Forrest County: Cycling, Waterways and Culture

Forrest County offers a variety of themes to consider when planning a trip: cycling along the Longleaf Trace, water activities at Geiger Lake, and art and history in Hattiesburg. Hattiesburg is one of the places in Forrest County. If you’re looking for a hotel, it helps to first consider which of these interests matter for your stay. This makes it easier to match the trails and attractions to what you’re actually looking for.

Comparing Cycling Routes and Trails

The Longleaf Trace is a paved trail 44 miles long and 10 feet wide. It runs from Hattiesburg through Sumrall, Bassfield, and Carson to Prentiss. The trail is part of the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Rails-to-Trails Recreational District, which is jointly supported by Forrest, Jefferson Davis, and Lamar counties. Its stated length, surface, and width give you specific points to consider if you want to include this route in your travel plans.

Another option for longer distances is the Black Creek Hiking Trail: about 40 miles long, it follows the Black Creek Wild and Scenic River and is associated with Forest and Perry counties. Unlike the paved Longleaf Trace, it is described as a hiking trail; primitive camping is allowed along the trail. Seasonal closures may apply. The two trails are similar in length, but their stated features point to different activities: cycling on the Longleaf Trace and hiking along Black Creek.

Waterways and Geiger Lake

The Pinebelt Blueways have a starting point in Hattiesburg. In Mississippi’s Pine Belt region, they offer scenic waterways for kayaking and canoeing. This adds an option for water activities alongside the land-based trails. Fishing, boating, and water skiing are available at Geiger Lake in Paul B. Johnson State Park. The lake covers 225 acres and is located in Forrest County.

Paul B. Johnson State Park offers 125 RV sites, 25 primitive tent sites, 12 cabins, two duplex accommodations, and one group accommodation. These options range from RV sites and basic tent sites to cabins and group accommodation. If you’re considering an overnight stay in the park, check the reservation details before making plans, as they may change. This lets you consider the park’s accommodations as an option alongside looking for a hotel, without treating the different types of accommodation as equivalent.

Art and Exhibitions in Hattiesburg

The Gallery of Art & Design at the University of Southern Mississippi displays loans from artists, museums, and galleries, as well as exhibitions by students and faculty. Every spring, the gallery holds the Annual Student Show, a juried exhibition. Its program thus combines outside loans with work from the university community. If you’re interested in changing exhibition themes or student art, the gallery offers a distinct cultural focus for your trip planning.

Public art is also part of what Hattiesburg has to offer: the city displays more than 150 large-scale murals, sculptures, and painted utility boxes. The Hattiesburg Public Art Trail provides a brochure, a map, and easy-to-spot signs to help visitors explore the public art. These resources provide a clear framework for exploring, while the artworks themselves take different forms—from murals to sculptures and painted utility boxes.

History and Getting There

The Historic Saenger Theater opened as a movie palace in 1929 and is an Art Deco building. The 1964 Freedom Summer Trail commemorates participants in Hattiesburg’s civil rights movement in the 1960s and includes an audio tour. The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum offers another, smaller exhibition format: the small gallery features changing exhibitions in a narrow alley downtown. Together, these places offer different points of interest—from the architecture of a historic theater to an audio tour about the civil rights movement and changing exhibitions.

For travel to the area, Hattiesburg has a local public air service and a train station in the city center. American Airlines operates daily flights to Dallas and Chicago. Check current flight connections and schedules before traveling. When planning your stay, you can consider your travel arrangements first, followed by the themes that matter to you—such as cycling, water activities, or culture—when looking for a hotel in Forrest County.

Explore more destinations: Hattiesburg, Harrison, Coahoma County, Washington County, Union County, Jefferson Davis, Kemper County, Lauderdale.

For the broader travel overview: Mississippi.