Union County can be explored through several distinct aspects: in New Albany, local history and literature sit alongside trails and outdoor activities. The Union County Heritage Museum traces the past from stone tools to topics related to William Faulkner; beyond the museum, options range from a sculpture trail to routes that pass through several counties. When planning, it’s worth treating these specific places and the longer routes as different kinds of experiences.
Museum, Literature and History in New Albany
The Union County Heritage Museum has six galleries, a library and a gift shop. The William Faulkner Library is a non-circulating library open to the public. Outdoors, at Frenchman’s Bend, interactive experiences invite visitors to explore rural Mississippi culture. Features there include agricultural exhibits, public art, the Storyteller’s Chair and Varner’s Country Store. There is also an early 20th-century doctor’s office and a blacksmith shop; a 1950s body shop and an art house with a ceramics studio round out the exhibits.
The William Faulkner Literary Garden is also part of Frenchman’s Bend. Established in 2005, it contains plants referenced in Faulkner’s literary works. The birthplace offers another connection to literature: William Faulkner was born in New Albany in 1897. The garden and the city’s history thus offer two different ways to explore his work.
The museum’s themes reach far back in time: stone tools represent around 10,000 years of the county’s past. The Ingomar Mounds are a roughly 2,200-year-old Middle Woodland site and are considered the oldest documented human-made site in Union County. The surviving Ingomar Mound is the remaining mound of a site that once comprised 14 mounds. The museum also displays Smithsonian Institution objects associated with the Ingomar Mound Site.
Other exhibits focus on different periods: a permanent exhibit includes fossils from the Late Cretaceous as well as the remains of Pleistocene megafauna. These include mastodon, woolly mammoth, saber-toothed tiger and short-faced bear. In the New Albany Downtown Historic District, commercial, financial and government buildings tell the story of the city’s development from 1890 to 1946. The Union County Courthouse was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and later included as part of the historic district.
The county’s story also includes music history: Leon Pinson was born in Union County in 1919 and was a member of the Silvertone Quartet, among other groups in New Albany. Biographical milestones like these add a look at people connected to the region to the history of its museums and architecture.
Trails and Outdoor Activities
Park Along the River offers nearly three miles of walking trails through wooded areas and across the Tallahatchie River. The Tallahatchie Trail is a separate route: in New Albany, it runs through the park and along the banks of the Little Tallahatchie. The trail connects several outdoor recreation destinations. The similar river names refer to different waterways here.
The paved Tanglefoot Trail covers a different scale: it is 43.6 miles long and passes through Union County as well as Pontotoc and Chickasaw counties. The route runs through six communities: New Albany, Ecru, Pontotoc, Algoma, New Houlka and Houston. Along the section between New Albany and Houston, you’ll encounter forests, creeks, waterways, fields and hollows. Compared with the park’s nearly three miles of walking trails, the Tanglefoot Trail’s full length offers a different scale for planning your route.
Other options in New Albany cover a smaller area or have a particular focus. The Sculpture Trail & Scavenger Hunt spans two blocks around the museum and features nearly 20 sculptures to discover. At Crossing on the Green Railroad Park, a train-watching platform and picnic area sit beside the BNSF railway line; visitors can also watch trains pass through town. Check with the museum before your visit for current visitor guidelines for the park.
If you’re looking for a sporting activity, try the New Albany Disc Golf Course: it starts at Park Along the River, follows the Tallahatchie Trail to BNA Sportsplex, is of moderate difficulty and is free. This sets it apart from both the park’s walking trails and the longer Tanglefoot Trail.
Plan for Events
The Tallahatchie Riverfest takes place annually in New Albany. The program includes outdoor concerts, among other things, and there are also food vendors. As the offerings can change from year to year, check the event dates and current program before your trip.
Discover more destinations: New Albany, Stone County, Attala County, Lincoln County, Lee, Forrest County, Jefferson Davis, Rankin
For the broader travel overview: Mississippi.
