EntertainmentIf you like the outdoors, you will love Greater Jackson. Our long summers and mild winters encourage outdoor activity year round. The metro area is rich in natural resources and enjoying the hobbies and sports that they afford is a leading contributor to our quality of life. A focal point for the outdoor sporting life in the Greater Jackson is the 33,000-acre Ross Barnett Reservoir. Recreational opportunities abound for everyone. Fishing, power boating, sailing, canoeing, water skiing, hiking, biking, hunting and bird watching can be enjoyed at the Reservoir. It's a sportsman's lalce and its hosts state, regional and national fishing contests each year including the most famous of them all, the BASS Master's Classic. In addition to the main lake, boaters can traverse about 30 miles of the upper river area that winds through our magnificent woodlands. Sailing regattas are also held at the reservoir.
The Natchez Trace Parkway, a historic route maintained by the National Park Service, winds along the shoreline of the Reservoir. Visitors are furnished with spectacular scenery, historic sites, nature trails, multi-use biking and pedestrian trails and picnic sites.
Home to professional ballet, theater and opera companies and a symphony orchestra, GreaterJackson offers innumerable cultural offerings. Jackson is the official USA host city for the International Ballet Competition (IBC), recognized worldwide as the premier "Olympics-style" competition for dance. The competition is held in Jackson every four years in the tradition of sister competitions in Varna, Bulgaria; Tokyo, Japan and Moscow, Russia. The two week competition attracts dancers and spectators from around the world. Jackson hosted the first USA competition in 1979 and became the official home of the USA IBC through a joint resolution of the United States Congress in 1982. Greater Jackson is also home to the to the minor league baseball team, the Mississippi Braves, which is the Class AA affiliate to the Atlanta Braves.
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