What if this year's Chimneyville trip started at a trailhead instead of a parking lot? The 50th annual Chimneyville Arts Festival runs November 12 through 14 at the Bill Waller Craft Center, 950 Rice Road, and a boardwalk from the Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail at Brashears Stand on the Natchez Trace Parkway leads right to it.
Bridgewater sits on Richardson Road, just off Old Agency Road, according to the Bridgewater Homeowners Association. Chimneyville used to be a downtown Jackson event you drove to. Now it's just up the Trace, and the Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail ends a short boardwalk walk from the Craft Center's front door.
From the Trade Mart to Rice Road
The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi is calling this year "a big deal," and the math backs that up. The Clarion Ledger reported that Chimneyville started in 1976, which makes 2026 the 50th edition. That same 2017 story placed the festival at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson. As late as September 2020, the Clarion Ledger noted the Guild's annual show was still booked for the Trade Mart. The Guild had a smaller show at the Craft Center in mind only as a fallback if COVID disrupted plans.
By 2025, the festival was at the Waller Craft Center in Ridgeland, and it's back there for 2026. A smaller venue makes for a smaller show. The Guild's 2026 exhibitor application lists 16 inside booths, 5 outdoor patio booths, 8 tent booths, 6 Advantage booths and 2 one-and-a-half-size booths, plus smaller 6-by-6 Harbor View booths. Those figures are spaces offered to exhibitors, not a final count of artists. Still, it describes a festival you can walk end to end in an afternoon, with booths spread from the gallery out onto the patio and lawn. Every exhibitor is a juried member of the Guild.
Three Days, Three Different Visits
Each of the three days works a little differently, and the hours affect how you'll get there.
| Day | Hours | What's happening | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | 6 to 9 p.m. | Preview Party with food, beverages, live music and a cash bar | $40, also good for Friday and Saturday |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Festival day, with Sip and Shop from 5 to 7 p.m. and live music | $10 |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Festival day | $10 |
You can buy tickets at the door or online through the Guild's ticket page. The Preview Party is the one ticket that covers all three days. It's also the first chance to see the work before the weekend crowd arrives. Friday's Sip and Shop adds live music, with food and beverages for purchase on-site.
So far, one demonstration is confirmed: Guild member Nicolas Neese is scheduled to demonstrate glassblowing, and the other demos are still to be announced. For holiday shoppers, the Guild says the festival is built around handmade pieces "perfect for holiday gift giving."
The Back Way In
Parking is where Bridgewater's location really helps. Free parking is available at the Craft Center, according to the event listing on AllEvents. The same listing mentions overflow lots near Cock of the Walk and the Reservoir, with a shuttle to and from the Craft Center and signs along Rice Road pointing the way. That's the plan for anyone driving in from across the metro.
From the Old Agency Road side, you also have a trail. The National Park Service describes the Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail as a paved path running from milepost 95.8 to milepost 105.6, open daily from sunrise to sunset. According to Explore Ridgeland, the name means "among the post oaks" in the Choctaw language. Here are the access points that matter for a festival trip, listed from south to north:
- Choctaw Agency, milepost 100.7. This is the closest parking to the trail's southern end. The site marks the early-1800s liaison office between the U.S. government and the Choctaw Nation.
- Parkway Information Cabin, milepost 102.4. The cabin itself is closed indefinitely, but the National Park Service says its parking lot is still open for trail access.
- Brashears Stand and Old Trace, milepost 104.5. This historic trailhead has a boardwalk that leads to the Bill Waller Craft Center.
- Reservoir Overlook, milepost 105.6. This is the trail's northern end, past the Craft Center.
Choctaw Agency and Brashears Stand are about four mileposts apart, so you can walk or ride from one to the other and finish at the boardwalk. The cabin lot at 102.4 cuts that roughly in half. The stretch is clear, too. The park's road and site status page, last updated October 19, 2026, lists no trail closures. Parkway construction closures are far from Ridgeland, at mileposts 135 to 159.5 in Leake and Attala counties and mileposts 437 to 440 in Tennessee.
Since the trail closes at sunset, it fits Friday and Saturday daytime visits best. The evening events, Thursday's 6 p.m. Preview Party and Friday's Sip and Shop, run past trail hours, so plan to drive or use the shuttle lots for those.
Picking Your Day
With that in mind, each day suits a different kind of visit.
Saturday daytime is the easiest fit for the trail. Park at Choctaw Agency or the cabin lot, enjoy the November woods on the way north, and take the boardwalk from Brashears Stand to the festival. The doors open at 10 a.m. and the show closes at 5.
Friday gives you the most hours, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you want both daylight shopping and Sip and Shop, it may be easiest to drive in during the afternoon and stay through the evening.
Thursday's Preview Party is the choice if you'd like first look at the booths and plan to come back. The $40 ticket covers both festival days, so a Thursday evening visit plus a Saturday trail trip costs no more.
After the Booths Come Down
The Craft Center stays open after the festival weekend. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Some older visitor guides list earlier closing times, so go by the Guild's posted hours. Explore Ridgeland says the Craft Center features more than 400 artists from Mississippi and around the Southeast, so the trail-and-boardwalk route works well for holiday shopping through December, too.
If you'd rather make something than buy it, the Guild has a holiday workshop on Saturday, November 21, the weekend after Chimneyville. Participants weave lighted kudzu trees, and the $75 fee includes materials. The class is open to adults and teens 15 and up. Registration is on the Guild's events page.
For a regular Saturday after the festival, follow the same plan: park at Choctaw Agency, head north on the Chisha Foka, cross the boardwalk at Brashears Stand, and arrive at the Craft Center before the 5 p.m. close.
At Bowie & Co. Real Estate, we love when Madison County's best traditions turn out to be a short trip from home, and Chimneyville's 50th is one of them. If you're curious how places like the Trace and the Craft Center figure into everyday life in Bridgewater or nearby neighborhoods, we'd be glad to talk it through with you. Schedule a Consultation whenever you're ready.
