I grew up in Vicksburg and it really is beautiful.
The military park is great to bike through. Once a year there's a reenactment of one of the main battles of the siege of Vicksburg in the military park, which is always fun to see. I'd hear stories from older people about finding cannonballs and bullets in their backyards all the time. By the time I was growing up, most of the easy to find ones were gone or buried under kudzu, but every now and then someone with a metal detector would find them.

The spirit of the Old South is still alive in some of the older generation. The city didn't celebrate July 4th until the 80's. Antebellum houses are all over downtown, I can remember visiting a lot of them on school field trips.

I haven't lived in Vicksburg for 10 years or so, but if you have any questions for me I'd be happy to answer them.