Museum Trail
Museum Trail a multi-use trail and greenway in Jackson, Mississippi connecting communities to museums, parks, nature, public art, and business districts.
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The Museum Trail Project is led by Jackson Heart Foundation, a 501c3 non profit organization with a mission to lead the fight against heart disease in Mississippi through education, prevention, and early detection.
When the project is complete, Museum Trail will total 6 miles, connecting 9 museums, 4 colleges, 6 new parks and public spaces, the farmers market, over 20 new public art installations, and 15 commercial districts and neighborhoods in Northeast Jackson, Downtown, and West Jackson. The project is broken into 8 phases with one phase currently completed and the other two in construction.
Our role in the project includes developing a complete trail masterplan, designing and building signs and wayfinding assets, grant writing to fundraise for trail building and public amenities, contractor management over infrastructure and landscaping, hosting charrettes and public meetings, communicating with stakeholders, web design and development, and media marketing/management to help promote existing phases and communicate future trail expansion.
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Year
2020 - Ongoing
Scale
6 Miles (Total)
2.8 Miles (Completed)
3.2 Miles (To Be Built)
Location
Jackson, Mississippi
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DOT Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Planning Grant | $788,000
Community Foundation John F. and Lucy Shackelford Fund | $30,000
AARP Livable Communities Grant | 2024 - $20K
AARP Livable Communities Grant | 2022 - $20K
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APA Chapter President’s Award for Planning | Museum Trail | 2023
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Project Leaders
Jackson Heart Foundation
David Pharr, Museum Trail Founder & Board Member at Jackson Heart Foundation
Clay Hays, Founder of Museum Trail & Vice Chairman at Jackson Heart Foundation
Ray Neilsen, Sponsor & Project Manager of Museum Trail, Board Member at Jackson Heart Foundation
Morgan Geary, Executive Director at Jackson Heart Foundation
Melody Moody Thoris, Community Foundation for Mississippi
Susan Garrard, CEO of MCM, LeFleur Museum District Pedestrian Bridge and Path
Emilly Hoff, Executive Director of MCM, LeFleur Museum District Pedestrian Bridge and Path
Landscape Architect, Urban Planning
Travis Crabtree PLA
Engineering
Neel-Schaffer Engineering
Architecture
WBA Architecture - LeFleur Museum District Pedestrian Bridge and Path
Contractors
Hemphill Construction, Alliant Construction, SoHo Landscaping, Hederman Brothers
Media & Marketing, Brand Strategy, Community Outreach, Web Design & Development
Ansley Crabtree
Graphic Design
Tyler Tadlock, Original Logo
Photography
Ansley Crabtree, Travis Crabtree, April Garon Photography
In 2024, Museum Trail was awarded the DOT Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant to extend the next phase of the trail in Downtown Jackson
Tree developed the downtown connector proposal and has written a series of grants which continue to grow the trail.
We work with the organization to create brand consistency, transparent messaging, vibrant media curation, and fundraise
Developing the visual identity for signage, products, website, and social media.
In 2023, Museum Trail was awarded the APA MS Chapter President’s Award “In recognition of continuous planning efforts in Mississippi”
APA MS Conference 2023 (Left to Right): Travis Crabtree, Urban Designer & Landscape Architect, David Pharr, Trail Co-Founder, Ray Neilsen, Project Leader, Clay Hays, Trail Co-Founder, and Ben Requet, Director of Planning - City of Oxford
Developing the masterplan, the brand, and telling the story through media has helped fundraising efforts
Downtown Phase for the Museum Trail $10M, made up for federal, state, and philanthropic funds.
