You may think of laid-back Mississippi as a “laid back” state, but there is fast-paced action here for your sports travel experience. All across the state of Mississippi are sports facilities where your teams can play a variety of tournaments. Along with sports, there is plenty else to do in Mississippi, from touring museums and historical homes to relaxing on sandy beaches.

Big On Baseball Tournaments in the Gulf Coast

Besides being a beautiful setting, the Gulf Coast of Mississippi offers your group many activities and attractions. At the NASA Center, Stennisphere, you may be able to witness rocket testing. Exhibits let you participate in a space shuttle landing, test a shuttle’s main engine and go on board the International Space Station. Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home in Biloxi, was the home of the president of the Confederate States of America. Another Biloxi attraction is the Hurricane Katrina Angels. These are angels carved out of the trunks of oak trees that the high water killed. The Biloxi shrimping trip will take you shrimping between Deer Island and the Biloxi shoreline. You may also catch blue crabs, flounder, stingrays and more species. There are also 26 miles of white sand beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Baseball lives at the Gulfport Sports Complex, which has five adult softball fields, four girl’s softball fields, four soccer fields and four baseball fields that are replicas of Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Turner Field. The Biloxi Natatorium, a perfect facility for a swim meet, has an Olympic-size pool with a retractable roof. For tennis there are 10 lit rubico courts, with ball machines, at Diamondhead Tennis World. The City of D’Iberville Sports Complex has four Little League fields, one senior baseball field, eight full-size tennis courts, two practice tennis courts and two basketball courts.

Desoto’s Diverse Sports Facilities

Desoto County is a family-friendly place along with being a great spot for sports facilities. The Desoto Family Theatre has produced shows such as The Wizard of Oz, High School Music 2 and South Pacific. The Historic Desoto County Courthouse is a large building in Hernando, Mississippi’s town square. It was built in 1942 after a fire destroyed the French Castle Courthouse. In the rotunda are paintings depicting Hernando Desoto’s journey to find the Mississippi River. If there’s time and the season is right, your group can pick blueberries at Nesbit Blueberry Plantation.

For those all about baseball, Hernando Civic Center is a 53-acre haven. There are six lighted baseball/softball fields and three baseball/softball fields without lighting. Hernando Civic Center also has an equestrian arena and a roller hockey rink. Another diverse sports facility in Desoto County is Latimer Lake Park, which has nine lighted youth baseball fields, three lighted outdoor tennis courts, one tennis court without lights and a skate park for skateboards, bikes and inline skates. The park also has three football fields (two lighted) and two full-size soccer fields that can be converted. The Cherokee Valley Golf Club has11 lakes and 78 bunkers, along with wide fairways and “clean” roughs that make the 18-hole, par 72 course forgiving and challenging at the same time

All-Out Sports in Ridgeland, Mississippi

Ridgeland, Mississippi is connected to nature and it shows in the area’s attractions. Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson exhibits thousands of specimens from different areas in Mississippi. Its network of aquariums has over 100,000 gallons of water flowing through the tanks. The wilder side of nature resides at Jackson Zoo. There are 776 animals, 120 species and 14 endangered species. At the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum you can record yourself as an announcer doing play-by-play on sports footage on a monitor.

Freedom Ridge Park is a neatly designed, 50-acre facility with four lighted baseball/softball fields, four lighted soccer fields and two concession areas. Hite Wolcott Park is a 40-acre baseball park with seven lighted baseball fields from 125 feet long to 275 feet long. There are four batting cages and an inline hockey rink. For a tennis tournament, consider Ridgeland Tennis Center, which has 17 lighted hard tennis courts and a pro shop.

Sports in Park-like Setting

Columbus, Mississippi is near the border of Alabama, not too far from Tuscaloosa. Columbus has a number of historic mansions that can be toured. The Tennessee Williams Home is the first home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. His most famous works are A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie. Another famous mansion is the Stephen D. Lee Home and Museum. Remodeled in the 1960s, the house is a place to take in old-time architecture and see Civil War artifacts. Columbus Motor Speedway is a 3/10th oval track with a red clay surface. Pearl River Resort & Dancing Rabbit Golf Course has 18 holes and was designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate.

Propst Park has baseball fields, the Redbird Youth Softball Complex, an adult softball complex, tennis courts and a skate park. Cook Soccer Complex has 12 illuminated soccer fields and one lighted football field. East Columbus Gym has a basketball court and a football field. Sim Scott Park has a baseball field, softball field and basketball courts.