Where the Music meets the Soul
Club Ebony is a popular Blues club that has featured
performances by legendary artists such as Count
Basie, Willie Clayton and B.B. King
The B.B. King and Delta Blues museums. Live music in juke joints and nightclubs. The famed Crossroads of the Blues and The Delta Blues Trail. Time honored festivals and famous birthplaces and hang outs.
Nowhere else in the U.S. can you get as close to the magical origins of American music than on a “Music Meets the Soul” road trip through the Mississippi Delta.
The landmarks, legends and lyrics of Mississippi Delta music inspire visitors from all over the world. Make plans to tour the Delta during one of our kickin’ festivals or create your own itinerary. View our
Festivals and Events section for listings and dates of Delta Music events.
For a complete listing of blues trail markers in the Mississippi Delta, visit
www.msbluestrail.org.
Day 1
25 miles. Use I-69 West.
35 miles. Use Hwy 61 South.
33 miles. Use Hwy 61 South.
DeSoto County
Breakfast in DeSoto County
DeSoto County Blues Trail Marker tour
Tour DeSoto County's 2 Blues Trail markers honoring Big Walter Hortonand Memphis Minnie. Future markers will honor Joe Callicott and Gus Cannon.
662-393-8770 ·
www.sodesoto.com
Travel to Tunica
Tunica
Tunica Blues Trail Marker tour
Tour Tunica's Blues Trail markers honoring Son House, James
Cotton and Highway 61. Future markers will honor Harold Hardface
Clanton and Doctor Ross.
888-488-6422 ·
www.tunicamiss.com
Drive to Clarksdale
Clarksdale
Lunch at Ground Zero Blues Club
Co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, the Ground Zero Blues Club is open for lunch Monday thru Friday, and is open for dinner Wednesday thru Saturday. Hear live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.Also co-owned by Freeman is Madidi Restaurant, offering French cuisine with a Mediterranean flair.
662-621-9009 ·
www.groundzerobluesclub.com ·
www.madidires.com
Delta Blues Museum
The internationally-acclaimed museum showcases the history and significance of the Blues and features exhibits, video, audio and photocollections, and a life-size figure of Blues legend Muddy Waters.
662-627-6820
www.deltabluesmuseum.org
Cat Head
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art,Inc. is a 6-day-a-week store that features a full selection of bluesCDs, videos, DVDs, books and collectibles as well as an affordable mix of Southern self-taught, folk and outsider art.
662-624-5992 ·
www.cathead.biz
Riverside Hotel
Originally a hospital, The Riverside Hotel was bought in 1944 and turned into a hotel where guestssuch as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Sam Cooke, and JohnF. Kennedy, Jr. have stayed.
662-624-9163 ·
www.clarksdaletourism.com
Tour Clarksdale's Blues Trail markers honoring Cottton Pickin' Blues at Hopson Plantation, Riverside Hotel, Sam Carr, Frank Frost, Bertha, Muddy Waters and Robert Nighthawk. Future markerswill honor Sam Cooke.
800-626-3764 ·
www.clarksdaletourism.com
Drive to Cleveland
Cleveland
Tour Cleveland's Blues Trail marker honoring Rosedale.
Future markers around Cleveland honoring Chrisman Street, Bill Broonsey and the Flood of 1927 and Henry Townsend.
800-295-7473 ·
www.visitclevelandms.com
Day 2
Cleveland to Leland
27 miles. Use Hwy 61
South Greenville to Indianola
24 miles. Use Hwy 82 East.
Indianola to Greenwood
27 miles. Use Hwy 82 East.
Cleveland
The Delta Center for Culture and Learning
Located on the campus of Delta State University, the Center's missionis to promote the understanding of the history and culture of theMississippi Delta and its significance to the rest of the world.
662-846-4312 ·
www.blueshighway.org
Dockery Plantation
Feel the spirit of the Blues at Dockery Plantation. According to B.B. King, this is where the Blues began. The Plantation was also home to famous Bluesman Charley Patton.
800-295-7473 ·
www.visitclevelandms.com
The Peavine Railroad
A line that ran from Dockery Plantation to the Mississippi River which provided transportation for Bluesmen to meet and play. It meant a broader audience could experience the Blues, and musicians could more easily combine their talents.
800-295-7473 ·
www.visitclevelandms.com
Lunch in Cleveland
Travel to Leland
Visit Blues Trail Markers along the way
Boyle - Honoring Peavine Railroad
Shaw - Honoring Honeyboy Edwards
Leland - Honoring old highways 10 & 61
800-295-7473 ·
www.visitclevelandms.com
Highway 61 Blues Museum (Leland)
Experience the history of the Blues in the Delta with displays and photos throughout the museum that honor famous Bluesmen. Open 10-5 Tuesday thru Saturday.
662-686-2063 ·
www.highway61blues.com
Leland Blues Murals
Drive through downtown Leland and see the famous Blues murals that honor the Delta Blues musicians.
800-467-3582 ·
www.highway61blues.com
Drive to Holly Ridge
Holly Ridge Plantation Cemetery
Visit the burial sites of Charley Patton, Willie Foster and other famous Bluesmen.
662-887-4776 ·
www.indianolams.org
Drive to Indianola
Indianola
The B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center- Located on the corner of Second & Church Streets, the highway marker notes the site where B.B. King played on Saturday nights duringhis formative years. His signature, handprints and footprints are also embedded on the sidewalk.
662-887-3009 ·
www.bbkingmuseum.orgTour Indianola's Blues Trail markers honoring Club Ebony, Church Street and B.B. King's corner. Charley Patton's gravesite is honored in nearby Holly Ridge.
662-887-3009 ·
www.indianolams.org
Travel to Greenwood
Day 3
Greenwood
Breakfast
Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum and Gallery
Dedicated to Robert Johnson and houses the largest collection of Robert Johnson materials ever assembled. Displays highlight other famous Bluesmen from the area such as Hwy. 82 bluesmen, Beale Street bluesmen, Mississippi John Hurt, B.B. King and Furry Lewis.
662-451-7800 ·
www.greenwoodms.org
Robert Johnson Gravesites
Visit the three claimed gravesites of Bluesman Robert Johnson.
800-748-9064 ·
www.greenwoodms.org
Lunch in Greenwood
John Hurt Gravesite & Museum
Visit the gravesite of Bluesman John Hurt, and learn about his life at a museumin his honor. Located about 12 miles from Greenwood.
800-748-9064 ·
www.greenwoodms.org
Greenwood Blues Trail Markers tour
Tour Greenwood's 5 Blues Trail markers at Robert Johnson's gravesite; B.B.King's birthplace; WGRM Radio Station; Elks Lodge; and Hubert Sumlin'sbirthplace. Future markers will honor Guitar Slim, Tommy McClennan and the Baptist Town Neighborhood.
800-748-9064 ·
www.greenwoodms.org