Dunns Falls

Dunn’s Falls – From a Teenager’s Viewpoint:

Dunns Falls is a 65-foot man-made waterfall that was built along with a grist mill back from the 1850’s. The falls provided a source of power for the water wheel. There is an 1857 grist mill that you can look around in. You are not allowed to touch any of the items in the building though. There are three floors to adventure and learn some of the history behind the artifacts!

Dunns Falls is about 20 minutes from Meridian, MS.  It flows into the Chunky River running north and south.

In order to get in, you have to pay about $4.00 for adult tickets. It is about $3.00 for a child’s ticket. Children tickets range from the ages of 2-12 years old.

There are two sets of swings, but they are old and run down. The seat part is cut in two at one of the sets.

Boat rental and paddleboat rental is optional, but you do have to pay extra for it.

You can also go fishing. A fishing permit is about $2.00. If you catch any catfish, it is approximately $2.00 per lbs. If you catch any Bass or Bream, it has no charge.

There are two picnic benches to enjoy eating your food. They aren’t the cleanest, and they can be in the sun (depends on the time of day), but there is also plenty of grass to lay a blanket down and eat on the floor. Our family found a shaded spot next to a tree, and enjoyed eating our lunch.

There are some primitive camping areas. The camping is about $15.00 per night. There is also one log cabin that you can rent. The cabin isn’t too big, but you can easily fit six people comfortably. The cabin is around $90.00 per night.

Open Wednesday-Sunday 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, May through September (they close after Labor day)

Reservations: 1-800-748-9403

Phone:601-655-8550

Address: 6890 Dunn’s Falls Road

Enterprise, MS 39930

There are restrooms located at the entrance where you get your tickets. There is a great view from the area outside the restrooms on the deck. We spent at least 15 minutes just looking at the large fish swimming by! You can also by some fish food (~$1.25 per bag) to throw out to them.

On the way down to the falls, there are some stairs. There are around 75 steps, but there is also a ramp that goes about ¼ of the way down the staircase. The ramp can be useful for wheelchair use and also for strollers, but as I just said, only goes about a quarter of the way down. There are trees in the way, so it is difficult to see the falls. For those who like to take breaks on the way down or up, there are resting spots, where you can sit and catch your breath. There is a rail to hold onto also.

There is a hiking trail that goes off of the staircase. We did not go on it, so we are unaware of how far it goes and the quality of it.

There are two spots that you can play in the water. There is a teardrop kind of area. We almost decided to walk around up there, but the rocks are pretty slippery so be careful! The staircase leads to the teardrop pool. There is also another area, that you get to by getting off at the hiking area trail start, and turning left, instead of going straight down the trail. We did have to climb down on rocks to get to the bottom part though.

The bottom area has more of a walking area (the whole river to walk through. Your choice). I would recommend wearing some kind of water friendly shoes, because there are some rocks, that can be sharp and cause an injury if you are not careful. You can also slip easier barefoot. At the river, we swam. It wasn’t to deep where we were, but you could have easily gotten to deeper areas. All of us kids wore our swimming suits, so we could get wet, and we definitely did!

There is one more thing I would like to warn you about… the wildlife. If you go to the river, be on the look out for snakes! There are also wasp nests underneath some of the staircase steps, so don’t go stomping on the steps! There are also some in the corners of the gristmill. So be careful and cautious!

For more information about Dunn’s Falls, call them at 601-655-8550.  Or, visit them online at http://www.phwd.net/dunns/dunns.html.  Enjoy!