When do the leaves change in Mississippi?
Foliage is subtle here: sweetgum, hickory, and bald cypress along the Natchez Trace Parkway and Delta bottomlands turn bronze and rust rather than blazing red, with color lingering into late November.
Peak: November 16–November 22
Color builds from November 4 · mostly bare by December 13
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model; terrain shifts timing ~1 day earlier per 300 m of elevation. Temperature alone can’t tell a maritime autumn from a continental one — two places at the same latitude and the same September can peak weeks apart, because the trees differ — so each region is also calibrated against published peak dates. Estimates, not promises: typically within a few days, occasionally a week or more out. Check locally before you travel.
Known for
Things to do in fall in Mississippi
9 iconic stops — scenic drives, farms, haunts, and the views locals plan their October around.
Natchez Fall Pilgrimage
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks November 26
Since 1932, Natchez has opened its antebellum mansions (Longwood, Stanton Hall, and Melrose among them) for guided tours each fall, when hostesses in hoop skirts lead visitors through homes that survived the Civil War essentially untouched.
Don’t miss: Antebellum home tours · Hoop-skirted hostesses · Held since 1932
Cedar Hill's Haunted Farm
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 13
Five night attractions on a working farm south of Memphis: a haunted hayride, a quarter-mile Trail of Terror through dark woods, the Sensturbia barn, a 2.5-acre flashlight corn maze and mounted-gun zombie paintball.
Don’t miss: Quarter-mile Trail of Terror in dark woods · 2.5-acre flashlight corn maze · Zombie paintball target shoot
Mississippi State Fair
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks November 20
Eleven days every October, the Mississippi Fairgrounds in downtown Jackson fill with carnival rides, livestock barns and fair food, plus a concert lineup that changes every year. It is the state's biggest fall gathering, an easy walk from the Capitol for anyone staying downtown.
Don’t miss: Eleven days of rides and livestock · Downtown Jackson fairgrounds · Live concerts and fair food
McRaven Tour Home
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 22
McRaven calls itself Mississippi's most haunted house, a claim built on three families' worth of history packed into one Vicksburg home raised in stages from 1797 to 1849. A costumed guide walks you room by room, working ghost stories into the architecture and the Civil War damage still visible on the walls.
Don’t miss: Costumed 75-minute haunted tour · Built in three stages, 1797 to 1849 · Civil War damage still visible inside
Columbus, Mississippi
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 15
Columbus was laid out in 1821 and never lost its antebellum core, blocks of columned homes that survived the Civil War because the town became a hospital city instead of a battlefield. Its spring pilgrimage gets the publicity, but the porches and gardens hold up just as well on a quiet fall afternoon.
Don’t miss: Antebellum homes throughout downtown · Founded 1821, spared by the war · Bed and breakfasts in historic houses
Mitchell Farms
FarmColor nearby peaks November 23
A family farm in the Piney Woods that has grown row crops since 1960 and now opens its fields each fall for a pumpkin patch and corn maze, plus a Peanut Festival every October that pulls vendors in from across the South. It is built around school tours, but weekend families are welcome to walk the same ground.
Don’t miss: Pumpkin patch and corn maze · Fall Peanut Festival with regional vendors · Family farm since 1960
Bull Bottom Farms
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks November 17
A north Mississippi corn maze big enough to lose an afternoon in, with a pumpkin patch, a magic-carpet slide and a jumping pillow for kids who tire of walking. The old country store sells snacks and souvenirs, and hayrides run out to the animal park between maze attempts.
Don’t miss: Large corn maze and pumpkin patch · Jumping pillow and magic-carpet slide · Hayrides to the animal park
Landrum's Homestead & Village
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 24
Eighty-five buildings under a pecan grove outside Laurel recreate an 1800s Mississippi village, a schoolhouse, chapel and blacksmith shop you can walk through most days of the week. Fall brings the Ole Tyme Fall Festival, with pony rides, gem mining and blacksmithing demonstrations layered onto the regular tour.
Don’t miss: 85 buildings on a 30-acre site · Ole Tyme Fall Festival in October · Working blacksmith shop and schoolhouse
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Mississippi in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 16–November 22 (best estimate November 19). Color starts around November 4 and trees are mostly bare by December 13.
- How reliable is the Mississippi forecast?
- The forecast blends recent-year weather normals with photoperiod and elevation; it tightens as the season approaches. Against published peak dates the model lands within a few days for most regions, but it can be a week or more out — mountains and coastlines are the hardest. Higher elevations turn roughly one day earlier per 300 m.
- When is Mississippi's autumn season?
- Mississippi colors during autumn (September–November). Foliage is subtle here: sweetgum, hickory, and bald cypress along the Natchez Trace Parkway and Delta bottomlands turn bronze and rust rather than blazing red, with color lingering into late November.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Mississippi?
- The iconic stops: Natchez Fall Pilgrimage, Cedar Hill's Haunted Farm, Mississippi State Fair, McRaven Tour Home, Columbus, Mississippi, Mitchell Farms. Every one is mapped on this page with its peak-color timing.
- What are the best things to do in autumn in Mississippi?
- Autumn — autumn (September–November) — is peak season here. Pair the color with Natchez Fall Pilgrimage, Cedar Hill's Haunted Farm, Mississippi State Fair, McRaven Tour Home, Columbus, Mississippi; each is on the map above with the window to catch it.
Nearby & similar
Season by season
2026 (forecast)
Peak November 16–November 22
November 4 → December 13