| | Musical Heritage Tour | |
{DAY 1}
TUPELO
Begin your tour in Tupelo, where you’ll be moved by the humble, two-room
house where Elvis was born, and visit the adjacent Elvis Presley Museum
and memorial chapel. You’ll also explore a number of sites important
to Elvis’ early life, including the school where he performed "Old
Shepp" in a talent show, the hardware store where he purchased
his first guitar, and the fairgrounds where he performed early in
his career. Tupelo honors its famous native son every June during
the annual Elvis Presley Festival.
{DAY 2}
TUPELO TO CLARKSDALE
176 kilometers
From Tupelo travel to Oxford, a charming college town immortalized
in the writings of William Faulkner and the part-time home of blockbuster
novelist John Grisham. Begin the day with a tour of Rowan Oak, Faulkner’s
tranquil country home, where you’ll discover the outline of his novel,
A Fable, scribbled on the study wall. Make your next stop the lovely
campus of the University of Mississippi, affectionately known as "Ole
Miss." Tour the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, a research
center for Southern music, literature and folklore housed in an antebellum
observatory on campus, then visit the University of Mississippi Blues
Archive, the only research facility in the country dedicated to the
study of the blues. The archive includes artifacts, photographs, and
recordings, as well as the personal collection of blues legend and
Mississippi native B. B. King. From Oxford continue into the fabled
Mississippi Delta where the meal at Madidi a white tablecloth restaurant
co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, or treat yourself to a down-home
catfish dinner. Wrap up a trip to Clarksdale with a visit to one of
the city’s blues clubs or authentic juke joints for a live performance
of the music that made the Delta famous.
{DAY 3}
CLARKSDALE TO JACKSON
362 kilometers
Travel south through the fertile farmlands of the Delta to Cleveland's
Dockery Farms, a historic plantation listed as the possible birthplace
of the blues. A barn bearing the plantation name and dates of operation
is a popular photo opportunity. Continue south to Greenville, where
you can try your luck at the casinos along the Mississippi River levee
or immerse yourself in Native American culture at Winterville Mounds,
one of the largest Indian mound groups in the Mississippi Valley.
From Greenville, continue on to Leland, home of MuppetsR creator Jim
Henson. Tour the Highway 61 Blues Museum to learn even more about
the Mississippi Delta Blues. Next, follow Highway 82 east across the
Delta to Greenwood, where you can take a walking tour of historic
Cotton Row, the second-largest cotton exchange in the United States,
then shop for souvenirs in the charming downtown area. For a taste
of the lifestyle that inspired the blues, tour Greenwood's Blues Heritage
Gallery, dedicated to Robert Johnson, the renowned "King of the
Delta Blues." Continue your journey through the Delta to Yazoo
City where you can take the Yazoo City Blues Tour
and learn about
Bentonia Blues and the Skip James connection. Press on to Jackson,
and enjoy blues, rock, and country music at one of the local clubs.