Southern Miss in 2 Days: A Hattiesburg, Mississippi College Visit Fly-In Trip
A parent-first plan for visiting The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg: how Southern Miss's weekday individual visits and information-session tours work and where to sign up, the visitor parking pass, four Hattiesburg hotels from budget to upscale, drive times from Hattiesburg-Laurel, Gulfport-Biloxi, Jackson and New Orleans airports, the Longleaf Trace for siblings, and Hattiesburg weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 30, 2026.
The Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg (April 2011). Photo: Dudemanfellabra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
School
The University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS)
Days
2 days: fly in and drive to Hattiesburg, then a Southern Miss campus visit the next weekday.
Fly into
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional (PIB) is about 18 min from campus with no traffic. Bigger airports: Gulfport-Biloxi (GPT) about 1 hr 30 min, Jackson-Evers (JAN) about 2 hr and New Orleans (MSY) about 2 hr 20 min.
Best base
Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg, about a 3-minute drive or 9-minute walk to Kennard Washington Hall.
Car or no car
Rent a car. Even the closest airport is a drive away, and the hotels outside Midtown need one.
Registration
Sign up online for a weekday individual visit or a Monday/Friday information session and campus tour.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents bringing a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see The University of Southern Mississippi, home of the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss offers two main visits for high schoolers: a personal individual visit with an admissions recruiter, and a group information session with a campus tour. The photo in this guide shows the Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building on the Hattiesburg campus.
Why this order
Day 1: fly in and drive to Hattiesburg, about 18 minutes from Hattiesburg-Laurel or about 1 hr 30 min from Gulfport-Biloxi with no traffic.
Day 2: check in at Kennard Washington Hall for your Southern Miss visit, which runs about 2 hours and includes a student-led walking tour of campus and a residence hall.
With extra time, the Longleaf Trace, a paved 44-mile rail trail, has its listed address a short walk from campus.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
The High School Individual Student Visit runs Monday through Friday (excluding holidays and university breaks) and includes one-on-one meetings with an admissions recruiter and a representative from your student's area of academic interest, plus a student-led walking tour of campus and a residence hall. Sign up online.
Summer individual visits are subject to availability, and Southern Miss recommends the individual visit for first-semester seniors and second-semester juniors. Optional Honors College appointments can be requested.
The Information Session and Campus Tour runs Mondays and Fridays (excluding holidays and university breaks) and suits seniors as well as juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Pick a time on the sign-up page.
Both visits check in at Kennard Washington Hall and last about 2 hours.
Junior Preview Day, Southern Miss's fall visit day for high school juniors and guests, is Nov. 6, 2026; register from the Ways to Visit page.
Tour availability varies by season.
Summer is hot and humid: July and August average about 92°F highs and 72°F lows at the Hattiesburg station.
Winter is mild: January averages about 60°F highs and 38°F lows.
Rain is spread through the year, about 4 to 6 inches most months, so pack an umbrella in any season.
Check the Golden Eagles schedule before you book, since home games bring extra traffic to campus.
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Campus times are to Kennard Washington Hall, where visits check in.
Day 1: fly in and drive to Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport (PIB) → Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg
Driving (no traffic)
~18 min, 12.5 mi
Driving
Rental car
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) → Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 30 min, 68.1 mi
Driving
Rental car
Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN) → Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 1 min, 93.1 mi
Driving
Rental car
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) → Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 21 min, 121.9 mi
Driving
Rental car
Hotel Indigo is in Midtown on South 30th Avenue, just south of campus. The Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn sit near each other west of campus, and the DoubleTree is north of campus off U.S. 49 near I-59.
Day 2: Southern Miss campus visit
Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg → Kennard Washington Hall
Driving (no traffic)
~3 min, 0.5 mi
Driving
Drive or ~9-min walk
Holiday Inn Express Hattiesburg West Univ Area → Kennard Washington Hall
Driving (no traffic)
~5 min, 1.6 mi
Driving
Drive
Hampton Inn by Hilton Hattiesburg → Kennard Washington Hall
Driving (no traffic)
~7 min, 2.2 mi
Driving
Drive
DoubleTree by Hilton Hattiesburg → Kennard Washington Hall
Driving (no traffic)
~7 min, 3.2 mi
Driving
Drive
Kennard Washington Hall → Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport (PIB)
Driving (no traffic)
~19 min, 11.7 mi
Driving
Drive
Kennard Washington Hall → Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 29 min, 67.5 mi
Driving
Drive
Get a visitor parking pass before you park. Bring a valid driver's license to the Campus Information Booth on East Memorial Drive (the front entrance from Hardy Street) or the Parking and Transit Services office on the first floor of Bond Hall, both open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or register online for a virtual pass any time (a processing fee applies).
Pay to Park spaces around campus need the fee paid even with a visitor pass, so stay out of those unless you pay.
3. Campus by campus
The Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg (April 2011). Photo: Dudemanfellabra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Campus
The University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS)
Individual visits and information sessions check in at Kennard Washington Hall on the Hattiesburg campus and last about 2 hours.
The individual visit adds one-on-one time with an admissions recruiter and someone from your student's academic area, which helps with specific questions about admission, scholarships and academic requirements.
Visitor parking
All visitors need a visitor pass and must show a valid driver's license to get one. Pick it up at the Campus Information Booth on East Memorial Drive (front entrance from Hardy Street, 601.266.5018) or at Bond Hall's first floor (601.266.4943), 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Prefer to skip the stop? Online Visitor Registration gives a virtual pass 24/7 (use the Guest Login tab; a processing fee applies).
Display the pass on your dashboard, logo up, and park only in legal spaces, not in fire lanes, reserved spaces, service areas or Pay to Park spaces you haven't paid for.
Getting there
Kennard Washington Hall is about 19 minutes by car from Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional, 1 hr 29 min from Gulfport-Biloxi, about 2 hr from Jackson-Evers and 2 hr 20 min from New Orleans with no traffic.
What to know
Interested in the beachfront Gulf Park campus in Long Beach? Southern Miss offers a separate Gulf Park One-on-One Visit, checking in on the second floor of Hardy Hall, with its own sign-up on the Ways to Visit page.
Contact
Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus: 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, 601.266.1000. Parking and Transit Services: 601.266.4943.
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg by IHG
103 South 30th Avenue, Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Why here
It's the closest of the four, about a 3-minute drive or 9-minute walk to Kennard Washington Hall with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists free self-parking, a 24-hour gym, an on-site restaurant, cooked-to-order breakfast for a fee, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about a 7-minute drive to Kennard Washington Hall with no traffic.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, an outdoor pool, a 24-hour gym, free self-parking, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 4-star property, so we place it in the Upscale tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about a 7-minute drive to Kennard Washington Hall with no traffic.
Good to know
Expedia lists an indoor pool, a gym, an on-site restaurant, buffet breakfast for a fee, free self-parking, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
All four hotels are within about 7 minutes of Kennard Washington Hall by car, and Hotel Indigo is close enough to walk.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At the hotels
The Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn include a free buffet breakfast. Hotel Indigo offers cooked-to-order breakfast and the DoubleTree a buffet breakfast, both for a fee.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Longleaf Trace
2895 West 4th Street, Hattiesburg, MS
A 44-mile paved rails-to-trails path for walking, running, biking and skating that runs from Hattiesburg to Prentiss. Its listed address is about a 10-minute walk from Kennard Washington Hall. Mind the 15 mph speed limit on bikes.
Pick up your visitor pass at the Campus Information Booth on East Memorial Drive as you come in from Hardy Street, or register online the night before.
Flying in and out
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional is about 19 minutes from campus. From Gulfport-Biloxi (about 1 hr 30 min), Jackson (about 2 hr) or New Orleans (about 2 hr 20 min), leave plenty of time after your 2-hour visit for the drive back.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Hattiesburg station)
Spring: April averages about 78°F highs and 54°F lows, with about 5.4 inches of rain; May warms to about 85°F/62°F.
Summer: July averages about 92°F/72°F, and June is the rainiest month, at about 5.9 inches.
Fall: October averages about 80°F/55°F with about 3.7 inches of rain, the driest stretch of the year, and November cools to about 69°F/44°F.
Winter: January averages about 60°F/38°F, with about 5.8 inches of rain.
Parent checklist
Sign up for a weekday individual visit or a Monday/Friday information session and campus tour.
If your student is a junior, check Junior Preview Day on the Ways to Visit page.
Book flights into Hattiesburg-Laurel, Gulfport-Biloxi, Jackson or New Orleans and plan a rental car.
Book a Hattiesburg hotel.
Bring a driver's license for the visitor parking pass, or register online for a virtual pass.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
1 Division I
Athletics
The University of Southern Mississippi
NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (The University of Southern Mississippi): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Hotel Indigo Hattiesburg by IHG (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Hattiesburg-Hotels-Hotel-Indigo-Hattiesburg.h21904242.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Holiday Inn Express Hattiesburg West Univ Area by IHG (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Hattiesburg-Hotels-Holiday-Inn-Express-Hattiesburg-West-Univ-Area.h89220323.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn by Hilton Hattiesburg (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Hattiesburg-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-By-Hilton-Hattiesburg.h14675844.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: DoubleTree by Hilton Hattiesburg (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Hattiesburg-Hotels-Doubletree-By-Hilton-Hattiesburg.h455207.Hotel-Information)
