If you’ve ever watched Home Town on HGTV, you’ve seen the slow-motion shots of oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and Ben Napier leaning against a vintage truck. It looks like a movie set. But honestly, the weirdest thing about showing up there in person is realizing that the pace isn't just a TV trick. Time in Laurel MS actually moves at a different speed. It’s Central Standard Time, sure, but it feels like the clock has a little more weight to it than it does in Chicago or Dallas.
You step off the train—the Amtrak Crescent stops right downtown—and you're immediately hit by it. The air is thicker. The people walk slower. If you're coming from a city where your life is measured in three-minute increments between Zoom calls, it’s a total system shock.
Getting the Basics Down: What Time Is It in Laurel?
Let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. Laurel is in Jones County, Mississippi. That puts it squarely in the Central Time Zone (CST). During the summer, they follow Daylight Saving Time (CDT).
Why does this matter? Because if you’re driving in from Georgia or the Carolinas, you’re gaining an hour. It’s the ultimate travel hack. You leave Atlanta at 8:00 AM, drive five hours, and you’re pulling into the Pearl Diner for lunch just as they’re putting out the fresh cornbread at noon. It feels like you’ve cheated the system.
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But there’s a catch.
Mississippians don’t live by the "hustle culture" clock. If a shop says it opens at 10:00 AM, the owner might be finishing a conversation on the sidewalk at 10:05. It’s not laziness. It’s a priority shift. In Laurel, the person in front of you is more important than the schedule on your phone. If you don't account for this, you’re going to spend your whole trip frustrated.
The "Home Town" Effect on Local Business Hours
Ever since Erin and Ben Napier put this place on the map, the way people spend their time in Laurel MS has shifted. Ten years ago, downtown was pretty quiet. Now, it’s a legitimate destination. But don't expect 24/7 convenience.
Most of the "Old Laurel" institutions—the places that have been there since the city was a timber powerhouse in the early 1900s—keep very traditional hours. Many shops close early on Saturdays and almost everything, except for maybe a gas station or a chain hotel, is shuttered on Sundays.
- The Laurel Mercantile: This is the flagship. If you want to see where the magic happens, you have to get there early. By 2:00 PM on a Friday, the line for the Scotsman General Store can be out the door.
- Dining Windows: Southern lunch is a religion. If you try to find a "meat and three" at 2:30 PM, you’re going to be eating a granola bar from your glove box. Places like Phillips Drive-In or the Knight Butcher operate on a very specific rhythm. When the food's gone, it's gone.
Seasonality and the Mississippi Sun
You also have to factor in the literal season. Time feels different in Laurel when it’s 98 degrees with 90% humidity in August. Between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM in the summer, the town basically goes into hibernation. The locals aren't out walking around the historic district looking at the architecture. They’re inside with the AC cranked to 68.
If you’re planning a walking tour of the North 5th Avenue historic district—which you absolutely should do, it’s one of the largest intact collections of early 20th-century homes in the state—do it at 8:00 AM. The light hitting the wrap-around porches is better for photos anyway. By noon, the heat becomes a physical weight. It slows your heart rate. It makes a thirty-minute walk feel like an afternoon trek through the Sahara.
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The History of "Laurel Time"
To understand why the town feels this way, you have to look at how it started. Laurel wasn't an accidental settlement. It was a planned industrial city. In the late 1800s, the Eastman-Gardiner Lumber Company turned this patch of yellow pine forest into a global hub.
Back then, time in Laurel MS was dictated by the steam whistle.
The whistle told you when to wake up, when to eat, and when the saws stopped. When the timber ran out in the 1930s, that rigid industrial schedule broke. The town slowed down. It became a place of gardens, porches, and long, meandering stories. That’s the DNA you’re stepping into today. It’s a mix of that old industrial backbone and a deep, Southern desire to just sit for a minute.
The Sunday Silence
I can't stress this enough: Sunday is a different world. If you're used to spending your Sundays at a mall or running errands, Laurel will force you to relax. Most local businesses are closed for church and family time. It’s the perfect day to drive out to the Landrum’s Homestead & Village or just wander through the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (which is actually open on Sunday afternoons and is legitimately world-class).
The museum is a great example of the town's complexity. You’re in a small town in the middle of the piney woods, but you’re looking at 19th-century European masterpieces and Japanese woodblock prints. It’s a place where you can lose track of time entirely.
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How to Actually Manage Your Schedule
If you want to make the most of your trip, you have to stop fighting the pace. Here is how a savvy traveler handles the clock here:
- The "Early Bird" Strategy: Start your day at 7:00 AM. Hit a local coffee spot like Jitterbugs or Lee’s Coffee & Tea. You’ll see the "Real Laurel"—the business owners and locals catching up before the tourists arrive.
- The Mid-Day Pivot: Use the hottest/busiest part of the day (12:00 PM to 3:00 PM) for indoor activities. This is the time for the Lauren Rogers Museum or browsing the air-conditioned aisles of the local antique malls.
- The Golden Hour: The transition from late afternoon to evening in the Pine Belt is stunning. The humidity drops just a hair, and the sky turns a weirdly beautiful shade of violet. This is when the downtown restaurants like The Loft or Mimmo’s really come to life.
Is Everything Really Like the TV Show?
Sorta. The "vibe" is real, but the logistics are different. On TV, everything happens in a 42-minute episode. In reality, getting a table at a popular spot on a Saturday night might take an hour. The locals are incredibly friendly, but they aren't characters in a script—they're people living their lives.
You might see Ben or Erin at the grocery store. If you do, don't be that person who treats them like a museum exhibit. The best way to respect the local time is to just be present. People here notice when you're rushing. They notice when you're stressed. And usually, they’ll try to help you calm down just by being stubbornly unhurried themselves.
Navigating the Surroundings
If you have extra time, don't just stay in the downtown bubble. Jones County has some incredible spots just 15-20 minutes away.
- Ellisville: The county seat (Jones County actually has two, it's a long story involving the Civil War and a "Free State of Jones"). It’s even slower than Laurel.
- De Soto National Forest: If you want to see what this land looked like before the timber boom, head south. The Black Creek Wilderness offers hiking where the only thing keeping time is the flow of the water.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
Stop checking your watch every five minutes. Seriously. Put the phone in the glove box for at least two hours.
If you are planning a trip, check the Laurel Main Street website for their event calendar. They do things like "Loblolly Festival" in the fall or "Wine Down" events where the downtown area stays open late. These are the rare moments when the town speeds up and turns into a giant block party.
What to do right now:
- Check the Calendar: If you’re coming for a specific shop, call ahead. Facebook pages are often more up-to-date than official websites for small Mississippi businesses.
- Book Your Table: If you’re coming on a weekend, make dinner reservations at least a week in advance. The "Home Town" popularity means the best spots fill up fast.
- Pack for the Climate: Bring a light jacket for the aggressive AC indoors and linen or cotton for the swampy heat outdoors.
Laurel isn't a place you "do" in a day. It’s a place you settle into. The best thing you can buy with your time in Laurel MS isn't a souvenir from the Mercantile—it's the realization that the world won't end if you sit on a bench and watch the clouds for twenty minutes.