Things to Do in Laurel, Mississippi: A Perfect 3-Day Itinerary in the Home Town of HGTV
Some towns surprise you.
Laurel, Mississippi is one of those towns.
You might recognize the name from HGTV’s Home Town, the show with Ben and Erin Napier restoring historic houses and making everyone watching at home, suddenly want to move to a small town and start sanding hardwood floors.
But Laurel isn’t simply a TV set. It’s a real town with art, great food, friendly locals, and the kind of charm that makes you slow down without even realizing it.
We spent a few days exploring Laurel and Jones County, and here’s the full rundown of how it went.
Our Home Base: The Laurel Cottages
📍Laurel, MS
Driving into Laurel feels different from arriving in a big city.
There’s no rush, or traffic chaos, no towering skyline announcing that you’ve arrived. Instead, the town slowly reveals itself with historic buildings, live oak tree-lined streets and a downtown that feels alive, but unhurried.
You immediately get the sense that this is a place where people know each other. It truly feels like a Home Town!
We stayed at The Laurel Cottages, in a little carriage house Airbnb, tucked in the heart of the historic district. History isn’t just something tucked away in museums here, it’s just part of the town.
The house was built around 1907, which means the floors squeak a little, the walls have stories and the whole place feels like stepping into a different era. The Cottage is the entire first floor of the Carriage House, that is original to the property with all the lovely historic charm.
This is the perfect getaway for anyone wanting to experience downtown and HGTV’s Home Town!
Also, they have a friendly dog Rudy, who greeted us like we had lived there for years.
Dinner at a Local Classic
📍Pasquale’s
303 N 16th Ave. Laurel, MS
After settling in, we headed out for dinner at Pasquale’s, a longtime Laurel favorite.
Every town has that one restaurant that locals have been going to forever.
Pasquale’s is that place.
It’s comfortable, unpretentious, and the staff were some of the friendliest around. When we travel, we’re always looking for spots like this, the places that belong to the community.
After a long travel day we feasted, we ordered:
Chicken Alfredo with Garlic Bread
A Large Gluten-Free Pizza (possibly the largest gluten-free pizza we’ve ever found)
Cheese Sticks with Marinara Sauce
Homemade Fries
It was pure comfort food. Pasquale’s has been in the same spot since 1969 and it was Laurel’s first pizzeria. The wrought iron booths and tables are original furniture and the menu is full of original recipes with pizza dough made from scratch.
Morning Coffee
Downtown Laurel is extremely walkable, so naturally the first stop of the day was coffee.
We ended up at:
📍Manuscript Coffee
410 W Oak St. Laurel, MS
And it was fantastic!
Scott ordered a chai latte and Ash went with a brown sugar latte, and both were so good that we ended up coming back again later in the trip.
Manuscript has that perfect balance of cozy and modern. It felt like the type of place locals start their day and after our visit, we completely understood why.
A Town That Loves Art
📍Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
565 N 5th Ave. Laurel, MS
One thing we didn’t expect in Laurel, was such a strong art presence.
The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is actually Mississippi’s first art museum, and it’s been part of the community for over a century.
The building itself is historic and thoughtful, and inside you’ll find a mix of American art, cultural artifacts, and rotating exhibitions.
We actually had the chance to tour the museum with George Bassi, the museum’s director, who was incredibly fun and knowledgeable. If you’ve watched Home Town, you might even recognize him, he’s appeared on the show several times.
After showing us around the museum, George also took us on a walking tour of the historic district, sharing stories about Laurel’s past, the architecture around town, and how the community has evolved over the years.
It ended up being an experience that makes a place come alive a little more, when you’re not just seeing buildings, but hearing the stories behind them.
Even if you’re not someone who normally plans museum stops while traveling, this one is worth stepping into.
It gives you a deeper sense of the creative spirit that seems to run through Laurel.
Walking Downtown Laurel
Downtown Laurel is the type of place where you can spend hours just wandering.
And yes, if you’ve seen Home Town, some things will definitely look familiar.
One of the most recognizable stops is:
📍Laurel Mercantile Co.
314 W Oak St. Laurel, MS
The shop was created by Ben and Erin Napier along with their friends and business partners Mallorie and Jim Rasberry and Emily and Josh Nowell. Together, they opened Laurel Mercantile Co. to celebrate American-made goods and craftsmanship and to help breathe new life into downtown Laurel.
What makes this area especially fun is that it’s not just one store, there are actually several shops connected to the Mercantile family nearby, including:
• The Scent Library
• Scotsman General Store
We had the chance to meet and shop with Mallorie Rasberry while we were visiting Laurel, which was especially fun because she’s also the owner of The Laurel Cottages, where we stayed during our trip.
We loved visiting all of the amazing shops, and Scent Library absolutely blew us away.
It might honestly be one of the most beautiful stores we’ve ever stepped into.
The entire space is designed like an old library, but instead of books, the shelves are filled with candles and fragrances. Each scent has its own library card that tells the story behind it, the memory or inspiration tied to that fragrance.
It turns something simple like buying a candle, into a really thoughtful experience, with so much intentionality behind each one.
We definitely left with more candles than we planned and yes…our luggage was overweight when flying home.
Lunch at Fraiche
📍Fraiche Coffee & Café
313 Central Ave. Laurel, MS
For lunch we stopped at Fraiche Coffee & Café, a cozy spot tucked into downtown Laurel.
What we really appreciated about Fraiche was how thoughtful the menu felt. Ash was able to find gluten-free and vegetarian options, which was a big win right away.
We both ended up trying the curry potato soup, which was incredibly comforting and full of flavor. Scott got the Besto Pesto and Ash got the Summer Breeze bowl minus the chicken. Another standout here were their spritz drinks. They were creative, refreshing and delicious.
Trying Something New
📍Bullfrog Pottery
422 Sawmill Rd. Laurel, MS
One of the more unique experiences we had in Laurel was visiting Bullfrog Pottery for a private pottery class. We actually love making pottery and have thrown clay a few times before, so anytime we travel and see a pottery studio, we’re usually pretty excited to jump in and get our hands messy.
But this time, we tried something a little different.
Instead of working on the wheel, we made spoon rests and small trays, decorating them with little bee designs, that felt very fitting.
Scott even got ambitious and made a tray shaped like the state of Mississippi, with Laurel marked on it, which turned out amazing.
Our class was taught by Jeremy Brooke, the owner of Bullfrog Pottery, and he could not have been nicer. He was patient, encouraging, and just a really great teacher who made the whole experience super relaxed and fun.
Our masterpieces were left to dry and then will be glazed, kilned, and shipped to us. We can’t wait to see them.
Experiences like this are one of the things we love most about visiting small towns. You find these creative spaces run by people who are passionate about what they do, and for a little while you get to be part of it too.
Laurel-Jones County Visitor Center
📍Laurel-Jones County Visitor Center
601 Leontyne Price Blvd. Laurel, MS
If you’re visiting Laurel or just passing through, the Laurel-Jones County Visitor Center is a great place to visit and Home Town fans may recognize it.
The building dates back to 1938 and was originally part of Beacon Homes, one of the first public housing developments built in Mississippi. When the area was being redeveloped, the building was deemed historically significant and instead of being demolished, local leaders decided to preserve it and turn it into a visitor center.
The renovation was assisted by Ben and Erin Napier and featured on HGTV’s Home Town. One of the highlights inside is a restored 1940s apartment, designed to show what life in Laurel looked like during that time.
Located just off I-59 (Exit 95C), the center now welcomes visitors with helpful travel information, interactive displays, Wi-Fi, and even a dog park and RV parking, making it an easy and interesting first stop when exploring Laurel.
Another Evening in Laurel
One thing we’ve learned over years of traveling is this:
If locals tell you a place is good… listen.
That night we headed out for dinner at Last Dragon, a local favorite just outside downtown Laurel.
📍 3704 MS-15, Laurel, MS
One thing we really appreciated right away was that they were able to accommodate gluten-free options for Ash, which is honestly a big deal. Finding gluten-free Chinese food while traveling can be surprisingly difficult, so when a restaurant is willing to work with you and make it happen, it’s always worth celebrating.
But what made the visit even better was learning the story behind the restaurant.
The owner, Chico, actually started his cooking journey when he was just 16 years old, working in a Chinese restaurant as a teenager. Years later, he opened his own Mexican restaurant in Laurel called Mi Casita, which became a local favorite. But Last Dragon was his way of coming full circle, returning to the style of cooking that first got him interested in the restaurant world.
Inside the restaurant, you’ll even find decorations from the very first Chinese restaurant where he worked as a teenager, Bobo China, which adds a really personal touch to the space.
It’s one of those details that makes a place feel more than just a restaurant, it feels like a story and that’s something we noticed a lot in Laurel. Behind many of the businesses are people with deep roots in the community and stories that stretch back years.
A Step Back in Time
📍Landrum’s Homestead & Village
1356 Hwy 15 S. Laurel, MS
The next morning we visited Landrum’s Homestead, just outside downtown Laurel.
The property recreates a 19th-century settlement, with historic buildings arranged like a small village. Walking through it really does feel like stepping into a different era. You wander past old homes, shops, and community spaces, and suddenly it’s easy to imagine what everyday life might have looked like here generations ago.
While we were visiting, we had the chance to meet two of the daughters and their mother, the matriarch behind this incredible place, and they were honestly some of the sweetest people. You could immediately tell how much heart and care has gone into building this experience, it’s so thoughtfully done, every detail feels intentional, and the entire village is beautifully preserved.
Beyond just walking through the village, there are also a bunch of fun experiences throughout the property. We got to see some of the animals, take a wagon ride around the grounds, try our hand at gem mining, and even explore the Gravity Anomaly House, which definitely messes with your sense of balance and mind, but is so much fun.
One of the unexpected highlights though was a turkey with the biggest personality. This turkey had discovered a mirror and spent a good amount of time admiring himself and talking to his own reflection. Safe to say he was a little vain but, we respected the confidence.
They also host events throughout the year, which sound incredible and bring the whole village to life in different ways depending on the season.
If you’re visiting Laurel, this is absolutely a must-stop. It gives you a deeper appreciation for the history and craftsmanship that shaped communities like this one, while also just being a really fun place to explore.
Ending the Trip in Nature
For our final night we stayed just outside Laurel at:
📍The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios
146 S w P A Rd,Moselle, MS
The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios designed around one simple idea:
Disconnect.
There are walking trails, quiet outdoor spaces, and peaceful corners where you can just sit and breathe for a while. While there is WiFi available, the setting naturally encourages you to slow down and spend more time outside rather than on your phone. And it’s pretty easy to do that here.
The property sits on 26 acres of rural Mississippi forest, with winding nature trails and even a small lake tucked into the landscape.
While we were there we had the chance to meet the owner, Airon, and take a tour of the property, and hearing the story behind Sweetwater Studios made the place even more special.
Airon had originally dreamed of building a retreat like this in Guatemala, but when 2020 changed so many plans, it brought her back home. Instead of letting the dream go, she decided to build it right here on her parents’ property. Her parents both being longtime artists and entrepreneurs in the community, and with the land itself has been part of their creative story for decades, it made a perfect fit.
Today, The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios is a wellness retreat and glamping lodge designed for people who want to reconnect with nature, creativity, and themselves and disconnect from everything else.
One of the most unique spaces is the 31-foot yoga dome, which sits tucked among the trees and is used for yoga, meditation, and retreats.
But the real showstopper might be the pool area.
It’s part of what they call the Tropical Greenhouse Spa, and it’s unlike anywhere we’ve ever swam before. Imagine a pool surrounded by lush tropical plants, with a sauna and hot tub tucked into the greenery. It feels less like Mississippi and more like you’ve stumbled into a hidden jungle oasis.
The lodge itself features safari-style glamping tents and cabins, which are fully furnished and comfortable while still letting you feel connected to the outdoors.
Ending our trip here felt perfect.
As we packed up and headed out of Laurel, it was one of those places we found ourselves already talking about coming back to. Yes, Home Town helped put Laurel on the map, but what makes people fall in love with the place isn’t just the show, it’s the town itself and the people. The artists, the shop owners, the families preserving history, and the locals who take the time to share their stories. Laurel feels authentic. Creative. Welcoming. The kind of place where even after only spending a few days here makes you feel like it’s your own Home Town.
*Disclaimer: This blog is sponsored by Visit Mississippi, thanks so much for sponsoring our work. However as always all opinions are entirely our own.
