HGTV has named the Mississippi Blues Trail as one of the Top 20 places to visit in the United States, and we couldn’t agree more!
The blues — the only musical genre said to be completely American — were born in the 1860s in the Mississippi Delta. Greats like Muddy Waters, Ike Turner and Sam Cooke are memorialized along the Blues Highway, or Route 61, which runs from New Orleans to Wyoming, Minnesota. Part of it coincides with the Mississippi Blues Trail, where numerous markers and historic sites tell the story of the blues. Some are outside the state, but within Mississippi, the trail runs north from the Gulf Coast to Clarksdale, Columbus, Meridian and other cities.
Must-see stops: in Tunica, the Gateway to the Blues Museum; in Memphis, Graceland, once home to Elvis Presley and Sun Studio, where B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf and others recorded. In Cleveland, tour the GRAMMY Museum, see the guitar collection in the Delta Blues Museum and pop into Red’s Lounge, a juke joint with live music.
Recent additions to the Trail include: Clinton’s Blues Legacy in Clinton (Oct 27, 2022); Brookhaven Blues in Brookhaven (May 29, 2021); and Dorothy Moore in Jackson (May 25, 2022).
Visit MsBlues.org for a full list of stops and sites to see along the trail. More than likely, you live right near one!
