Hernando I-55 Welcome Center soon to reopen

July 1, 2025 – The welcome mat to Mississippi, which is the Mississippi Welcome Center on I-55 southbound south of Hernando, is about to be set out to start welcoming travelers to the Magnolia State again.

The Welcome Center Rest Area along the interstate has been closed for the past several months. This week, Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesman David Kenney updated DeSoto County News about why the center has been closed for a lengthy period of time. Kenney said the Welcome Center was being remodeled.

“This project involved removing the pavers from the front and rear sides of the building and replacing them with concrete,” Kenney said. “We’ve also been updating the bathroom fixtures and sinks, repainting the interior rooms and updating the light fixtures and repainting and washing the exterior of the building.”

Kenney said all of the items included in the original contract are completed now, but the Center is not opened yet, as found out in a visit to the location Tuesday afternoon. Kenney said the contractor is now working toward replacing a small portion of the walkways that were not included in the original contract. That work should be completed in the next two weeks, Kenney said, although Northern Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell Tuesday said it still could still be up to a month before completion.

There are about a half-dozen rest areas located near the state border that also work as official Welcome Centers for travelers entering the state on interstates or major highways. They provide travel and other informational maps and other material on the state and the area of Mississippi they are entering.