USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum

Preserved Civil War river ironclad and museum inside Vicksburg National Military Park.

3201 Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS 39183 (park mailing address) · Vicksburg, MS

About USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum

The USS Cairo was one of seven shallow-draft City Class ironclads commissioned in 1862 to patrol the Mississippi and nearby waterways. It sank in the Yazoo River in December 1862 after striking Confederate mines, and the crew left without loss of life. Divers and salvage crews located and raised the wreck in the 1960s, and the National Park Service later reassembled the remains for display at Vicksburg National Military Park. The adjacent museum displays many artifacts recovered from the ship.

#civil war
#ironclad
#naval history
#outdoor exhibit
#museum

Printable maps

Capital / River, MS map

What's around here?

The closest stops to USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
The Old Courthouse Museum
Under $25
A local history museum in a former Warren County courthouse, built in 1858, with one of the largest Civil War collections in the South.
1.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
History Buff
Vicksburg National Military Park
Under $25
Drive a 16-mile tour road past Civil War monuments, trenches and cannons, and see the ironclad gunboat USS Cairo.
2.4 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Grand Gulf Military State Park
Under $25
A 450-acre Mississippi state park preserving the ghost town of Grand Gulf and its Civil War battle history.
26 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
Windsor Ruins
No admission fee
Walk an accessible trail around 23 towering Corinthian columns, the remains of a plantation mansion that burned in 1890.
34 mi awayMore like this
Attractions
Family Favorite
Jackson Zoo
Under $25
See animals from around the world, ride the endangered species carousel and cool off at the splash pad at Mississippi's capital city zoo.
Transit: reachable by public transit
38 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Museums
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center
Check prices
Jackson museum that preserves and shares African American history and culture through exhibits and programs.
40 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums