Biedenharn Museum (Birthplace of Coca-Cola Bottling)

The Biedenharn Museum at 1107 Washington Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi, occupies the original candy store where Joseph Biedenharn first bottled Coca-Cola in 1894 — making it the site where one of the most commercially significant moments in American beverage history took place. Biedenharn, a candy merchant, began bottling the syrup-based soda that had previously been sold only as a fountain drink, demonstrating the commercial viability of bottled Coca-Cola and establishing a model that would make the brand a global phenomenon.

The museum is a small, single-story building on Washington Street in downtown Vicksburg, preserved with period furnishings and equipment that recreate the original candy store environment. The front of the building houses a working replica of the original soda fountain, stocked with Coca-Cola memorabilia and vintage bottling equipment. The museum displays a collection of early Coca-Cola bottles, advertising signs, and documents related to Biedenharn's role in the brand's distribution history.

Behind the main museum space, the Biedenharn family's Victorian garden has been restored and is accessible to visitors — a pleasant, compact formal garden with a fountain and period plantings appropriate to the 1890s setting. The garden provides a quiet counterpoint to the more commercial focus of the main exhibits.

Admission is inexpensive at $3.50 for adults and $1.50 for children under 12, making this one of the most affordable attractions in Vicksburg. A visit takes 30 to 45 minutes and pairs naturally with the Vicksburg National Military Park, located 1 mile west on Clay Street. The museum is operated by the Biedenharn Foundation.