T. O. Fuller State Park

This park was originally the designated Shelby County Negro State Park. It opened in 1938 as the second state park in the nation for African Americans. It was renamed to T. O. Fuller State Park in 1942, after Dr. Thomas O. Fuller, a local African-American educator, pastor, politician, civic leader and author. The park has over 1,100 acres, 45 RV camping sites, a primitive camping site, a swimming pool, three hiking trails, an interpretive center, four pavilions, and is adjacent to Chucalissa Indian Village, a Mississippi Mound complex that was designated a national landmark in 1994.

We were surprised to arrive and find that the visitor's center was closed. I did wave down a park ranger, who stamped our passport and told us that the visitor's center "is closed on weekends," which surprised us. When I expressed that at 2pm, on a Sunday, I'd expected it to be open, per the website, the ranger quipped: "Well, the website isn't always correct." And that was the end of the conversation. The interpretative center was also closed, as was the Chucalissa Indian Village. And, it was over 90 degrees with insane humidity so we didn't explore too much. We did drive the perimeter, and enjoyed seeing the ducks in the marshes. So, hopefully, when we come back out, we'll enjoy it more and get to see more.