A new experience has come to downtown Hattiesburg that allows participants to try some of the city’s best eateries while exploring many of the area’s attractions.
Late last year, Darryl Parker brought Pine Belt Food Tours to the city, a two-and-a-half hour walking tour that highlights not only Hattiesburg’s food, but its history and culture as well. The tour features from five to seven stops in the immediate downtown area.
“It all started (when I was born), and came out and told my mom ‘I need something to eat,’ and I’ve loved food since then,” said Parker, who serves as food ambassador and PR manager for the tours. “I like to travel, so I’ve been on food tours in New Orleans; Columbia, South Carolina; Kansas; Chicago; New York; even Charleston.
“So my realm is food and entertainment … and I just love being around good food, good drink and good people. I just enjoy talking to people and talking about my state, and eating good food along the way. It just seems like it would be a good mix here, with a good food scene continuing to emerge, and we just wanted to try do something fun to promote the area and have a good adventure.”
Some of the food highlights include shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, buffalo blue star sliders, gourmet samplings, Hattiesburg’s Favorite Cheesecake and more. Sights along the way include the Saenger Theater, the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum and the Carter Building.
“It’s a fun way to experience small bites of food while you’re interacting with other people and learning about the history, to see how (the city) has transformed,” Parker said. “You get the equivalent of a full meal through the course of all the restaurants we go to.”
The tours are held from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday, which the exceptions of some holiday weekends like the upcoming Mother’s Day Weekend. Meeting locations vary depending on the tour; after booking a tour, participants will receive several emails regarding that matter.
The first email will be a confirmation of booking, along with a payment invoice. The second email will be delivered up to 48 hours before the tour, with instructions on where to meet, places to park and who will be the storyteller/guide for the tour.
The tours take place rain or shine, except in the event of severe weather. In that case, participants will be contacted about refunds.
Tours cost $90 per participant and can be booked online at www.pinebeltfoodtours.com or by calling (662) 202-4345. Children under 18, military, law enforcement officers and first responders can receive a discount by emailing pinebeltfoodtours@gmail.com. Payments are accepted only via credit card, and gift cards are available on the website.
Private bookings also can be made by contacting the above email address.
Because Pine Belt Food Tours is still a fairly new experience, Parker is still trying to drum up momentum and get the word out to more Hattiesburgers and visitors.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t know about it, so we’re going to start (getting it out there,” Parker said. “We just hired a new marketing person who’s going to be handling our traditional and online marketing presence, as well as doing some creative things to get the word out.
“(But the people who have been on the tours), overwhelmingly, they’ve loved it.”
