Mississippi USA
3
Day Itinerary •
USA
Three days in Mississippi reveals the extraordinary depth of the Magnolia State, from the legendary Blues Highway of the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of American music, to the remarkable antebellum grandeur of Natchez, the oldest city on the Mississippi River, and the extraordinary Civil War heritage of Vicksburg National Military Park. This route covers the heart of Mississippi. The extraordinary Clarksdale juke joints and Delta Blues Museum, the birthplace of Elvis Presley at Tupelo, the remarkable Civil War battlefield at Vicksburg and the magnificent antebellum mansions of Natchez, the finest concentration of pre-war architecture in the American South.
Best Time To Visit
March to May or October to November
Getting There
Fly into Memphis (MEM) or Jackson (JAN)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout Mississippi
Budget Per Day
Approx $90 to $150 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly driving and walking
DAY 1
CLARKSDALE AND THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA
MORNING
DELTA BLUES MUSEUM AND THE CROSSROADS OF AMERICAN MUSIC
The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale is the most extraordinary music heritage museum in America, its remarkable collection documenting the birthplace of the blues, the music that created rock and roll, jazz and soul. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson all came from the Mississippi Delta within a few miles of Clarksdale. The museum preserves Muddy Waters' original cabin from Stovall Plantation. Entry approx $10. Drive: 20 min drive to Dockery Farms
MIDDAY
DOCKERY FARMS AND THE HEART OF THE DELTA
Dockery Farms near Cleveland is the most extraordinary site in American music history, the plantation where Charley Patton, the father of the Delta Blues, worked and performed in the early 20th century. Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf and Roebuck Staples all passed through Dockery. The remarkable preservation of the original farm buildings gives the finest insight into Delta plantation life. The extraordinary cotton fields surrounding the farm stretch to the horizon in every direction. Free entry. Drive: 45 min drive back to Clarksdale
AFTERNOON
CLARKSDALE AND THE LEGENDARY CROSSROADS
The crossroads of US Highway 61 and US Highway 49 in downtown Clarksdale is the most extraordinary site in blues mythology, the place where Robert Johnson reputedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his extraordinary guitar playing. The remarkable Ground Zero Blues Club, co-owned by Morgan Freeman, is the finest blues venue in the Delta. The extraordinary Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art store is the finest blues record shop in Mississippi. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Peavine Road between Clarksdale and the Delta Blues Museum passes through the most extraordinary surviving cotton plantation landscape in America, its remarkable gin houses, sharecropper shacks and flat Delta fields giving the finest surviving view of the landscape that created the blues. Free to drive. The most extraordinary hidden gem in the Delta.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Yazoo Pass, Clarksdale The finest breakfast in Clarksdale. Local Mississippi eggs and strong coffee before the Delta Blues Museum opens. | Lunch: Doe's Eat Place, Greenville The most legendary tamale and steak restaurant in the Delta since 1941. Extraordinary hot tamales. | Dinner: Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale The finest blues club dinner in Mississippi. Extraordinary Delta food and live blues from 9pm.
DAY 2
VICKSBURG AND THE NATCHEZ TRACE
MORNING
VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
Vicksburg National Military Park is the most extraordinary Civil War battlefield park in America, its remarkable 1,800-acre site preserving the earthworks, trenches and monuments from the 47-day siege of 1863 that gave Union forces control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two. The extraordinary USS Cairo gunboat museum, the only surviving ironclad from the Civil War, is the finest single artifact of the war. The 16-mile driving tour gives the finest battlefield experience in the South. Entry approx $20. Drive: 10 min drive to downtown
MIDDAY
VICKSBURG'S OLD COURT HOUSE MUSEUM AND THE BLUFFS
The Old Court House Museum in Vicksburg is the most extraordinary county museum in Mississippi, its remarkable 1858 Greek Revival building on the highest point in the city giving the finest views over the Mississippi River bend. The museum's extraordinary collection of Civil War artifacts, Confederate memorabilia and Delta heritage gives the finest local history experience in the state. The remarkable river overlooks along Vicksburg's bluff give extraordinary Mississippi River views. Entry approx $5. Drive: 1.5 hr drive to Natchez
AFTERNOON
DRIVE THE NATCHEZ TRACE TO NATCHEZ
The Natchez Trace Parkway is the most extraordinary scenic drive in Mississippi, its remarkable 444-mile corridor following the ancient Natchez Trace trail used by Native Americans, European settlers and armies for centuries. No commercial vehicles, no billboards, a 50mph speed limit and extraordinary forest scenery give the finest driving experience in the state. The remarkable Port Gibson and Church Hill sections give the finest Trace scenery in the region. Free to drive.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Biedenharn Candy Company Museum in Monroe, Louisiana, just across the state line from Vicksburg, is the finest hidden Coca-Cola heritage site in America, the original store where Joseph Biedenharn first bottled Coca-Cola in 1894. Entry approx $5. The most extraordinary hidden gem near Vicksburg.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Rusty's Riverfront Grill, Vicksburg Outstanding breakfast overlooking the Mississippi River. The finest morning view in Vicksburg. | Lunch: Walnut Hills, Vicksburg The most extraordinary round-table Southern lunch in Mississippi. Extraordinary fried chicken and field peas since 1938. | Dinner: Castle Restaurant, Natchez Outstanding dinner in a historic Natchez setting. Extraordinary local Mississippi cuisine.
DAY 3
NATCHEZ
MORNING
NATCHEZ ANTEBELLUM MANSIONS AND THE PILGRIMAGE
Natchez contains the most extraordinary concentration of antebellum architecture in America, its remarkable collection of over 30 surviving pre-Civil War mansions giving the finest surviving record of plantation-era wealth in the South. Longwood, the largest octagonal house in North America, was never completed when the Civil War began in 1861 and remains unfinished to this day, its extraordinary interior frozen in time. Stanton Hall and Melrose give the finest completed mansion tours. Entry approx $12 per mansion. Drive: 10 min drive to the bluffs
MIDDAY
NATCHEZ UNDER-THE-HILL AND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Natchez Under-the-Hill is the most extraordinary riverfront neighbourhood in Mississippi, its remarkable survival as the oldest commercial district in the state giving the finest historic waterfront experience on the Mississippi River. The extraordinary view from the Natchez bluff over the river bend is the finest Mississippi River panorama in the state. The remarkable Natchez-Vidalia Bridge gives the finest river crossing experience. The Silver Street saloon district preserves the most extraordinary 19th-century riverfront atmosphere. Free. Drive: 30 min drive along the Trace
AFTERNOON
WINDSOR RUINS AND THE GRAND GULF MILITARY MONUMENT
The Windsor Ruins near Port Gibson are the most extraordinary ruins in Mississippi, the remarkable 23 standing Corinthian columns of the grandest antebellum plantation house in the state, destroyed by fire in 1890. The columns stand alone in the forest in extraordinary silence. The Grand Gulf Military Monument nearby preserves the finest Confederate river fortifications on the Mississippi. Both sites are among the most extraordinary hidden landmarks in the American South. Windsor Ruins free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Frogmore Cotton Plantation near Ferriday, Louisiana, just across the river from Natchez, is the finest working cotton plantation museum in the South, its remarkable preservation of cotton gin machinery and sharecropper quarters giving the most extraordinary insight into Delta cotton culture. Tours approx $15. The finest hidden gem near Natchez.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Biscuits and Blues, Natchez The finest Southern breakfast in Natchez. Extraordinary buttermilk biscuits and local Mississippi grits. | Lunch: Magnolia Grill, Natchez Outstanding local Mississippi cuisine in a historic downtown Natchez setting. Finest lunch in the city. | Dinner: Pig Out Inn, Natchez The most extraordinary BBQ in Natchez. Outstanding Mississippi slow-smoked ribs on the riverfront.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Clarksdale, Night 1 Shack Up Inn at Hopson Plantation, the most extraordinary hotel in the Delta. Approx $75 to $125 per night. Vicksburg, Night 2 Corners Mansion Inn, antebellum B&B on the bluff above the Mississippi. Approx $120 to $180. Natchez, Night 3 Monmouth Historic Inn or Dunleith Historic Inn, finest antebellum mansion hotels. Approx $150 to $250.
Top Tips
1. Shack Up Inn at Hopson Plantation is the most extraordinary hotel in the Delta. Book the sharecropper shacks well ahead.
2. Clarksdale juke joints: Red's Lounge on Sunflower Avenue is the finest surviving Delta juke joint in America. Open Thursday to Saturday.
3. Vicksburg Military Park: the 16-mile driving tour takes 2 to 3 hours. Hire the audio guide for the finest battlefield experience.
4. Natchez Pilgrimage (March and October): antebellum mansions open for tours. The finest access to the greatest house collection in the South.
5. The crossroads of US-61 and US-49 in Clarksdale is where Robert Johnson reputedly sold his soul to the devil. Free and extraordinary.
6. Natchez Trace Parkway: no trucks, no billboards, 50mph limit. The finest and most peaceful drive in the American South.
Total Budget
$90 to $150/day