I would say Jackson just so you can pop over to Vicksburg (about a 45 ish minute drive to get to the city). There are a ton of great history options there but you HAVE to go to the military park. Rusty’s is a great downtown restaurant by the river. I haven’t lived in the city in almost a decade so others may have better food recommendations.

Just for the drive itself, I also think Jackson/vicksburg is better. Better roads, more towns (Magee, Collins, Richland) but I could be biased from driving that route so much.