railroad. In a parking lot beside the Museum building, there’s a Friday morning farmers’ market.
The small storefronts across the street are starting to fill with antique shops and boutiques, such as Aimee’s Hand-Painted linens. And the local favorite, Jean’s restaurant, serves up Southern breakfasts and hearty meat-and-three lunches six days a week.
MSU Riley Center
A few blocks from the depot is the heart of the new Meridian — the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts. With the beautifully restored 1889 Grand Opera house as its centerpiece, the MSU Riley center hosts conferences, trade shows and meetings. Traveling Broadway shows and some of the biggest names in entertainment are once again playing on the opera house stage.
A second theater downstairs is used for smaller productions, while the former Marks-Rothenberg department store next door houses conferences and trade shows.
Across the street, the Threefoot building, a 15-story Art Deco skyscraper, is scheduled for renovation into a hotel for the MSU Riley Center. It should be ready for guests by late 2009.
Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater
The Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater takes you into the past, too. Its Moorish-Revival style hasn’t changed since it was completed in 1928.
Even most of its seats — narrow by today’s standards — are original. The gas lamp fixtures (now electric), the tiled entryway and the innovative light-board alarm system — designed to detect freeloaders slipping in a side door without paying — are still in place.
But best of all, the Temple Theater has one of only two remaining Robert Morton organs.
On the theater’s opening night this organ accompanied the silent movie “Wings,” starring Clara Bow. The organ is still played on occasion when the theater hosts plays, concerts and local events.
Dentzel Carousel
Another gem in Meridian is the Dentzel Carousel. Since 1909, it’s been giving children rides in Highland Park. Gustav Dentzel of Philadelphia was known for his stunning hand-carved animals, and this carousel is no exception.
It’s been restored to pristine condition, including seven original oil paintings that adorn the top crown.
Causeyville General Store and Mill
A few miles south of Meridian, the Causeyville General store has two buildings. The oldest, built in 1869 to trade with the Choctaw Indians, serves as a grist mill even today.
The “new” building, built in 1895, is a convenience store. Both the store and gristmill feature original woodwork and fixtures.
The gristmill, an International Harvester model, is often in operation on Saturdays, while the General Store offers a little bit of everything seven days a week.
Try fresh peanuts from a restored roaster – only 60 cents per bag — or a glass-bottled soda from an old-fashioned ice cooler. In the back of the store, be sure to see the player pianos, movie posters and other antiques.
Lisa Lowe Stauffer is the author of www.sweet-tea-travels.com, a guide to the Southeastern states.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
Meridian is about 300 miles southwest of Atlanta via I-20. Delta Air Lines offers flights twice daily via its connection carrier, Atlantic Southeast Airlines; expect to pay $450 or more.
Where to stay
Lion & Harp Bed and Breakfast, 4432 State Blvd., Meridian. 601-485-8235; www.lionandharp.com. Moved from its original location in town to a wooded 10-acre lot a few miles away, the Lion & Harp has the best of both worlds — original woodwork, tall ceilings, era-appropriate furniture and modern plumbing. Rates: $65-$85 per room, $10 per extra person.
Century House Bed and Breakfast, 2412 Ninth St., Meridian. 601-482-2345; www.centuryhousebnb.com. This neoclassical house, built in 1902, is within walking distance of downtown Meridian. Its interior features a mix of antiques and reproduction furniture. Rates: $85-$125 single or double room, $15 per extra person.
Hilton Garden Inn, 109 U.S. 11 and 80, Meridian. 601-485-3506; hiltongardeninn.hilton.com. Rates: $129-$165.
Where to eat
The Depot Café, 1901 Front St., Meridian (inside the Union Station Multi-Modal Transportation Center). Breakfast items $1-$2; sandwiches $2-$4; homemade desserts.
The Deli on Fifth, 2211 5th St., Meridian. 601- 483-3354. Espresso and coffee, desserts, sandwiches $4-$6.
Jean’s Restaurant, 2116 Front St., Meridian. 610-482-2348. A local favorite, serving breakfast and Southern meat-and-three lunches. Daily specials, $4.75-$7.
Weidmann’s Restaurant, 210 22nd Ave., Meridian. 601-581-5770. Owner/chef Willi McGehee prepares gourmet dishes such as fresh tuna and pasta with inventive sauces. Famous black bottom pie is still on the menu. Entrees $17-$40. Upstairs, the Monkey Bar serves lighter fare, including burgers and nachos, and often has live music. Entrees $6.50-11.75.
Information
Meridian-Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau, 1-888-868-7720; www.visitmeridian.com.
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