You may think you know America, but you probably don’t know Mississippi. Many writers and journalists before me have roamed the Delta, canoed the Mississippi River, driven the Natchez Trace Parkway, watched the coast slide by from a train window, and explored the state capital Jackson, but nothing I read prepared me for visiting. It’s a state like no other – the land of the Delta blues, home to sacred Native American burial sites and witness to some of the most important moments of the Civil Rights Movement. You’ll find a blend of cultures, soul-stirring music, distinct landscapes, and a fascinating, if sometimes troubling, history.
Nestled between Louisiana and Alabama in the Deep South of America, with Tennessee to the north, it has distinctly “southern” characteristics, yet once you spend a few days there you’ll realise it is uniquely “Mississippian”.
This summer I rented a car in Mobile, Alabama, and drove to Nashville in Tennessee, a route that covered the length of Mississippi. There is plenty that I didn’t see – for example, I swept straight past coastal Mississippi – but my 450-mile drive still took in some of the most fascinating cultural, historical, natural, and downright fun places in the state. These are the spots I would recommend.
Jackson
From Mobile, I drove north out of Alabama and into Mississippi, about a three-hour drive to the state capital of Jackson. The city is well known for its impressive Civil Rights Museum, which documents African Americans' resistance in Mississippi from slavery in the 19th century to the 1970s. Exhibits take you through the crucial role that Mississippi, as one of the most deeply racially segregated states in America, played in the Civil Rights Movement. Although deeply sobering, the museum also aims to inspire hope in the resilience and resistance of the men, women, and children who fought for humanity under unspeakably cruel conditions.
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Although often overlooked as a southern city break, Jackson is steadily making a name for itself thanks to a thriving culinary scene. Pulito Osteria in the Belhaven neighbourhood serves excellent Italian with southern flair, while Rowan’s across the street is fun for a cocktail, and the Fertile Ground brewery next door offers a great beer selection in relaxed surroundings. In the Fondren neighbourhood, Just Vanilla's coffee and pastries are exceptional, while Brent's Drugs serves a mighty breakfast in classic diner style (it also has a speakeasy called Apothecary in the back if you’re after an evening hangout). My highlight was Stamp’s Super Burger in the Washington Addition neighbourhood near Jackson State University. The former grocery store is family-owned and has served the local community since the 1980s, and it often has a queue out the door.
Indianola
You’ll feel the change as you leave Jackson and head north to the Delta, with the vast flatlands stretching for miles around you. In under two hours of leisurely driving, you’ll reach Indianola, where Delta blues runs through the town's veins. It's the home of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which brilliantly tells the story of Indianola’s most famous son, Riley B. King. It’s easy to get lost in this museum for a few hours. Then nip across the street to The Blue Biscuit for classic Southern fare in an old storefront. I only stopped by Indianola for a few hours, but if you fancy an overnight stay, the Blue Biscuit Bungalows are the recommended place to lay your head.
Greenwood
Another classic Mississippi Delta town, Greenwood has a lively main street with a great selection of restaurants, the sleek Viking cooking school, and a lovely hotel, The Alluvian, known in the area as one of the nicest places to stay. Greenwood played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement; just down the road in Money is the grocery store where 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and fatally lynched in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman. It was the determination of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, that the brutality of her son’s death be seen by the world – she insisted on an open casket at his funeral – that ushered in a new era of the Civil Rights Movement. A statue commemorating Emmett stands at Greenwood’s Rail Spike Park, one of the markers on Mississippi’s Freedom Trail.
Clarksdale
Clarksdale wraps you in its Delta blues embrace and makes it hard to leave. Home to legendary juke bars like Red’s and Ground Zero (part-owned by Morgan Freeman), the live music here is intoxicating. There are a number of hotels and guesthouses, including the Clark House Inn and Travelers Hotel, but I’d recommend staying just outside of town at Shack Up Inn, a collection of characterful former sharecroppers’ homes. Eat breakfast at Our Grandma's House of Pancakes, then grab coffee at Meraki Roasting Co, before exploring stores like Cat Head Records in the pleasantly walkable downtown.
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Oxford
This quaint university town feels a world away from the grittiness of Clarksdale, with a laidback southern charm. Stay at the gorgeous Graduate Hotel and start your day with huge plates at Big Bad Breakfast, then explore the University of Mississippi campus, marvelling at the scale of its impressive sports facilities. Make time to visit the James Meredith statue on campus, commemorating the activist and writer who became the first Black student to enrol at the university in the face of sustained – and often violent – resistance. From the university, you can walk over to Rowan Oak, the former home of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, situated in beautiful woodland grounds. Oxford is great for small-town shopping; Square bookstore is one of my favourite book shops in the United States (Lemuria in Jackson is also up there), and there are plenty of other little boutiques, record stores and cafes to explore.
Where to stay
Stay at the gorgeous Graduate Hotel in Oxford city centre.
Tupelo
A must for Elvis Presley fans, Elvis spent the first 13 years of his life in Tupelo before his family moved to Memphis in 1948. Visit the small frame house where the King of Rock and Roll was born in 1935 at the Elvis Birthplace Museum, then swing by Johnnie's Drive-In, the diner Elvis and his friends used to visit. It’s a fun spot, and staff take special care to ensure that every fan gets a chance to sit in the booth where the man himself ate. A self-guided cycle tour is a great way to take in other Tupelo spots that shaped the singer’s early years, including the store where he bought his first guitar. Stay at Hotel Tupelo, and you can borrow bikes for free.
Where to stay
Hotel Tupelo is conveniently located near Elvis’ birthplace.
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Natchez Trace Parkway
Stretching 444 miles through Mississippi, and parts of Alabama and Tennessee, the Natchez Trace Parkway roughly follows the path of the Old Natchez Trace, a road used for 10,000 years, connecting the lands of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez nations. It’s a slower route than the main roads, but a beautiful drive through forests, farmland, rolling hills and fields of wildflowers. The 40mph speed limit means you take your time and soak in the surroundings. It takes around 10 hours to drive the full Natchez Trace, but I picked it up in Tupelo and used this route to finish my road trip, taking me from Mississippi into Tennessee toward Nashville.
Annabel’s trip through Mississippi was supported by Visit Mississippi
How to get there
It’s often easiest to fly into another state with direct flights from the UK, then make your way into Mississippi. Nashville and Memphis to the north in Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to the south, are well served by airlines including British Airways. Mobile, where I started my own road trip, would require a connecting flight from the UK (most likely in Dallas or Atlanta), but you could very easily drive almost the exact same route starting in New Orleans. Expect a flight time of around 10 hours to reach the South. The Amtrak train runs across the south of the state and is ideal for exploring Mississippi’s coastal region.
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