A Journey From Memphis to Vicksburg for Music Lovers

Be prepared for high notes as you make your way south on Highway 61 from Memphis, Tennessee, to Vicksburg, Mississippi, on this four-day journey. You’re traveling on the Blues Highway through the rural South region that birthed both the blues and jazz and did its part for soul and rock ’n’ roll, as well. You’ll sometimes detour off the highway, but you’ll never be far from the Mississippi River or the sound of guitars and saxophones in super-cool blues clubs and rural juke joints. The drive isn’t all about music; you’ll gamble a bit, do a little shopping and even take in a presidential tale and a Civil War lesson. All that, plus the best fried dill pickles on the planet.

BHammond / Alamy Stock Photo

Day 1: Memphis 

Begin your journey in this Tennessee city with strong ties not just to the blues but also soul and rock ’n’ roll. Start your morning at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, southeast of downtown, which honors the soul label founded in 1957 by sibling team Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. Its all-star lineup of artists included Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. Dance to the best tunes from the Stax heyday on the Express Yourself dance floor and see flashy costumes worn by its famed musicians.

The nearby Sun Studio made a local named Elvis Presley into a household name, performing alongside fellow Million Dollar Quartet members Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Step inside the studio where the memorable recording sessions took place as you hear clips of the famous songs. 

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​Come afternoon, drive about 7 miles south from downtown to Graceland, Presley’s grand mansion. Once a suburban farm, it’s now part of a larger complex with a museum featuring his private plane, the Lisa Marie. Elvis superfan and actor John Stamos narrates an audio tour of the home, including the garden with Presley’s grave.

​Shift your attention to the blues after dark on electric Beale Street, the downtown neighborhood that’s home to the city’s blues venues. At the B.B. King’s Blues Club, you’ll get more than moody music; the club doubles as a restaurant serving Southern dishes such as Memphis-style dry-rubbed pulled pork. Or dine upstairs in Itta Bena, the club’s more upscale Southern eatery. Music lovers should also head to the Crosstown Concourse — a renovated Sears warehouse-turned-eclectic-creative-collaboration of working studios, restaurants, bars and event space. Obsessed with records? The Memphis Listening Lab is a cool music library for rare vinyl and live performances. For a nightcap, head to the funky, intimate Art Bar in the same complex (look for the bright-red staircase). 

​Where to stay: Sleep like a king at the moderately priced Peabody Memphis, where Elvis signed his first recording contract. Of its 464 rooms, 10 are accessible with roll-in or transfer showers, accessible door handles and Braille door signs.  

Yarvin World Journeys / Alamy Stock Photo

​Day 2: Memphis to Clarksdale (76 miles)

Heading south on Highway 61, make your first stop 27 miles down the road at the Gateway to the Blues Museum in a rustic 1895 train depot near Tunica, Mississippi. Learn how the blues was born and the role the city played in the genre’s development. Feast your eyes on more than 20 guitars strummed by music greats such as John Lee Hooker, and if you’ve got good chops (or even if you don’t), record your own blues demo in its recording studio.

​Although it’s unlikely your song will ever top the charts, maybe you’ll get lucky 13 miles down the road in Tunica at one of its six casinos. The gaming industry came to town in the 1990s, giving the economy a much-needed boost. The Gold Strike, an MGM-owned property, delivers a level of luxury you’d expect in Las Vegas, including a comedy club and a performance theater to see the latest headlining live acts.

​For lunch, try the signature fried dill pickles at the Hollywood Café, famously mentioned in “Walking in Memphis,” the hit single from Marc Cohn’s debut album in 1991. 

​Continue south about 27 miles to Clarksdale, called “Ground Zero for the Blues.” Here, at the “crossroads” of Highways 61 and 49, Robert Johnson is rumored to have sold his soul to the devil for his guitar prowess. Hooker, Muddy Waters and other music legends were born and/or raised in these parts. 

​Spend the rest of the afternoon in Clarksdale browsing another treasure trove of blues history, the Delta Blues Museum. See the remains of the cabin in which Waters lived while working as a sharecropper, more guitars that Hooker did his magic on, and artifacts from the juke joint where Johnson was rumored to have been poisoned after performing.

​Tonight, dine at Abe’s Bar-B-Q, a favorite dishing out barbecue and Delta-style tamales, before heading to the New Roxy — a historic movie theater that was recently restored and hosts musicians on two stages. Then groove to the soulful music that put this city on the map at two not-to-miss venues: Ground Zero Blues Club Biloxi , co-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, and Red’s Lounge, where you might see Grammy-winning prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. 

​Where to stay: The 20-room, artist-run Travelers Hotel has a distinctive industrial vibe, with exposed brick walls, concrete floors and local art. The budget-friendly property doesn’t have an elevator, so book early and request a ground-floor room. One accessible room has a roll-in shower with grab bars. Or opt for the 52-room Shack Up Inn, where some units are converted sharecropper cabins like the ones that housed blues musicians who worked in the fields (adults only).

Carmen K. Sisson/Cloudybright/Alamy Stock Photo

Day 3: Clarksdale to Cleveland (51 miles)

Continue south on 61 for about 30 miles to the town of Merigold for a shopping stop at McCartys Pottery. Spouses Lee and Pup McCarty, both now deceased, founded the company in 1954 and soon established themselves as two of the state’s most sought-after artisans. Their two godsons joined the business in 1998 and continue to sell stunning works of clay (with glazes inspired by the Mississippi River). Insider tip: Buy discounted pieces during the annual “seconds sale” in the spring.

​In Cleveland, 7 miles down the highway, detour 7 miles east on Highway 8 to Dockery Farms, an 1895 cotton farm considered the birthplace of the blues. Here, after long days toiling in its fields, Charley Patton and Howlin’ Wolf performed at makeshift venues on the property, called juke joints. Preserved buildings and an interpretive video describe the site’s significance. 

​Backtrack to Cleveland and its Grammy Museum Mississippi, west of downtown, highlighting the state’s many contributions to American music, from B.B. King to Jimmie Rodgers. Touch screen panels trace the origins of popular artists, connecting them to the artists that influenced them.

​Where to stay: The 95-room Cotton House hotel is where the cotton from nearby farms would have been loaded onto trains starting in the late 1800s. The moderately priced hotel takes design inspiration from the region, with photographs of noted blues artists and artwork inspired by the river. Accessible rooms have roll-in showers and devices that alert the hearing-impaired to door knocks and phone rings.

​Dine at the hotel’s Delta Meat Market, helmed by James Beard Award semifinalist Chef Cole Ellis. Southern dishes such as tomato pie and collard greens are meant to be shared.

BHammond / Alamy Stock Photo

Day 4: Cleveland to Vicksburg (140 miles)

Before leaving Cleveland, stop in at Mississippi Grounds for a caffeine boost and pastries, perhaps a cheese croissant.