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"Southern hospitality" does not evoke giant cities, big-box stores, and chain restaurants. It evokes quaint towns, mom-and-pop shops, and soulful eateries that have existed for generations. Though a modern state with sizeable metros like Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi has such classically hospitable haunts spread across its counties. Here are seven Mississippi communities with all the charms one can expect in the Deep South. Best of all, you do not have to dig that deep to find them.

Corinth

As a community of about 15,000 in northeastern Mississippi, Corinth has its fair share of megastores like Walmart and Lowe's. But mixed among the big boxes are small, beautifully decorated boxes and even smaller, unassuming boxes, both kinds containing amazing food, drink, and gifts. In the former camp are garish Abe's Grill and grand Shirley Dawgs.

In the latter camp is Borroum's Drug Store & Soda Fountain, a rather plain building that, as has been in the same family since the end of the Civil War. Believe it or not, Borroum's is not the only spectacular soda shop in Corinth. The Old Time Soda Company sits a couple blocks away and sells vintage cane sugar sodas. Become a temporary Corinthian and drink from the soda fountains of youth.

Clarksdale

Nestled between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, the Mississippi Delta is a historic, fertile preserve of African American culture. Arguably the best place to explore this culture is Clarksdale, a community of roughly 15,000 people (around 80 percent of whom are black) and several "juke joints." Modeled after informal pre-Civil-Rights establishments for music, food, drink, dance, and general merriment, Clarksdale's modern joints include Hambone Art & Music, Red's, Pete´s Grill, and the Ground Zero Blues Club, the last of which is co-owned by Morgan Freeman. Tourists can pair blues and booze at the juke joints with views at Nellie May's gift shop and the Against the Grain art gallery.

Bay St. Louis

Bay St. Louis straddles the Bay of St. Louis in southern Mississippi. Appropriately, this 9,000ish-person "city" has scenic seaside haunts like Tripletails Restaurant, a three-story eatery with tremendous views and live music; Dan B. Murphy's Restaurant & Bar, which is owned and operated by life-long Bay St. Louis residents; and The Blind Tiger, which was inspired by the underground "blind tiger" bars of the Prohibition era and claims to be the first seaside Bay St. Louis business built after Hurricane Katrina.

Perched a couple blocks inland is the Mockingbird Café, another post-Katrina success story in a pre-Katrina building dated to 1868. Perhaps the prettiest place to visit in Bay St. Louis is the Historic L&N Train Depot, whose second floor hosts the Alice Moseley Folk Art Museum.

Flora

Ironically, the home of the Mississippi Petrified Forest hosts some of Mississippi's liveliest restaurants. After admiring prehistoric logs, tourists can flock to Flora proper for fresh food at Bill's Creole and Steak Depot, Annie M’s Cafe, Blue Rooster, and the Railroad Pizza Company.

Moreover, this 1,600ish populated town has home-grown shops like The Farm Store By Two Dog Farms, The Corner Pharmacy & Market, and The Flora Butcher, which sells Raines Farm wagyū beef. Though Flora is tiny and may seem secluded, it is only about 20 miles from Jackson, so you can load up on small-town charm in Flora before having full-city fun in the state capital.

New Albany

Another vibrant community in northeastern Mississippi, New Albany, houses about 7,600 people and some pretty sweet businesses. We mean that literally and figuratively. Sugaree’s Bakery sits on West Bankhead Street and sells Southern-style cakes; Scarlet's Donuts straddles East Bankhead Street and offers donuts, other pastries, and even tamales; and Westside BBQ & Cakes guards Highway 30 and peddles pies, cakes, and slow-cooked barbeque.

More savory selections can be found at Tokyo Sushi & Steakhouse, 2 Sisters' Diner Seafood & Steak, Mi Pueblo Tex-Mex Mexican Restaurant, and The Warehouse Fish and Steak. Said haunts can serve as either the appetizer or dessert to a main course trip to the nearby Holly Springs National Forest.

Natchez

Natchez is said to be the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River. It is filled with centuries-old Native American sites and European-style abodes. Stirred into those historic haunts are modern Southern staples, making Natchez a unique cross between an elegant Victorian enclave and an authentic Deep South destination. A visitor can rough it with fried chicken and turkey necks at Rolling River Reloaded before eating like a king at The Castle Restaurant, which is housed in the Dunleith Historic Inn and serves beef carpaccio and pecan-crusted redfish.

Wash down those diverse delicacies at the Natchez Brewing Company, a cornerstone of the downtown historic district, and perhaps patronize nearby businesses like Smoot's, The Little Easy, and Wardo’s Poboys. On the way out of Natchez, grab a locally made souvenir at the Old South Trading Post.

Ocean Springs

The crown jewel of the Mississippi coast, Ocean Springs is a beach town with only about 18,000 residents and over 200 independent shops, galleries, restaurants, and bars. That equals one booming local business for every 90 locals. Tourists can get a taste of what residents experience year-round (or at least many months out of the year) at The Candy Cottage & Gourmet, a sweets repository serving downtown OS since 1992; Coastal Magpie, an eclectic gift shop selling everything from pottery to puzzles to handmade jewelry to large-scale multimedia art pieces; The Crawfish House and Grill, which is an indoor and outdoor eatery specializing in crawfish, craft beer, and specialty drinks; and The Juke Joint, which, if you remember from our Clarksdale entry, is an old- and underground-style nightclub—this one in a historic house. You will need a spring in your step to see all of Ocean Springs.

Like much of the Deep South, Mississippi has deep roots of hospitality. Many of its small towns contain stores, cafes, restaurants, and clubs that have been serving locals—and intrepid travelers—for years, decades, and even centuries. From a Civil War soda fountain in Corinth to old-timey juke joints in Clarksdale to Katrina phoenixes in Bay St. Louis to a wagyū butcher in Flora to sweet shops in New Albany to turkey neck carpaccio in Natchez to beachfront bars in Ocean Springs, The Hospitality State can make a tourist feel like a local. Experience this Mississippi magic for yourself.