Fondren, a couple of miles north of downtown along North State Street, is Jackson's walkable arts-and-restaurants district and the most pleasant neighbourhood to spend an evening. The building stock is mostly low-rise commercial from the 1940s and 50s, much of it repainted in confident colours and full of independent shops, bookstores, bars, and restaurants.
Fondren After Five — held the first Thursday of the month — is when the district comes alive: galleries stay open late, live music spills onto the sidewalks, and the restaurants are full. The rest of the time it is a quietly attractive place to wander, and the obvious base if you want to spend an evening out in Jackson.