It takes more than one blink to miss the small town of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, but not by much.
And yet this hamlet east of Jackson is home to an award-winning campground, most recently named a 2025 Campspot Award winner in the Top Campgrounds for Families category, among numerous other accolades.
Spouting the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character many of us grew up with and loved, Jellystone Park Pelahatchie is an independently owned and operated franchise through Camp Jellystone, a chain of more than 75 family-friendly campgrounds in the United States and Canada. Visitors may camp out in tents, park their own RVs or stay in one of the many varieties of park cabins, from the dry BooBoo cabins (no bathrooms, must use the bathhouses), Long cabins where kids sleep in lofts or the more secluded Lakeside lodge that sleeps 12.
Catch a stunning sunset from a Great Escape cabin, one of the newest in the park and facing west toward the park’s lake.
I stayed in a Great Escape cabin, one of the newest in the park and facing west toward the park’s lake, where a stunning sunset greeted me nightly. The accommodations include a fully stocked kitchen, a bunk room that sleeps four, a main bedroom with queen bed, a pull-out sofa and a full bath. There are two patios — one covered — with fire pits and a propane-fired table, perfect for enjoying a summer night. Bed, bath and kitchen linens are provided and Wi-Fi and cable TV are available to hook up visitors to the outside world, if you must.
What makes Jellystone different from most campgrounds is the steady stream of daily activities, from a host of fun in the activity center to the pool with its many water attractions. Visitors may rent boats on the no-wake lake or launch their own craft and catch bass and catfish. Outdoor attractions include jumping on the giant “pillow” that offers a feeling akin to a trampoline, playing mini golf or human foosball. There’s gem digging, water wars and GaGa ball, a type of dodgeball within a pit. In other words, kids will never be bored here.
Special events occur throughout the year, including a massive Fourth of July fireworks display, Crazed Chocolate Candy Chaos Week that was calling my name and a Christmas in July celebration, among so much more. At Halloween, the park explodes with visitors coming for the spooky woods experience.
Outdoor attractions include jumping on the giant 'pillow' that offers a feeling akin to a trampoline.
For those who’d rather kick back and enjoy nature, the campground’s woods surrounding the lake attract wildlife, so a hike around the property may result in seeing great blue herons, pine warblers and other migrating birds, armadillos, squirrels. Even an alligator has been spotted once, said General Manager Stephanie Goss, so warning signs line the water’s edge.
“Although I have never personally seen one,” she added.
Still, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out when swimming in the lake.
Visitors may rent boats on the no-wake lake or launch their own craft and catch bass and catfish.
The camp store provides campers with pretty much everything needed — including firewood, fire starters and makings for s’mores — but a stop at the grocery in Pelahatchie is wise if planning to cook in the cabin. The park’s Cartoon Café serves up American favorites for lunch and dinner Fridays through Sundays and breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.
One dining stop not to miss in town is the full-service Crooked Letter Kitchen, another award winner with its numerous Best Of accolades from Mississippi Magazine. I enjoyed their Bayou Classic, two beef patties topped with caramelized onions, colby cheese and crawfish étouffée cream sauce on a kaiser roll stamped with an image of the state of Mississippi. Accompanying fries came adorned with a yummy Mississippi Comeback Sauce. Other spots include K’s Corner, a local institution, and The Perculator drive-up coffee shack. Nearby Brandon offers several dining options as well.
Roosevelt State Park is another lovely way to get back to nature, with hilly wooded acreage and a 150-acre spring-fed lake.
Roosevelt State Park, located about 20 minutes to the east, is another lovely way to get back to nature. The park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The older area of this park was placed on the National Register as the Roosevelt State Park Historic District in 1997.
Roosevelt offers a variety of accommodations, including 110 RV campsites, 15 vacation cabins, a primitive camping area, a motel and a group camp facility, located in wooded areas with views of Shadow Lake.
Roosevelt offers several outdoor recreational opportunities within hilly wooded acreage and a 150-acre spring-fed lake. Activities include playgrounds, disc golf, softball field, picnic areas, tennis courts, nature and mountain bike trails, the Shadow Lake Splash Zone, a seasonal swimming pool and waterslide. Fishing, boating (including kayak rentals) and water skiing are allowed on the lake.
How to get there
Drive east from Baton Rouge or west from New Orleans on Interstate 12 to Hammond, then north on Interstate 55. At Jackson, head east on Interstate 20, then north on Highway 43. Jellystone is located west on Lake Road just past the Pelahatchie town center. For more information, visit www.jellystonems.com.
Roosevelt State Park is further east of Pelahatchie off I-20. Take Exit 77 and head north on Highway 13. The park will be on the left-hand side about a mile ahead. For more information, visit mdwfp.com/parks-destinations/park/roosevelt-state-park.