Jackson Welcome Centerat High Street and I-55

What we’re proposing.

• A new facility at I-55 and High Street: Create a welcoming entrance to Jackson on a connected, three-property campus.
• One Visit Jackson identity, online and on-site: Build the marketing around this facility and everything it offers. Connect social media, the website, signs, maps and the in-person welcome through consistent branding, imagery, language and hospitality.
• An exceptional mobile experience: Help people discover the Welcome Center, see what it offers, get directions and choose a nearby experience in just a few taps—then keep guiding them after they arrive.
• A welcome center and library together: House the Jackson Welcome Center and Eudora Welty Library in the facility as its civic centerpieces.
• A dependable traveler stop: Provide clean restrooms, easy access, bright lights, convenient parking, flags, flowers and friendly staff.
• Trolley-style bus purchases: Purchase accessible buses designed to look like trolleys and make this campus their central departure and return point.
• A connected trolley network: Link downtown, museums, universities, healthcare institutions and business districts with convenient stops and a proposed single fare or hop-on, hop-off day pass.
• Bicycles and scooters at the hub: Make them available for suitable routes, with central storage and organized pickup and return.
• Jackson experiences from the moment people arrive: Offer on-site storytelling, an interactive tourism map and easy tour choices by trolley, car, bicycle or scooter—including short outings and lunches for downtown workers.
• Jackson in Progress tours for our tri-county neighbors: Bring residents from across the metro downtown to see construction projects, redevelopment and improvements firsthand. Tell our own story—and show the good things happening in Jackson.
• Gardens extending into downtown: Plant flower gardens and shade trees from the interstate exit along High Street, supported by lighting, wayfinding and comfortable public spaces. Extend the business-sponsored, self-watering planter model already used downtown, coordinating the corridor with the Mississippi Farmers Market and the fairgrounds.
• A staffed, secure and well-maintained campus: Provide visible security, accessible boarding and waiting areas, daily cleaning and ongoing grounds care.
• Nearby business recruitment and redevelopment: Bring restaurants, shops, offices and services into underused properties so visitors have more reasons to stay and spend.
• A phased funding and operating plan: Combine eligible library, transportation and community funding with private investment, and establish who pays for and manages ongoing operations.

Put Eudora Welty’s name
where people will encounter it.

The Welcome Center gives people a reason to come through the door. The library gives them a reason to engage, explore and stay.

A standalone library depends heavily on people already intending to visit one. At High Street and I-55, we can reach a much wider audience: travelers taking a break, downtown workers, local families and people setting out to explore Jackson. They may arrive for a restroom, directions or a trolley ride—and discover a library they never planned to visit.

A building bearing Eudora Welty’s name should make her legacy part of everyday life. Books, stories, learning and flower gardens belong in a visible, welcoming place where people can experience them. Honor her through what happens there, as well as the name over the entrance.

Each purpose makes the other stronger.

• The Welcome Center brings people in. Easy interstate access, clean restrooms, bright lights, convenient parking and friendly staff make stopping a simple choice.
• The library makes the stop meaningful. Reading, children’s activities, local history, literary exhibits and public programs introduce visitors to Jackson while serving residents year-round.
• Residents keep the place active. Families, library users and downtown workers give it daily life alongside travelers passing through.
• The location carries the experience into Jackson. Gardens along High Street, coordinated with the Farmers Market and fairgrounds, and trolley connections to museums and downtown encourage another stop, a meal or a purchase nearby.

Give people who didn’t come looking for a library the opportunity to discover one—and people who didn’t plan to explore Jackson a place to begin.

One Proposal. Two Citywide Plans.

This proposal builds on two major documents already developed for Jackson: Visit Jackson’s 2027–2031 Strategic Plan and Jackson Rising’s Public + Private Partnership Opportunities. Their shared priorities provide a foundation for the High Street proposal—connecting tourism, cultural institutions, public space and economic development.

The chart shows where the plans align and how the Welcome Center and High Street corridor could put those priorities into practice.

The first two columns summarize source objectives; the third is our proposed High Street contribution.

The strongest additional evidence

Places & Experiences

Ten ways to discover Jackson, led by the Museum Trail and its museums. Start at the Welcome Center and choose the places that fit your time and interests.

They needed a stop.
We gave them a reason to stay.

They’re already on I-55, headed somewhere else. Start with what they need—and make discovering Jackson an easy addition to their trip.

1. Before the exit: an easy choice on their phone.

   A passenger checking the next stop—or a traveler planning a break—finds the Welcome Center through Visit Jackson’s mobile website, social media or a map search. The message is immediate: clean restrooms, easy access, bright lights and a friendly welcome. Show the facility, parking, nearby fuel and food, directions from I-55 and the way back.

2. Off I-55: a clear, welcoming arrival.

   Promote High Street, Exit 96B, before travelers reach it. Clear signs lead them to convenient parking, flags, flower gardens and friendly staff. Shell at 1263 High Street and Circle K at 1264 High Street provide nearby fuel; iExit lists Shell within 0–0.2 miles of the exit, depending on direction. The place they arrive at should look and feel like the one they saw on their phone.

3. Inside: take care of the reason they stopped.

   Clean restrooms come first. Give them a comfortable place to stretch, pause and get oriented, with bright lighting, visible staff and well-kept grounds. Make the stop simple and reassuring.

4. Then: “You’ve got time to see a little Jackson.”

   As they walk in, introduce a story or experience at the facility, a nearby attraction or a great local meal. Show how long each option takes and how to get there and back. Their phone keeps the same map and choices close at hand; a trolley, car, bicycle or scooter can turn a quick stop into a few memorable hours.

5. Back on the road: a reason to return.

   Make returning to I-55 easy. They leave refreshed, perhaps having explored a place and enjoyed a meal they hadn’t planned on. Next time they pass through, Jackson is a stop they remember and choose.

Sources: September 2026 project review, Positioning Jackson as the Better Interstate Stop; iExit northbound / southbound; Mississippi Logos. Listings checked October 17, 2026.

High Street is the hub.
Jackson is the destination.

Start at the hub and choose your way to tour: trolley, car, bicycle or scooter. Bicycles and scooters would be available at the High Street gateway, with secure central storage and an organized pickup and return point. Plan equipment availability, maintenance and suitable route guidance with operating partners.

One pass. Your kind of day.

1. STARTHigh Street trolley hub

   Park, get oriented and visit a nearby business.

2. MORNINGJackson State

   Explore campus history and culture.

3. LUNCHBelhaven

   Hop off for a neighborhood meal.

4. AFTERNOONCivil Rights Museum

   Continue with the same trolley pass.

5. RETURNBack to the High Street gateway

   Shop, dine and gather before heading home.

A welcoming civic destination

The proposed Jackson Welcome Center & Eudora Welty Library would be architectural and civic centerpieces within a landscaped, secure, professionally managed hub. Shade trees, flowers, lighting, attractive architecture, clear wayfinding, comfortable waiting areas and accessible paths would make the district inviting.

Provide a visible security presence, appropriate staffing, regular maintenance and operational oversight. Avoid large bus staging areas, extensive transfer platforms and unmanaged waiting spaces.

Move the proposal toward an operating plan

Convene the City, transportation operators, Visit Jackson, institutions and High Street businesses. Negotiate property purchases and plan parking, routes, boarding access, service frequency, capital and operating costs, security and maintenance responsibilities, fare collection and revenue sharing.

Measure district foot traffic, business participation, spending, property reuse and private investment alongside ridership, wait times and accessibility.

Funding Plan

Edit cells to fill in details. Drafts save in this browser only; download a copy to share. Public figures remain unchanged.

What we still need to figure out.

• Property purchase negotiations: The owners of all three properties are known, and John Scarbrough is already in contact with them. Negotiate purchase prices, terms and timing.
• Nearby closed restaurants: Which buildings could reopen or be reused, who owns them, and what condition are they in?
• Zoning and permitted uses: What is allowed today, and what approvals would a welcome center, library, food service and trolley hub require?
• Buildings and site conditions: What can be reused? What needs renovation, demolition, utility work or environmental review?
• Access and parking: How would drivers enter from High Street, park and get back to I-55? Where would accessible boarding, safe crossings and bicycle and scooter storage go?
• Existing welcome center and library: What are their current space, lease, parking and visitor needs? Would the responsible organizations consider this location?
• Daily operations: Who staffs the welcome desk, keeps restrooms clean, provides security and maintains the buildings, lighting and gardens?
• Tourism and transportation partners: Who provides the experiences, trolley service, bicycles and scooters—and at what hours, frequency and cost?
• Costs and funding: What would each phase cost to build and operate, which funds are actually available, and what private investment is needed?
• Demand and timing: How much traffic can we realistically attract, what will travelers and downtown workers use, and how does Big Fix construction affect access and timing?
• Approvals and partner agreements: Confirm site control, partner participation, endorsements and construction approvals for this proposed campus.
• Funding reconciliation: Reconcile the earlier $4.8M library framework, the proposed $500,000 Shackelford request, eligibility, available balances and matching requirements. No award or combined funding total is established; the $5.3M scenario depends on the request being additional.
• Maps and operating details: Verify property boundaries by survey and develop actual trolley routes, stops, schedules, fares and pass agreements. The maps show approximate boundaries or schematic connections; the tour examples are concepts.
• Evidence and project scope: Document traffic assumptions and visitor demand. Published analytics describe the existing market; citywide JXN Rising investment figures provide context rather than funds allocated to this campus.
• Dallas Cowboys specialty tag: Secure team/NFL branding permission; identify an eligible nonprofit beneficiary and authorized uses; obtain state legislative authorization and Department of Revenue design approval; set the fee distribution and renewal structure; and estimate demand, net proceeds and operating-budget coverage. Mississippi DOR lists a standard presale requirement of 300 plates unless legislation specifies otherwise. DOR process · Specialty plate fees and recipients.
• Make High Street the preferred stop: Develop a coordinated Visit Jackson social-media campaign, mobile website, advance signage, digital directions and business partnerships that help travelers choose this exit. Confirm current services and easy routes back to I-55.

Questions for feasibility work with property owners, the City, Visit Jackson and operating partners.

The opportunity, in a few numbers.

People already come here. Give them a reason to stop, explore, eat—and return.