Video: Northeast Mississippi City Makes Improvements Along Tanglefoot Trail, And Emphasizes Physical Fitness

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PONTOTOC, MISS. (WCBI) – It’s lunchtime, and at Austin on Main, diners are ordering fish tacos.

The Pontotoc restaurant has been opened for about a year now, and owner
Dickie Austin made it a point to include healthy options on the menu.

“We have a spinach caesar shrimp wrap, chicken salad wrap, mixed berry
salads, with grilled chicken. We wanted to offer something more healthy for
our patrons as well as those that are riding up and down the trail, we think
the trail is probably the best thing that’s happened here in a long time,” Austin said.

The Tanglefoot Trail opened three years ago. Pontotoc sits in the middle of
the 43 mile recreational attraction. Mayor Jeff Stafford says the city
wants to be the hub of the trail, so a 10 acre plot of land will be
developed, with pavilions, restrooms , a roundabout and landscaping.

“We want to get our children to ride the trail, it’s a new way of life, we
want to embrace it and we want to become a healthy hometown,” Mayor Stafford said.

Jeremy Maxey is trying to show people that fitness can be fun. He owns
Maxey’s Fitness and Training in downtown Pontotoc and says interest in
physical fitness has grown, since the Tanglefoot opened.

“It’s starting to become a very fitness oriented community with the trail
coming in, different types of fitness things going on, lots of classes, you
always have a 5k going on somewhere close, people love to participate in,” Maxey said.

Preliminary work has just started on the Pavilions. The project is expected
to take some time to complete, but city leaders say it will be worth the
wait.

The Tanglefoot Trail is Mississippi’s longest Rails to Trails conversion.