Summer comes fast and furious in the Southern United States. In fact, during my two years of residency in Alabama, I always thought about summer as mid-February to December. The temperature rises that fast and stays elevated that long. Mississippi is no exception; and Corinth, Mississippi can have some scorching summer days. But travel to Corinth, Mississippi; and you’ll discover that powering through that summer heat will be well worth it. And rewarded with a giant amount of fun! Especially if you visit during the first days of July when you can visit…the Slugburger Festival!
So how did I spend my short time in Corinth? As touristy-packed as possible! Read on for my four key recommendations!
See Corinth, Mississippi Historic Homes
You can have a lot of fun gawking at the many historic homes and buildings. I show two named ones in my video (General Albert Sidney Johnston’s final headquarters and the Fillmore Street Chapel) among a few other historic buildings. Clearly, the residents take great pride in a presentable community. Adorable is the word that comes to mind. Impressive is another. Some homes/buildings had some seriously impressive landscaping and gardening work invested in their lawns. Corinth, Mississippi is peaceful and sleepy enough for a summery walk ‘n’ gawk session, but make sure that you carry water during the summer heat. (Think regularly 90-degrees Fahrenheit or more.) Planning to visit another time during the year? I suspect it’s just as beautiful.
Visit Civil War Interpretive Center
On the outskirts of Corinth, you’ll find the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. The area was a hotbed of Civil War activity due to the railroad lines that intersected here. Controlling Corinth meant controlling transportation opportunities–critical to success during the war. The center has displays, monuments, artifacts, deep explanations about Corinth’s role in the war, and films. I was very impressed at how extensive and well-kept the site was. You could spend a healthy part of a day at this center reading through and watching all the exhibits. Due to my schedule, I was pressed for time and needed to leave after about two hours. I know I could have spent much more time at this interpretive center. Plan better than I did because I didn’t even see this was a tourism option before I arrived in town! Shame on me!
Eat a Slugburger
“What is a slugburger?” I receive this question repeatedly when I recount my time in Corinth. I covered this in a prior post, but in short, people became inventive to lower the price of meat and maintain it’s affordability by adding extender/filler components like flour. And then you fry the burger. And then you sell the burger for a slug (also known as a nickel). Presto. Slugburger.
Northeast Mississippi is the epicenter of this local specialty; and Corinth, Mississippi has no shortage of restaurants that sell them. I stopped at Martha’s Menu, a dine-in restaurant where I secured a cheese slugburger and fries for $3.27 total. It’s not just a slug anymore, but that’s still an awesome price. While tasty, be forewarned if you minimally eat fried foods–it’s a bomb in your belly. A delicious bomb. But a bomb nonetheless. If Martha’s Menu is not quite your speed, other options like the Slugburger Cafe and the White Trolley Cafe may be worth a try.
Attend During the Slugburger Festival
Finally, what better way to spend time in Corinth than to attend the quaint but jaw- and stomach-dropping Slugburger Festival? Try to visit during this smallish but packed festival which features the World Slugburger Eating Championship. I was giddy and amazed to see so many ranked Major League Eating competitors for the championship (including number 1 ranked Joey “Jaws” Chestnut). I won’t ruin the surprise of who won (check out my video showcasing the entire championship for that), but it was a sight to behold. My first foray into this world was unforgettable.
Beyond the eating championship, the Slugburger Festival has fantastic music during the late afternoon and evening as well as a few rides and the requisite festival food. (For some free slugburgers, wait for some uneaten giveaways after the championship is over.) I had a delicious Styrofoam box full of BBQ nachos and 2 thirst-quenching lemonades for $9.00 which is a great price. It was genuinely nice to just relax and listen to tunes in the cooler night after the day heat.
Final Thoughts
Quaint towns offer a lot if you time your visit appropriately, and Corinth is no exception by drawing celebrity eaters for a 10-minute contest. I loved my memorable day in Corinth. Relaxing walks, local specialty food, history at an interpretive center, eating contests, and festival tunes ‘n’ foods made for a full day…and stomach!
Have you visited Corinth, Mississippi before? What kinds of activities did you enjoy? Comment below; I’d love to hear about your experiences!
Until next time…toodles!
